National Hurling League Division 1B final: Waterford 1-27 Offaly 2-20
Fifteen points ahead with 15 minutes left and worth every bit of their lead at that stage, Waterford danced with danger briefly before holding on for a deserved win over Offaly in a very strange National Hurling League Division 1B decider in Cork on Sunday afternoon.
The Munster side were 1-25 to 1-10 ahead with 54 minutes on the clock and they will be wondering how they allowed Offaly to get back into the game from there. The gap was big enough not to cause true anxiety for their supporters but when Offaly got it back to four points, 1-25 to 2-18 with three minutes of regular time, plus four minutes of injury time left, they were beginning to cast glances at the clock.
Points from Patrick Curran and Dessie Hutchinson settled their nerves, pushing the lead out to six and it meant that two injury-time points from Offaly’s Brian Duignan, one a free, were purely in the consolation bracket.
That four-point winning margin does not reflect the way this game went at all. Waterford were masters in almost every sector for a good three quarters of the way and it was a difficult watch for the small Offaly support at Páirc Uí Caoimh.
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The favourites looked home and dry at half-time, leading by 0-17 to 0-6. They had the use of a wind that may have been more of a factor than it seemed from the stands, but even that doesn’t explain the full extent of their dominance.
After returning to the top flight in league and championship for the first time in years, Offaly are beginning to dream once more. But they encountered reality in the first half here against a Waterford side operating at close to championship intensity.
Waterford led by 0-4 to no score after just two minutes and they converted eight of their 10 shots at the posts for a 0-8 to 0-2 lead after nine minutes. Their lead was treble scores, 0-12 to 0-4 after 19 minutes and a goal would have broken Offaly’s spirit at this stage. Fortunately for them, it didn’t come as Mark Troy made a good save in the 27th minute from Seán Walsh, while Waterford goalkeeper Billy Nolan saved smartly from Brian Duignan 12 minutes earlier.
Waterford went for the jugular at the start of the second half, getting five of the first six points to lead by 0-23 to 0-9 after 49 minutes. The excellent Mark Fitzgerald had set the ball rolling with a quality point while Stephen Bennett went for goal with a tap-over free but still got the resultant 65.
Oisín Kelly’s fortunate 51st-minute goal after Duignan’s attempt for a point hit the post didn’t raise a flicker of interest on the sidelines, especially as Waterford quickly replied with a goal from the superb Patrick Curran, who scored 1-3.
Kelly got a super 55th-minute goal to make it 2-10 to 1-25 and suddenly Offaly got a new lease off life. Duignan clicked into top gear as Offaly scored eight points without reply in a great, almost surreal spell of relentless pressure, to make it 2-18 to 1-25 with 67 minutes gone.
Another Offaly goal would have made it really interesting and they should have got a penalty in the 57th minute when Duignan was held while in on goal, but the Waterford cushion was adequate to get them home.
The closing quarter will give Offaly plenty of positives to grasp as they gear up for a tough Leinster championship campaign. And Waterford will be very much focusing on the first 55 minutes rather than the last 15, when they ran in subs, took their eye off the ball and became very laid-back.
WATERFORD: B Nolan; I Kenny, G Fives (0-1), I Daly; M Fitzgerald (0-3), T De Burca, P Leavey; C Sheahan, D Lyons (0-1); P Curran (1-3), J Barron (0-2), S Walsh (0-1); D Hutchinson (0-3), Shane Bennett (0-1), Stephen Bennett (0-12, 6f, 3 65s).
Subs: P Hogan for Walsh (45 mins); K Bennett for Sheahan (55); P Fitzgerald for Shane Bennett (57); C Treen for Lyons (60); T Barron for Hogan (66).
OFFALY: M Troy; B Conneely, C Burke, P Cantwell; R Ravenhill, D Shirley, J Sampson; C Spain (0-1), C King (0-1); O Kelly (2-1), D Bourke (0-1), K Sampson (0-1); D Ravenhill, C Mitchell (0-1), B Duignan (0-12, 5f and 2 65s).
Subs: D King for Cantwell, E Cahill (0-1) for D Ravenhill (both 41 mins); J Clancy for Spain (46); P Taaffe for Shirley (52); E Burke (0-1) for Mitchell (57).
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).
