Allianz National Hurling League – Division 1B
Antrim 0-17 Offaly 2-26
Sunday 9 February
Brendan McTaggart reports from Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore
And the mystery of Antrim’s ‘away day’ blues continue. On an afternoon that promised plenty, it transpired to be a largely forgettable journey to the Faithful County as the Saffrons succumbed to their second defeat of their league campaign.
It was a difficult watch for the vast majority of the 70 plus minutes with Antrim contributing a worrying amount to their own downfall. I didn’t take note of the number of turnovers either forced or unforced but it can’t have made for pretty reading for the Saffrons as Offaly romped to a comfortable and thoroughly deserving win.
Yet, with seven minutes of the first half remaining, the home side led by just two points. Offaly did have the lion’s share of possession and did the majority of the hurling in that opening 20 odd minutes but Antrim were plugging away and Ryan Elliott performing his own heroics between the sticks with two brave, brilliant and bewildering saves. Roy Keane might say that: ‘He’s a keeper, it’s his job’ but Antrim’s netminder produced the unimaginable.
In the seven minutes and a few more of injury time that followed, Offaly hit 1-5 without reply to leave 10 between the sides and another giving Antrim another indication if it were needed, that if you take your eye off the ball at this level, you get punished.
Brian Duignan put in another top performance for Offaly with a near faultless display from frees and open play while Charlie Mitchell was a real handful for the Antrim defence at full forward. The impish abilities of Daniel Bourke were evident throughout while Killian Sampson and Dan Ravenhill’s goals added gloss to the score board.
Defensively, it was a tough for Antrim. They were rocked by the absence of Conall Bohill who was replaced by Joe Maskey in the starting 15 while Gerard Walsh’s game lasted 13 minutes. Offaly’s ability to create space and pull the Antrim defence into places they just didn’t want to go was bewildering. Speed, agility, movement, they had it in spades. Antrim on the other hand looked like a team who were drained of confidence and lost among a swathe of a slick Offaly side who were in no mood to let a stuttering Saffron side off the hook.
James McNaughton continued his good form with nine white flags while Keelan Molloy top scored from open play with three points. Molloy showed glimpses of his mesmeric brilliance but it was all too fleeting as Antrim struggled. Nigel Elliott worked his socks off again along with Joe Maskey but there were too many in Saffron not leaving Tullamore with plus marks as Offaly cruised.
Molloy opened the scoring in the second minute, moments before Mitchell was denied by Ryan Elliott from point blank range. The sides were tied on two points apiece when the Antrim ‘keeper denied Duignan and had the presence of mind to clear the sliotar in the face of the rushing Offaly attack coming his way from close range as the home side looked to go for the Antrim jugular early.
A brace of points from Seaan Elliott, the first from a rasping drive that was deflected over the bar from Offaly ‘keeper Mark Troy had the deficit at two points in the 28th minute. Antrim wouldn’t register another score and Offaly finished the half on top. Punishing errors and indecision from Antrim. Offaly’s first goal came from an unforced turnover in the middle of the pitch and as the sliotar was passed into Dan Ravenhill, he used the momentum of the pass and his own body to evade the tackle and leave himself one on one with Ryan Elliott. It was third time unlucky for the Antrim ‘keeper however as Ravenhill fired home. Points followed from Duignan, Mitchell and Killian Sampson as Offaly put daylight between the sides and left the half time score 1-14 to 0-7 in the home sides favour.
Antrim made changes at half time with Ryan McCambridge and Conor Boyd introduced and almost made the perfect start to the second half. Paul Boyle and Seaan Elliott combining but Elliott’s effort was saved superbly by Troy and sent out for a ’65 that McNaughton duly obliged in raising his seventh white flag of the match.
Any thoughts on an Antrim comeback or turnaround were soon compounded however with Duignan (two), Oisín Kelly and Ross Ravenhill firing over.
A 44th minute free from McNaughton gave Antrim some form of respite but it was all one way traffic as Antrim struggled in the middle third to provide any sort of meaningful ball into the forward line.
Ryan Elliott was called into action again when he denied Kelly after good work from Duignan but the home side stretched their lead to 16 points by the half way mark in the second half.
Scott Walsh, Molloy and McNaughton split the uprights in the space of five minutes with Mitchell the solitary response from Offaly in the same period of time before the home side scored their second major. Killian Sampson with the finish and what turned out to be his last action of the game as Offaly looked to the bench in the closing 10 minutes.
The lead had stretched to 19 going into the final minute of the 70 before a late flurry of four unanswered scores from McNaughton (two), Maskey and Molloy tried to put some respectability on the score line.
In a match that plenty around the country were predicting to be close, Antrim never delivered. This was another awakening for Davy Fitzgerald and his backroom team against a side who Antrim have had a good record against in the recent past.
There is a welcome break now before our next league game with Waterford coming to Corrigan Park in two weeks time. On the back of this showing and evidence, player confidence is waning. A timely break with the Saffrons management team having their work cut out for them before the Deise come calling.
TEAMS
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Gerard Walsh, Paddy Burke, Declan McCloskey; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Joe Maskey; Niall O’Connor, Nigel Elliott; Paul Boyle, Niall McKenna, Keelan Molloy; Seaan Elliott, James McNaughton, Conor Johnston
Subs: Eoin McFerran for G Walsh (13); Ryan McCambridge for N McKenna (HT); Conor Boyd for D McCloskey (HT); Eoin O’Neill for P Boyle (47); Cormac McKeown for C Johnston (62)
Scorers: J McNaughton 0-9 (6fs 1’65); K Molloy 0-3; S Elliott 0-2; S Wlash 0-1; N O’Connor 0-1; J Maskey 0-1
Offaly: Mark Troy; Padraig Cantwell, Ciarán Burke, James Mahon; Ross Ravenhill, Donal Shirley, Jason Sampson; Colin Spain, Cathal King; Oisín Kelly, Daniel Bourke, Killian Sampson; Dan Ravenhill, Charlie Mitchell, Brian Duignan
Subs: Sam Bourke for P Cantwell (17); David Nally for K Sampson (60); David King for J Sampson (62); Luke Watkins for C Spain (64); DJ McLoughlin for D Shirley (68)
Scorers: B Duignan 0-12 (9fs 1’65); K Sampson 1-4; D Ravenhill 1-2 (1f); C Mitchell 0-4; D Bourke 0-1; O Kelly 0-1; R Ravenhill 0-1; S Bourke 0-1
Referee: Seamus Hynes
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PICS FROM TODAY’S GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/sQaLSM3EFUuZcr/?invite=c399550b-a865-42c1-8d58-0081d4dcbcd9