TJ Reid of Kilkenny is tackled by Ben Conneely of Offaly during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 3 match between Kilkenny and Offaly at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
KILKENNY 4-25 OFFALY 2-16
By Kevin Egan at UPMC Nowlan Park
First quarter goals from Martin Keoghan and TJ Reid set Kilkenny on the road to a comfortable win over Offaly in the Leinster championship this evening, with Reid going on to score 2-9 on his first championship start of the year.
After taking a hard beating from Galway last time out, Offaly needed to take every chance that came their way early on in order to boost their confidence, but instead good chances for Brian Duignan and Daniel Bourke were sent astray. Kilkenny were guilty of a couple of misses too, but the chances flowed more freely in front of the Ted Carroll stand, and once Stephen Donnelly made a fine high catch to set up Keoghan for a close range finish, the Cats were never under any real pressure.
When Reid picked up a batted ball and slammed it to the net in the 12th minute Kilkenny were nine points to the good, and even allowing for a tricky breeze that was helping their cause, they were too dominant in too many sectors of the pitch to be reeled in.
Billy Ryan picked off some excellent scores from the right wing, while they lorded matters at half-back, with Offaly struggling to compete up front due to their use of a sweeper.
Daniel Bourke and Charlie Mitchell were among the leading lights for the Faithful County and they picked off some impressive scores in the first half, but the signs of fatigue were there for players like James Mahon, Donal Shirley and Dan Ravenhill, all of whom had a very busy Spring and who all featured in Offaly’s defeat to Dublin in the U-20 semi-final last Monday.
An Oisín Kelly score from close range cut the lead to seven points on the half hour mark but Kilkenny kicked on again with six points before half-time, including three from John Donnelly at centre forward.
A slow start to the second half saw Kilkenny continue to enjoy the lion’s share of possession but they shot the first couple out of seven second half wides in a scoreless five minutes. Adrian Mullen put any lingering doubt about the result to bed when he powered through a tackle to add the third goal after 41 minutes, and while Oisín Kelly replied in kind for Offaly immediately, that was to be their only score in the third quarter.
Kilkenny’s profligacy, plus the general lack of intensity that might be expected in a game where the result was never in doubt, was a key factor in the lead not extending much further, though there were a couple of impressive scores at both ends in the final quarter.
TJ Reid whipped in Kilkenny’s fourth goal and Fionán Mackessy also caught the eye with a superb point in his short spell on the field, while at the other end Shirley hoisted one over from distance and Kelly’s second goal was the highlight of the game, as he exploded past the Kilkenny cover and blasted a shot inside Eoin Murphy.
For both these counties however, tougher tests lie in store.
Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 2-9 (0-7f), Billy Ryan 0-4, John Donnelly 0-4, Martin Keoghan 1-0, Stephen Donnelly 0-3, Adrian Mullen 1-0, Cian Kenny 0-3 (0-2f), Harry Shine 0-1, Fionán Mackessy 0-1.
Scorers for Offaly: Brian Duignan 0-8f, Oisín Kelly 2-1, Charlie Mitchell 0-3, Daniel Bourke 0-2, Donal Shirley 0-2.
KILKENNY: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh; David Blanchfield, Mikey Carey, Paddy Deegan; Cian Kenny, Jordan Molloy; Billy Ryan, John Donnelly, Harry Shine; Stephen Donnelly, TJ Reid, Martin Keoghan. Subs: Adrian Mullen for Shine (33), Killian Doyle for Blanchfield (49), Luke Hogan for S Donnelly (51), Billy Drennan for Reid (59), Fionán Mackessy for Keoghan (61).
OFFALY: Mark Troy; Ben Conneely, Ciarán Burke, James Mahon; Jason Sampson, Donal Shirley, Ross Ravenhill; Cathal King, Colin Spain; Killian Sampson, Daniel Bourke, Oisín Kelly; Dan Ravenhill, Brian Duignan, Charlie Mitchell. Subs: Eoin Burke for D Ravenhill (44), David Nally for R Ravenhill (48), Sam Bourke for J Sampson (48), Pádraig Cantwell for Conneely (58), Brecon Kavanagh for Mahon (62).
Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim).
