Allianz Hurling League Division 1B: Offaly 2-26 Antrim 0-17

Offaly took the top spot in Division 1B of the Allianz League with a crushing defeat over Antrim in Tullamore on Sunday, ensuring the Faithful County will travel to Croke Park to take on the Dubs in high spirits on Saturday week.

Meanwhile Saffron manager Davy Fitzgerald could only lament his side’s ongoing issues with consistency, and their performances away from home. Their last league win on opposition soil was in 2020 in Tralee against Kerry, and once Dan Ravenhill fired in Offaly’s first goal approaching the half-hour mark yesterday, they were never going to change that record here.

“Look at Antrim over the last five or six years, it's either right up there or right down there. There isn't much middle ground if we're being honest about it” bemoaned the Clare native.

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“You could actually feel it on the sideline that we weren't going to fight it back. I don't know why that is, because they're really good lads, they work really hard.

“We can't be shipping beatings like that, end of story."

It was all the more lamentable from their perspective, because with 25 minutes gone, Fitzgerald would have been the happier manager. The contest lacked all momentum with a series of injury stoppages, and while Offaly’s tenacity and tackling in the middle third meant they were the stronger team, the Ulster men were about to turn around and hurl with the aid of a decent breeze.

Then Niall O’Connor carried the ball into the tackle and between James Mahon and Killian Sampson, the ball was turned over and sent into Dan Ravenhill for the game’s opening goal.

Sampson, Duignan and Charlie Mitchell added points before half-time to extend the interval lead to 10, and such was the home side’s dominance from there on, the wind was never a factor.

Antrim didn’t score from play for 32 minutes with Ciarán Burke lording matters at full back, and it was only Offaly’s failure to take a string of goal chances, not to mention Antrim hitting the last four points of the tie, that prevented the margin from growing to monstrous proportions.

“We're plenty fit enough but it didn't even seem like that outside and I don't know why. I suppose when the confidence drains out of you, you're in trouble,” Davy Fitzgerald lamented.

“If you look at Westmeath last week, look at the amount of turnovers and dispossessions, we were good in the tackle. Offaly hammered us in the tackle today.

“We've got to figure that out. They can bring all the Davy Fitzs or whoever else is there, it doesn't matter, until we make sure that we're consistent over a period of time.

“I can't figure out why they shouldn't be, because they work extremely hard. I'm just baffled but we'll try and get to the bottom of it and sort it.”

Needless to say, Offaly boss Johnny Kelly had no such anguish or frustration, and he could look forward to what’s sure to be a much tougher test next time out.

“The way Dublin are going; the way Niall (Ó Ceallacháin) has these guys going in Dublin, they’re playing a really good brand of hurling. You see the way Na Fianna played. So, we’re very conscious of how good that Dublin team is, and how long they’ve been in Liam MacCarthy in comparison to where Offaly have been for the last four years”.

Except that this Offaly team is clearly a cut above where the county has been in that time. For Antrim, and for Davy Fitz, the same demons continue to haunt.

OFFALY: M Troy; J Mahon, C Burke, P Cantwell; R Ravenhill (0-1), D Shirley, J Sampson; C Spain, C King; O Kelly (0-1), D Bourke (0-1), K Sampson (1-4); D Ravenhill (1-2, 0-1f), C Mitchell (0-4), B Duignan (0-12, 0-9f, 0-1 65).

Subs: S Bourke (0-1) for Cantwell (16), D Nally for Duignan (24-27, temp), D Nally for K Sampson (60), D King for J Sampson (61), L Watkins for Spain (64), DJ McLoughlin for Shirley (68).

ANTRIM: R Elliot; G Walsh, P Burke, D McCloskey; S Walsh (0-1), E Campbell, J Maskey (0-1); N Elliot, N O'Connor (0-1); P Boyle, K Molloy (0-3), N McKenna; S Elliot (0-2), J McNaughton (0-9, 0-7f, 0-1 65), C Johnston.

Subs: E McFerran for Walsh (13), R McCambridge for McKenna (half-time), C Boyd for McCloskey (half-time), E O’Neill for Boyle (47), C McKeown for Johnston (61)

Referee: Seamus Hynes (Galway).

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