A tie to be savoured not endured by
STORM Offaly came and, 41 scores later, left Markievicz Park victorious and brave Sligo dizzy. Sligo’s Senior hurlers, who lost last Saturday’s Christy Ring Cup Group ‘B’ Play-off by 22 points, at least were stubbornly competitive for most of the first-half.
Just a point down by the game’s first water break, 0-11 to 1-7, this year’s Allianz Hurling League Division 3A champions were eight points behind the AHL Division 2A winners at halftime 0-20 to 1-9. But that was about it. The second-half was about Offaly strutting their stuff and the Michael Fennelly-managed team tacked on an additional 2-19 (enough to win a full game).
Eoghan Cahill, who shot 0-15, Brian Duignan (0-6) and Liam Langton (0-5) were the winners’ most potent
SO this is how the other half live. Sligo got a taste of what life is like in the upper levels of Hurling World last Saturday and it was a harsh lesson indeed.
Offaly, winners here by an eventually overwhelming scoreline, were faster in thought and deed, more forcible. More skilful, too.
Sligo manager Padraig Mannion pointed out afterwards that the speed at which Offaly did things impressed him most.
Their slick moves were often just a matter of fact. Pop. Pop. Pop. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Sligo had less time to make decisions, less time when in possession and, given the number of times that their shots were blocked down, clearly less time when shooting, too. They were suffocated by a county who, don’t forget, have some way to go before they can rub shoulders with the likes of Limerick, Kilkenny, Clare and Tipperary.
Those counties contesting the Liam MacCarthy Cup are light years away finishers. Offaly full-forward John Murphy, a first cousin of Sligo and Coolera-Strandhill ace Niall Murphy, chipped in with four points. from Offaly’s display – which was terrifyingly good.
For Sligo, it was borderline embarrassing to concede 41 scores
Keeping Sligo’s dream intact (for the first-half at any rate) was top scorer Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, whose overall contribution was 2-12 – a brace of goals at Markievicz Park (in front of additional home fans, a lot of them expectant) but Offaly had been ominously chalking up big scores on and 12 converted frees.
The number 14’s first goal – a 14th minute score – was wonderful. Kevin O’Kennedy and Kevin Banks set up the chance, Offaly defender Ciaran Burke erred and Gerard O’KellyLynch seized the chance, sticking the sliothar home.
Sligo had just scored a goal against a county that has won the Liam MacCarthy Cup four times. The venue, even with a restricted attendance, erupted. their way back to the top tier of the Allianz Hurling League this year. Already in 2021 Offaly have scored 13-135 in five AFL Division 2A games – that’s 174 points and an average of 34.8 points per game.
Sligo knew that the storm was coming. Eoghan Cahill, one of Offaly’s shooting stars, delivered the goods for his team, just as Naomh Eoin’s Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch turned up and turned on a scoring display that would have worried Offaly.
Of course, there are those who’ll ask what makes a 22-point loss for Sligo hurlers a humbling but learning experi- ence yet, seven days previously, Sligo’s Gaelic footballers were defeated by a slightly smaller margin (20 points) and are almost mocked for wanting to be like
Mayo.
The difference is that Sligo hurlers have fought their way to Christy Ring Cup status, winning two All-Ireland titles en route, while similarly improving in the Allianz Hurling
Such was Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch’s impact that his marker, the aforementioned Ciaran Burke, was later substituted.
The shooter found the range seven times with pointed frees in a firsthalf that was absorbing because Sligo refused to wilt and Offaly were perhaps a little surprised at this.
Sligo’s two other points in the opening period were fine efforts from play thanks to Gavin Connolly, who did well in the first-half, and Thomas Cawley,
League, building on last year’s Division 3B title with this year’s Division 3A success.
Sligo’s hurlers see the tiered system that exists and get on with it. They’ll either be good enough to survive in the Christy Ring Cup or they won’t. If they drop a level they’ll fight to get back up.
Four national trophies in four years tells a story of graft, talent and luck, collective and individual effort, Sligo hurling doesn’t have it all its own way. Even in Sligo, hurling has to fight for status. For a game of this stature (although Sligo’s upcoming game against Roscommon is just as important), one would wonder how much better would Sligo’s options have been had Mikey Gordon and Conor Griffin been available.
Keith Raymond, for years Sligo’s leading hurling light, was a spectator. Meanwhile, Offaly’s presence at the Sligo town GAA venue last Saturday was a reminder of the many OffalySligo hurling links over the years.
For example there’s Offaly native Paddy Galvin, arguably Mr Markievicz Park, whose sons, Mickey (sadly no longer with us) and Peter