NHL, Division 1A: Offaly 0-18 Galway 2-23
There was something of an air of inevitability about the way Galway collected their first brace of points in this Division 1A tussle in Birr on Sunday.
Winless to this juncture in the league, this was a must-win game for the Tribesmen in the battle to avoid the drop to Division 1B. With Offaly emerging from the doldrums after a barren two decades, they are realistic about the long road ahead to return themselves to All-Ireland contention and are under no illusions as to the chance of relegation.
Ambitious as they might be, their performances and competitiveness is at least as important as their results.
With that in mind, they’ll be pleased with their battling attributes here, putting it up to Galway in the first half and fought hard after the break only for the result to slip beyond their reach as the second half wore on.
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For Galway, a defeat would have been an unmitigated disaster, and the visitors did just enough to win. While they hardly set St Brendan’s Park alight, Micheál Donoghue’s side were able to conjure up the right answers when Offaly and threatened a shock result.
Three points ahead at the interval, 0-9 to 0-6, Galway laid the foundations for their win with a fine start to the second half. Cathal Mannion was the instigator, scoring 1-1 within two minutes of the resumption for a 1-10 to 0-6 lead which looked likely to be enough to see them over the line.
But Offaly attempted to hang on, Luke Watkins and Adam Screeney supplying points to keep them ticking over, only for Galway found another rich vein of form. The Tribesmen took their scores well, with Cathal Mannion, Stephen O’Halloran, Tom Monaghan and Colm Molloy all pointing to push their side eight points clear with 24 minutes of the second half gone.
As the game ticked towards the final whistle, six points adrift two minutes from injury time, Offaly were in dire need of a goal, but Galway did not relent, and instead pushed on to add a further 1-3, Conor Whelan netting an injury-time goal.
OFFALY: L Hoare; P Taaffe, B Conneely, B Kavanagh; D Shirley (0-1), K Sampson, J Clancy (0-2); C King, T Guinan (0-1); O Kelly (0-1), C Doyle, D Bourke; E Cahill, B Duignan (0-4), A Screeney (0-7, 5f). Subs: D Nally for Cahill (17 mins), L Watkins (0-1) for Doyle (h-t), C Spain (0-1) for King (56), L Nolan for Guinan (63), C Cleary for Kelly (67).
GALWAY: S O’Halloran (0-1); J Ryan, D Burke, R Glennon; P Mannion, C Travers (0-1), TJ Brennan; G Lee, C Daniels; T Monaghan (0-2), C Mannion (1-9, 5f), T Killeen; C Molloy (0-3), J Rabbitte (0-3), A Niland (0-3). Subs: C Fahy for Lee (24 mins), C Whelan (1-1) for Niland (50), S Murphy for Ryan (53), D McLoughlin for Burke (65).
Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).
