Hungry Offaly eat Monaghan alive

Offaly 1-18 Monaghan 1-10:A SHARPER, hungrier Offaly answered their critics in emphatic fashion as they dumped a depleted Monaghan out of the All-Ireland championship with a display of pace and power in O'Connor Park Tullamore on Saturday evening that had this result wrapped up some time before the finish.

Offaly dominated this game for practically the entire 70 minutes, with the best Monaghan could achieve was being level at 1-6 apiece after 31 minutes of the first half but thereafter they were simply chasing shadows.

Offaly were never headed in the entire contest, they led by 1-5 to 0-1 after 20 minutes, Niall McNamee, who was in inspirational form, hitting the goal in the 14th minute.

Monaghan enjoyed their best spell between the 21st and 31st minutes when they came from being six points adrift to levelling the match, a Christopher McGuinness goal in the 27th minute helping to give them a real foothold in the game.

They were unable to build on that however as Offaly responded with two points in stoppage time to lead at the break, 1-8 to 1-6.

Offaly put in a scintillating start to the second half with five unanswered points in the opening nine minutes as they simply blew the Monaghan challenge away and the Offaly attack in which Ciarán McManus and Niall McNamee were in inspirational form tore the Monaghan defence to shreds.

Monaghan did pull back a couple of points but they were never allowed to be in a position where they would threaten Offaly’s superiority. To emphasise that, the home side reeled off four further points without reply between the 21st and 33rd minute as the Monaghan challenge evaporated completely.

OFFALY: A Mulhall; B Darby, J Quinn, S Pender; S Lonergan (0-2), S Brady, K Slattery; R Dalton (0-3), N Smith; C McManus (0-4, 0-2 frees), R Brady (0-1), N Darby (0-1); B Allen (0-1), K Casey (0-1), N McNamee (1-4). Subs: P Bracken for Casey, S Ryan for Slattery, D Egan (0-1) for Allan, J Coughlan for McManus.

MONAGHAN: M Keogh; C Galligan, K Duffy, D Morgan; O Duffy (0-2), D Hughes, N McAdam (0-2); O Lennon, D Clerkin; M Downey, B O’Brien (0-1), D McKenna; C McGuinness (1-0), P Finlay (0-2, frees), C McManus (0-2, 0-1 free). Subs: C Hughes for Clerkin, C Hanratty (0-1) for McKenna, V Corey for Downey, B McKenna for McGuinness.

Referee: S Doyle (Wexford).