Kildare cut loose of old inhibitions

Beware the white fury. At Croke Park yesterday, Kildare reaffirmed they are close to tapping into the alchemy which set them bubbling in 1998. In ending Offaly's interest during this Bank Of Ireland semi-final replay, they also managed to rid themselves of their worrying shyness about kicking points, rattling over a staggering nine on the trot after the half-time break.

It was a revelatory sight, a tantalising snapshot of their potential if they can manage to consistently harness the attacking ambitions which were so successfully exploited on this occasion.

Not that the textbook was error free; they blasted 10 wides in the match but it was an economical return in comparison to previous outings in Croke Park. In full flow, Kildare were a marvellous spectacle. Offaly failed to register a score for a staggering 32 minutes of the game, hitting a drought from the 27th minute of the first half until a Ciaran McManus 45-metre free brought them to 2-5 with 10 minutes remaining.

But while Kildare's second-half surge had Offaly on the ropes, it was their gritty response to the close of the first half that gave them the platform. Those opening 35 minutes followed the pattern of the drawn game, low-scoring and cagey, but for two wonderfully taken Offaly goals.

On both occasions, Kildare's right flank was exposed. After seven minutes, Sean Grennan lobbed a free into acres of space for Colm Quinn to run onto and the Ballycumber player torched past Brian Lacey before hammering his shot beyond Christy Byrne. Then, after 22 minutes, an McManus found himself with space in the same avenue after Vinny Claffey palmed on Mel Keenaghan's quick ball forward. McManus, who on his return from suspension can at least reflect on a praiseworthy 70 minutes of football, rattled his drive beyond Byrne to leave matters at 2-2 to 0-3.

Galling as those two concessions were for the generally water-tight Kildare defence, it was notable that they conjured up effective responses immediately from the kick-outs through points from Tadhg Fennin and Eddie McCormack. At times during the first period, Kildare looked dead everywhere except on the scoreboard. The Offaly defence had an iron grip on things, McManus wandered freely and Claffey, Quinn and Malone were causing problems in deep. Yet they never managed to extend their lead beyond those two lightning goal strikes and it was Kildare that established the defining pattern on the game during those last five minutes of the half, with John Doyle, Padraig Brennan and Martin Lynch drilling over scores which proved a prelude to the torrent to follow.

Those points, which left the half-time score at 0-7 to 2-4, must have been reassuring to Mick O'Dwyer's side, which lost John Finn shortly before the break.

And after they re-emerged, they simply blitzed their opponents. Brennan was the chief executioner, nailing six points, including two free-kicks during that purple patch. But the imagination behind the scores was as impressive as the finish.

With Martin Lynch moving into the edge of the square and Ronan Sweeney operating out at centre, Kildare quickly cranked up a momentum. Willie McCreery had a storming afternoon at midfield, stubborn against the considerable muscle imposed by James Grennan and Ronan Mooney. Frequently, his bulldozing, uncompromising surges forward left the Offaly defence with no option other than to haul him down. Glen Ryan, notably happier in the second half, also began to open new frontiers which were fully explored by speed merchants McCormack, Fennin and Brennan.

So often in the past it seemed as if Kildare were at a loss as to how best to unleash McCormack's energy but yesterday, they gave him the ball at speed and he cut avenues through Offaly's half backs. It was McCormack who nailed the point after 69 minutes which left his side safe on 0-17 to 27.

The fluency which underlined Kildare's scoring burst must have thrilled O'Dwyer. After 46 minutes, McCreery spotted Earley without company and the rangy half forward fired automatically, leaving it at 0-16 to 2-4. Offaly looked out of it.

And yet, upholding the old adage that Faithful county teams are never beaten, they stubbornly sought out the unlikely. McManus arced a long point and then Sean Grennan lapped forward to leave just a goal between the sides with six minutes left. Uneasy minutes for the Lilywhites, these, but Offaly had been dry for too long to revitalise themselves sufficiently.

And yet they had chances. They will see Finbarr Cullen's 60th-minute point effort clatter off the post and long remember Christy Byrne's fine reflex save from Bernard O'Brien midway through the half. And maybe the thought of McManus, opting for a speculative assault on goal when a point beckoned in the ebbing minutes of the first half will sting for a while.

But there was little denying Kildare. Anthony Rainbow and Lacey were as fastidious as ever and the burly David Hughes made a tremendous deputy for the unlucky Finn. By the close of the day Ronan Quinn had shown everyone who was boss of the square.

So with the contenders thinning out it is Kildare who are giving pause for thought once again. They return to headquarters in two weeks time for a showdown with their city neighbours.