Allianz NHL Division 1 – Tipperary 1-18 Offaly 2-14

Tipperary defeated Offaly by 1-18 to 2-14 in the Allianz National Hurling League Division 1 on Sunday at O’Connor Park Tullamore.

Last-gasp strike denies Faithful

Tipperary 1-18 Offaly 2-14

By Fintan O’Toole for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Monday, April 19, 2010

THE fare was lacklustre in Tullamore yesterday but this NHL Division 1 match concluded in a blaze of drama. Offaly clung to a two-point lead deep in injury-time and appeared on the cusp of a victory that would have concluded their league campaign on a positive note. Instead Tipperary scrambled in the closing stages, holding their hosts scoreless in the final quarter and snatching success when Seamus Callanan hammered a 20-yard free low past a thicket of players and to the net in the 73rd minute. Offaly were left crestfallen after a scoring spree midway through the second-half by Shane Dooley had placed them on course for victory. Tipperary boss Liam Sheedy didn’t need anyone to point out the element of good fortune his players had enjoyed.

“We went to sleep for a long time there in the second-half and paid a heavy price for it. Offaly went into the driving seat and we were lucky to win it in the finish. It was a great shot by Seamus for the late goal and I couldn’t believe it went in. “We got a win but it probably wasn’t justified on the day as Offaly did the better hurling. They got inside easily for the two goals in the second-half and all the space seemed to be at that end of the pitch. “But we made eight changes from the last day so to come out with a one point win is pleasing. It’s been a satisfactory league campaign. We only had two defeats, by a point against Cork and then got well beaten by Dublin early on. “But it’s all about building up now for six weeks time in the first round of the Munster championship.”

Sheedy saw three players exit the second half action through injury. The most worrying of those withdrawals was in the 40th minute when Eoin Kelly limped off clutching his right hamstring, but the indications afterwards were that the Mullinahone attacker had not suffered a serious injury. Everything associated with a dead-rubber clash came to bear in a low-key first-half which never got out of first gear. Tipperary were 0-11 to 0-7 ahead at the break with Kelly spearheading their scoring drive with a five points haul. Darragh Egan struck a spectacular point for Tipperary as well on his comeback to the starting line-up, while there was other good news for Tipperary in the bright displays of David Young and Seamus Hennessy along the right flank.

Offaly were dealt a blow by the loss of impressive attacker Daniel Currams midway through the first-half with a hand injury yet Shane Dooley picked up the scoring mantle decisively in the second-half. After Tipperary had surged ahead 0-15 to 0-11 by the 46th minute, Offaly strung together their best phase of the game. Three quick points from Brian Carroll, Dooley and Sean Kelly were the prelude to a superb two-goal blast in three minutes from Dooley. Both strikes were opportunistic and skilful finishes which left Offaly 2-14 to 0-15 ahead by the 55th minute. However the promise of that position had dissipated by the finish due to Tipperary’s powerful left rally which left Offaly boss Joe Dooley disappointed afterwards. “It is fierce disappointing to lose the game that way. But we achieved our aim of staying in Division 1. We had an aim of reaching six points which would have needed three wins. We finished on four points and were unlucky not to get a win there today.”

Scorers for Tipperary: E Kelly 0-7 (0-2f, 0-1 pen, 0-1 ‘65), S Callanan 1-2 (1-2f), S McGrath, S Hennessy 0-2 each, Padraic Maher, J Brennan, D Egan, M Heffernan, P Kerwick 0-1 each.

Scorers for Offaly: S Dooley 2-6 (0-3f, 0-1 ‘65), D Currams, J Bergin 0-2 each, R Hanniffy, S Kelly, C Parlon, B Carroll 0-1 each.

Subs for Tipperary: Patrick Maher for Kelly (inj) (42), S Maher for O’Mahony (43), B Maher for Young (inj) (50), J O’Brien for Heffernan (56), P Kerwick for Egan (inj) (63).

Subs for Offaly: J Rigney for Egan (inj) (11), C Mahon for Currams (inj) (22), B Carroll for Parlon (42), G Oakley for Molloy (68)

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).
Callanan goal pips it for Tipp

From the Irish Times newspaper

ALLIANZ NHL DIVISION ONE Tipperary 1-18 Offaly 2-14: A GOAL from a free by Séamus Callanan with the last puck of the game gave Tipperary a dramatic one-point victory at O’Connor Park, Tullamore, yesterday. Offaly had fought back well in the second half to take a grip of the game with two Shane Dooley goals midway through the half, but they were unable to add to their tally after that. It looked like they might hang on for victory, but three minutes into injury-time Callanan drove a 22-metre free through a crowd of players to the net for the winning score.

With nothing at stake for either side, the first half lacked the urgency and intensity normally associated with a final-round game in the league. There were some good scores, but there was something missing and the crowd got little to enthuse them. Tipperary led by four points at the interval and stretched that lead to five early in the second half, but then Offaly began a fightback and the home crowd got behind their side. They scored 2-3 without reply to lead by five points with 16 minutes left, but, despite some excellent defending, they were undone by that late Tipperary free.

Both sides will have injury concerns after the game. Eoin Kelly went off with what appeared like a hamstring injury early in the second half while David Young and Darragh Egan also limped off, while Offaly’s Daniel Currams picked up a thumb injury and Stephen Egan a nose injury in the first half. With both teams facing championship action in six weeks’ time there could be some anxious moments for both managers. Tipperary had a slight edge through most of the first half. The sides were level on a couple of occasions, but four points with just one in reply from Offaly left them 0-11 to 0-7 in front at half-time.

The sides added four points in the first 12 minutes of the second half before Offaly began to take control. Three points in a row cut the lead to the minimum before Shane Dooley found the net for the first time after 17 minutes and added a second goal two minutes later. Tipperary fought hard to get back into the game, but two frees and a point from substitute Pat Kerwick left them trailing by two points in injury-time when Séamus Callanan drilled a low free to the net to snatch a one-point win.

TIPPERARY : D Gleeson; P Stapleton, P Curran, M Cahill; D Young, C O’Mahony, Padraic Maher (0-1) ; H Maloney, S McGrath (0-2); S Hennessy (0-2), S Callanan (1-2, frees), M Heffernan (0-1); E Kelly (0-7, three frees, one penalty, one 65), J Brennan (0-1), D Egan (0-1). Subs : Patrick Maher for Kelly (42 mins); S Maher for O’Mahony (44); B Maher for Young (51); J O’Brien for Heffernan (56); P Kerwick (0-1) for Egan (63).

OFFALY : J Dempsey; S Egan, P. Cleary, M Verney; D Hayden, D Kenny, D Morkan; R Hanniffy (0-1), S Kelly (0-1) ; D Molloy, J Brady, D Currams (0-2); C Parlon (0-1), J Bergin (0-2), S Dooley (2-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 65). Subs . J Rigney for Egan (11 mins); C Mahon for Currams (22); B Carroll (0-1) for Parlon (43); G Oakley for Molloy (68).

Referee: J Owens (Wexford)
Offaly 2-14 Tipperary 1-18
 
From the RTE.ie web site

Sunday, 18 April 2010 21:00

A late goal from Seamus Callanan shot Tipperary to a one-point win over Offaly in their final Allianz National Hurling League Division 1 fixture. Free-takers Shane Dooley and Eoin Kelly led the first half scoring – with three and five points respectively – as Tipperary took a 0-11 to 0-07 half-time lead. Injuries to David Young and Kelly, who flashed a penalty over the crossbar, hit Tipp’s hopes and two goals in two minutes from Dooley pushed Offaly ahead. However, Tipp rallied and scored 1-03 without reply, including Callanan’s decisive injury-time goal. Those injuries to wing back Young and team captain Kelly could not have come at a worse time for the Premier County who are just six weeks away from facing Cork in the Munster Championship.

Tipp manager Liam Sheedy will be eager to have both players on board for that clash, particularly Kelly whose placed ball brilliance came often turn a tie. The Mullinahone clubman opened the scoring in Tullamore this afternoon with a ’65’ and Tipp did well to build a 0-04 to 0-02 lead by the quarter-hour mark. Kelly had three of those points and Nenagh’s Michael Heffernan the other, while Shane Dooley and Daniel Currams were on target for Offaly. Dooley’s early effort could have been a goal but his stinging shot was saved by goalkeeper Darren Gleeson and the Faithfuls had to settle for a point. Currams and Shane McGrath traded points, but the former’s afternoon was soon ended by an injury. Adding to Offaly manager Joe Dooley’s problems, corner back Stephen Egan also had to be substituted owing to a head injury.  With Antrim awaiting in their Leinster Championship opener on 30 May, Dooley will be keen to have a full panel to choose from.

Into the second half, Kelly opted to flash a penalty over the crossbar as he took his tally to 0-07 before he sustained a suspected hamstring injury when attempting another point.  The Tipp skipper was clearly in some pain, throwing his hurley to the ground in frustration as he made his way off. Tipp were looking a little rudderless as Offaly seized the initiative and Shane Dooley’s brace of quick-fire goals gave the hosts all the momentum as they suddenly led 2-14 to 0-15. Dooley was unmarked as he took a pass from Joe Bergin and fired home in the 54th minute.  The tricky corner forward then added his sixth goal of the campaign, just moments later, as a long ball in from David Kenny allowed him to shot past Gleeson from close range.

But the scores dried up for Offaly in a disappointing finish. Tipp got back on the attack and chipped away at the lead with two frees from Seamus Callanan and a point from play from Pat Kerwick. Offaly goalkeeper James Dempsey had to be on his toes to block a goal-bound shot from Tipp midfielder Hugh Maloney, but the visitors’ patience paid off. In the fourth minute of injury-time, Callanan threaded a low shot through to the back of the net to seal Tipp’s fourth league win and a fourth place finish in the table.  Offaly finished seventh but showed enough in recent weeks to deservedly hold onto their top flight status for another season.

Team News

The Tipperary Senior Hurling team to play Offaly in the Allianz GAA Hurling National League Round 7 at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday shows 9 changes from the team which started against Cork in the last game. Darren Gleeson, Paul Curran, David Young, Hugh Maloney, Seamus Hennessy, Seamus Callanan, Jody Brennan, Darragh Egan and Michael Heffernan all come into the side. The team is

1. Darren Gleeson (Portroe)  
2. Paddy Stapleton (Borris-Ileigh)
3. Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields) 
4. Paul Curran (Mullinahone)             
5. David Young (Toomevara)
6. Conor O’Mahony (Newport)
7. Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields)
8. Hugh Maloney (Nenagh Éire Óg)   
9. Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch)        
10. Seamus Hennessy (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
11. Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)                
12. Jody Brennan (Upperchurch / Drombane) 
13. Eoin Kelly (Mullinahone)     Captain          
14. Darragh Egan (Kildangan)              
15. Michael Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg)         

OFFALY (SH v Tipperary): J Dempsey; M Verney, P Cleary, S Egan; D Hayden, D Kenny, D Morkan; R Hanniffy, S Kelly; D Currams, J Brady, D Molloy; C Parlon, J Bergin, S Dooley.