O’Connor Park screams Celtic Tiger wherever you look. It’s an impressive modern ground with extravagant elements (a lift up to the press box for instance) but they didn't go overboard. White and blue followers gazed around enviously at a job well done. The former Taoiseach Brian Cowen made an appearance on the night as he stopped by for a half time cuppa. A more sobering reminder of the Tiger times.
On the field, Maurice Shanahan couldn’t be tamed. It’s been many years in the making. Expectations have been great and often unrealistic since he stepped out first in 2009. It took a couple of seasons for him to get his name pencilled in on a permanent basis. His returns for Lismore remained handsome but a seventy minute championship display eluded him. The signs were encouraging in 2012 when he led the line with 24 points in three games. With John Mullane and Eoin Kelly announcing retirement plans, he could no longer just contribute intermittently. On Saturday night, the 23 year old erupted into an inter county forward of substance. He won some and lost some against David Kenny before drifting away from the full back and ghosting into the right areas. He stroked over points off left and right even when the game tightened. He missed three frees but the last four points came off his stick. A long anticipated blow out and with twenty points in two games, his eye is in for the rest of the championship.
Early doors, it appeared that Jake Dillon was the one ready to deliver a prolific evening. Two points in the space of six minutes was an ideal opening and despite not adding that tally, he buzzed around and got involved in creating scores for others. At half time, a four point lead looked precarious. The cheap concession to Shane Dooley gave Offaly something to cling to. Their advantage in size and strength was noticeable and the earth nearly shook when Ger Healion barrelled into Kevin Moran during the first half. It took Waterford time to think their way out of trouble and avoid the collisions. A four point interval cushion scarcely seemed comfortable facing into the breeze. Openings for goals were spurned by both midfielders and there appeared to be a general jumpiness when three point opportunities turned up. Later on, Jake Dillon carelessly kicked wide and Pauric Mahony saw his shot blocked by David Kenny.
Afterwards, Michael Ryan explained their second half approach. "At half time, we emphasised the importance of playing intelligent hurling and to use the ball against the wind. We felt with the guys up front that they had to make the runs and to leave it up to half back line and midfield to seek them out and we did that. We got four or five points out of lovely possession hurling." Those last three words sum up the preferred style of play all season long. The conditions dictated it and they carried out the half time plan.
Offaly sought out their dangerous inside line but were met by stern resistance primarily from Jamie Nagle and Michael Walsh. Star man Shane Dooley was a mere bystander in general play during the second half as the half back line starved him of any decent ball. The full forward trio only scored 1-4 from play between them. Playing through the pain barrier, Nagle repelled advances down the right flank and used possession efficiently. He got through 21 plays before exiting the stage late on. After an almost anonymous thirty five minutes, Michael Walsh locked down the centre. It’s not just his awareness and anticipation of where the ball will land but the calmness with which he distributes it. Sometimes a hand pass out the wing, sometimes a lazy flick of the hurl or sometimes a short stick pass. The Brick established a pattern that the hosts found hard to break up. They started to find space and create chances. They tired Offaly out and exposed a lack of mobility in key areas. And yet, the gap didn’t stretch beyond a single strike until Maurice Shanahan collected a pass from Paudie Prendergast (who put in a busy shift) and cut through down the right wing to stretch it out to four. Ten second half wides saw the total grow to 17. Shot selection from distance left a lot to be desired at times but other efforts were inexplicable from close range. In the midst of some wild shooting, Shanahan pointed the ship in the right direction.
Two of the men brought in from the cold, made a lasting impression to nail down their starting berths. Stephen O’Keeffe kept a steady hand under a couple of nasty high balls that hung around the goalmouth in the first half and then produced a magic trick with two minutes left. His rapid reaction time and agility somehow kept a fierce shot from Daniel Currams away from the net. He bent back to block it and then in the same movement touched the sliotar to safety. After losing the jersey, the intense competition has clearly forced him to sharpen up all aspects of his game. Brian O’Sullivan was nowhere to be seen until first half injury time when he scored an audacious point out near the sideline. From there to the finish however, he was only second to Shanahan amongst the forward six. He showed enthusiastically and dispatched his chances. Pauric Mahony also boosted his credentials when he pulled Ger Healion away from the centre and set up a couple of points for Brian O’Sullivan.
When it came to the crunch, Waterford knew how to win and Offaly haven’t been in that habit of late. Their mettle was questioned at two key junctures. The sucker punch of Shane Dooley's goal and Kevin Brady's leveller put the wind in the sails of the hosts. On each occasion however, the momentum was wrestled away from Ollie Baker's side. Such was their grip on proceedings by the finish that it diminished the impact of another below par officiating display. Obvious fouls on Seamus Prendergast and Maurice Shanahan in the second half stick out as James McGrath allowed defenders to go beyond the boundaries when confronted with incoming attackers. He tends to allow the play develop but he turned a blind eye too often on this occasion.
Listening to the fascinating discussion between John Mullane and Brian Flannery on WLR FM on the drive up, the importance of this fixture became clear. Mullane was worried about the long term consequences of defeat while Flannery took a more optimistic stance. Both pundits predicted an away win but Mullane aired plenty of doubts about the direction the team was going in. Confidence was hardly flowing throughout the county. The only evidence of a Waterford presence during the journey was a caravan with a W reg plate trying to hold their own. Despite the downbeat forecasts beforehand, there was a significant show of support in Tullamore.
Saturday centred around survival and little else mattered. Michael Ryan’s second championship success is a significant one and he dismissed the doubts cast over their fitness. "Despite what some people have been saying in recent times, we have a very high level of fitness. We have had over a hundred outfield sessions since the first of December. We knew our fitness was very good and we also had the hurling." Other rough edges can now be smoothed out somewhat during the week and put right in Mullingar. Goals must be on the agenda. Working those situations wasn't the issue in Tullamore but attacking them with conviction proved problematic. 32 wides in two games is another worrying statistic. It will also be important that Kevin Moran and Seamus Prendergast can recover their form in time for tilt with one of the provincial semi finalists down the tracks. Going back to a point Donal Og Cusack made on The Sunday Game, overelaboration in defence can lead to trouble and any misjudgements are punished severely. There is a time for keeping possesion and a time for just lashing the sliotar upfield. Although the margin of victory didn't reflect their second half dominance, that show of poise under pressure stands them in a good stead. Brushing up on the imperfections will determine whether they can get back to the quarter finals.
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