Bergin rocket lifts Offaly into last eight
OFFALY secured their place in the quarter-final line-up of the Allianz Hurling League with the minimum of fuss yesterday afternoon as they overcame Laois in a far more comfortable fashion than their final winning margin of five points suggested. A sharp, wintry breeze blew down the ground at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park and Laois midfielder Paddy Purcell used it well in the early stages, firing over a point after 10 seconds and then crashing in a superb goal from a tight angle with 13 minutes on the clock. Offaly bounced back well however and completely shut out the Laois attack for the remainder of the half, taking a 0-11 to 1-7 lead into the dressingroom. The O’Moore County men got their noses in front after half-time when a Ross King free and a stunning Mark Kavanagh sideline cut got the scoring under way at the start of the second half, but Offaly went on to effectively settle the contest over the next 15 minutes as they racked up 1-8 to just a solitary point in reply. Corner-forward Joe Bergin led the charge for the Faithful men as he blasted home a fantastic goal after fielding a long delivery over the head of his marker and turning on the 20-metre line. He then fired over two more points as Offaly moved nine clear. Laois tacked on a flurry of late scores to reduce the gap and give them a little momentum in advance of their crucial clash with Dublin next weekend, but Offaly’s victory here was never in doubt as they eased over the line in second gear. OFFALY: E Cahill; T Spain, S Gardiner, B Conneely; P Camon, D O’Toole, P Delaney (P Rigney 68); T Geraghty (D Shortt 68), D King; C Mahon, C Kiely (O Kelly 51), C Egan (D Egan 56); J Bergin, S Dooley, D Currams (J Gorman 62). Scorers: S Dooley 0-10 (6f, 1 ’65), J Bergin 1-4, T Geraghty 0-2, D O’Toole, C Kiely, P Delaney, D King, D Currams 0-1. LAOIS: E Rowland; L Bergin, L Cleere, D Hartnett (C Stapleton 23); P Lawlor, M Whelan, E Killeen (C Quinlan 41); P Purcell, J Ryan; B Conroy, C Dwyer, W Dunphy (C Taylor 59); R King, N Foyle (P McKane 68), C Comerford (M Kavanagh h-t). Scorers: P Purcell 1-3, R King 0-5 (4f), W Dunphy, M Kavanagh (1 s/l) 0-2, E Rowland (1f), P Lawlor, N Foyle, C Dwyer 0-1. Referee: J Heffernan (Wexford).