A NEW LEAF
Derry cruise past Offaly and lay down marker for summer
BEFORE a prize fight between two unbeaten boxers the promoters will often add to the razzmatazz by declaring that ‘somebody’s O has got to go’.
There was a little of that at Croke Park last night, one county’s unbeaten start to 2021 ending that is, if not quite the hype and hyperbole for a third tier league final attended by just 2,400 fans.
This isn’t 1998 after all, when these two counties were big business and drew hoards to watch them contest the Division 1 decider.
Still, we’ll take 2,400 in the circumstances and, heavily dispersed throughout the upper and lower decks of the Cusack Stand, they made themselves heard in a taster of what sport will be like again when normality eventually resumes.
Principally it was Derry’s fans doing the cheering as they capped a terrific campaign with a dominant performance, yielding a 12point win and the only piece of league silverware that will be handed out in 2021.
With an Ulster SFC quarter-final against Down or Donegal on July 11 in mind, Rory Gallagher’s expansive outfit appear in rude health. After the heroics of Cavan in 2020, could Derry be Ulster’s breakthrough team in 2021?
Truth be told, you’d wonder how a side with a core of captain and full-back
Chrissy McKaigue, the excellent Gareth McKinless at centreback and ex-AFL player Conor Glass alongside Emmett Bradley at midfield could find itself slugging it out in Division 3 having only been promoted from Division 4 in 2019.
That solid core is continued up through the centre of the attack with Niall Loughlin and Shane McGuigan, in the number 11 and 14 positions, contributing 0-11 between them.
Mind you, McGuigan, who topscored with 0-7, butchered a couple of goal chances including a late, late penalty attempt which was saved by stand-in Offaly ‘keeper Peter Cunningham, deputising for Paddy Dunican who was black carded for hauling down Jack Doherty.
Loughlin and McGuigan both had goals ruled out for overcarrying too while Glass fisted a shot off the post as the Oak Leafers gave a performance to remind you why they were in a Division 1 final only seven years ago.
Offaly, however, must be wondering exactly why they put themselves through this ringer. They play Louth in the Leinster SFC next Sunday and didn’t have to take this tie for that reason but pushed for it and got their comeuppance.
As manager John Maughan conceded afterwards, they were largely outplayed in all sectors and it was only Eoin Carroll’s goal in first-half stoppage time that gave them a sliver of hope in the game.
They trailed by six points, 0-9 to 0-3, at that stage with all three of the Faithful’s points coming from Cian Farrell placed ball conversions. Derry were entirely on top with seven of their first eight points coming from frees and a McGuigan sideline as they overwhelmed Offaly and forced them into free concessions. McKinless bombed forward from defence and won two frees that McGuigan and Loughlin converted.
Conor Doherty, Ethan Doherty and Loughlin won frees that were converted too, while Derry went close with a series of goal chances.
Loughlin had the ball in the net in the third minute but McKinless overcarried in the buildup, Glass punched a shot onto the post in the 15th minute and McGuigan had a shot saved by the ‘keeper in the 22nd minute.
But they were rocked by the concession of that Offaly goal just before half-time with veteran sub Niall McNamee playing a key role in the buildup. It was the Rhode great’s clever reverse pass over his own shoulder that opened up the space for cousin Ruairi McNamee to run into and tee up Carroll for a palmed finish.
It meant Derry led by just 0-10 to 1-3 at half-time when they would have been good value for a much more sizeable advantage.
Niall McNamee continued to impress after the restart, claiming a mark that he converted and setting up Jordan Hayes for a 43rd minute point, Offaly’s first, and last, from open play. Derry points from Oisin McWilliams, Glass and Ethan Doherty kept them in pole position though and the Offaly insurgence quickly petered out.
Farrell’s 54th-minute Offaly point from a free was their last score of the game as Derry reeled off the last seven points.
Gallagher rolled in subs like Niall Toner and Jack Doherty, who sniped points and Doherty was involved in the late penalty drama when he was brought to ground by a despairing Dunican.
That earned Dunican a black card and Cunningham stood in goals for the spot kick, a clever move as the big Bracknagh man got his body in front of McGuigan’s admittedly poor effort to avert the danger and give Offaly a little bit of cheer at the end of a long and painful evening.
Derry: O Lynch; C McCluskey, C McKaigue, P McGrogan; C Doherty (J Doherty 68), G McKinless, P Cassidy; C Glass, E Bradley (K McKaigue 72); E Doherty (B McCarron 72), N Loughlin, C McFaul; B Heron (N Toner 57), S McGuigan, O McWilliams (P Cassidy 41).
SCORERS: S McGuigan 0-7 (0-5f, 0-1 s/l), N Loughlin 0-4 (0-3f), E Doherty 0-2, B Heron, E Bradley, C Glass, O McWilliams, C McFaul, N Toner, C McKaigue, J Doherty 0-1. offaly: P Dunican; J Lalor (C Mangan h/t), E Rigney, C Stewart; C Doyle, N Darby, J Hayes (C Donohoe 53); E Carroll (A Leavy 47), P Cunningham; S Horan (B Carroll 47), D Dempsey, A Sullivan (J Moloney 60); B Allen (N McNamee 26), C Farrell, R McNamee (J Maher 53).
SCORERS: C Farrell 0-4 (0-3f, 1m), E Carroll 1-0, N McNamee (1m), J Hayes 0-1.
REF: S Lonergan (Tipperary).