IRELAND ARE OUT of the Euros.
So now the country can hone right back in on its first love, hurling.
Galway are out to make a mark in Leinster, but in Portlaois, Offaly will not step obligingly step aside.Join in the fun: E-mail sean@thescore.ie, tweet us @TheScore_ie or get on our Facebook page.
Galway 5-23 Offaly 3-15
Good afternoon, folks. Welcome along to our Leinster SHC liveblog. It’s set to be a cracking match-up.
With just over five minutes to the throw-in: Here are your teams.
Galway: James Skehill; Niall Donohue, Kevin Hynes, Fergal Moore (c); Joseph Cooney, Tony Óg Regan, Johnny Coen; Iarla Tannian, Andy Smith; David Burke, Niall Burke, Cyril Donnellan; Damien Hayes, Joe Canning, Conor Cooney.
Offaly: James Dempsey, Derek Morka, David Kenny, David Franks, Diarmuid Horan, Rory Hanniffy, James Rigney, Conor Mahon, Kevin Brady, Joe Bergin, Colin Egan, Brendan Murphy, Shane Dooley, Cathal Parlon, Brian Carroll.
We are underway in Portlaoise and, as the sun, tries to make a break-through Joe Canning has already sent a free wide to the left and was denied by a decent hook from James Rigney.
Game, well and truly; on.
THREE GOALS: Galway 2-0, Offaly 1- 0
An amazing start to this game as the sides trade early wides for four minutes before Conor Cooney, (twice in the space of 30 seconds) rounded his marker and advanced one-on-one with the ‘keeper.
Straight up the other end and Shane Dooley has hit the perfect reply.
Breathless opening.
GOAL: Galway 3-01 Offaly 1-01
And they don’t stop there. After the sides each rifle a shot over the bar, Joe Canning finds himself in space. A powerful low drive is saved by Dempsey, but in slides David Burke to help the Sliotar over the line.
Galway 3-01 Offaly 1-06
With 13 minutes gone, would it be stating the bleedin’ obvious to sat that the Offaly defence are not coping with the Tribe’s attack?
They’re not, but a couple of long Shane Dooley scores are keeping the Faithful in touch.
Damien Hayes looked like he would net a fourth for Galway, but the pressure forced him to lose control.
20 mins: Galway 3-05 Offaly 1-06
Donnellan (now with three points from play) and Tannian have issued superb ripostes for Galway. It has been a blistering start, but the movement of the maroon forwards has been mesmerising. And with five wides, they could be clear leaders had they been slightly more accurate.
Worth noting, as Shane Dooley drops a free short of the goal, that Galway have achieved all of their eight scores from play.
Galway 3-09 Offaly 1-07
There is the problem in a nutshell for Offaly: Donnelan breaks from centre field, and they do well to smother his chance, but Damien hayes is following up and only too eager to pop one over the bar from 40 yards.
As I write, Joe Canning has finally pointed Galway’s first free of the day, and it’s soon followed by a sumptuous pick-up, turn and shoot from Hayes.
Galway can afford to ease off the pedal now, five minutes before half time.
33 mins: Galway 3-09 Offaly 1-10
Shane Dooley has taken his tally to 1-6 with two quick-fire points. He is keeping Offaly hanging onto coat-tails here in Portlaoise.
GOAL!: Galway 4-11 Offaly 1-10. (Damien Hayes)
In the 35th minute, Galway tear the Offaly defence open yet again: David Burke slamming a cross-shot into the path of Hayes who shows tremendous sill to pick it from the air and guide it into the corner in one fluid stride.
HALF TIME: Galway 4-11 Offaly 1-10
Phew! What a half of fluid, open hurling. A little too open from Offaly’s perspective. But with Canning back in harness – despite only having one point from play-Galway’s forward movement and power in contact has been extremely difficult to live with.
Let me get teh calculator out…. *tap tap tappity tap tap*…
That has Galway leading by 10 points at the break, a fairly hefty lead in championship terms.
Offaly will need some quick goals to get back into this, but the only blot on Galway’s sheet at the minute was when James Skehill went walkabout when they were leading by two goals to nil.
Here’s what I meant by walkabout. This is the still of Shane Dooley’s fifth minute goal.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Galway 4-13 Offaly 1-10
Damien Hayes is back in the groove with the first score of the second half, but there is no blitzkrieg from Galway this time despite the fforts of Canning, the Faithful are defend bravely to deny him and send it behind for a 65.
From there, though, Canning sends it over the bar.
There’s talk of a disputed point from Galway, in the flurry of goals I can’t recall which one.
12 points down, Offaly would be well advised to let this one slide.
Galway 4-16 Offaly 1-11
Canning has hit three 65s already this half and, just now, a free from around 50.
It must be said, his shooting hasn’t been so hot from play.
Shane Dooley points another free, he’s doing it alone from open play and placed balls.
50 mins: Galway 4-16 Offaly 1-11
Shane Dooley has crashed a close range free off the bar, he had to goal for goal and did. But after bouncing out it fell to Sean Ryan on the right who miscued badly and hooked his shot left of the target.
Galway 4-18 Offaly 1-12
Obviously with Galway comfortably leading and Offaly outclassed the game has hit a bit of a lull in terms of intensity and excitement.
It has reminded our resident Offaly commenter, Paul Ryan, of the not too distant past.
Ryan is stood on the cyber terrace bellowing out the Fields of Athenry and he doesn’t give a damn what Roy Keane thinks about it.
Very well done, sir.
GOAL: Galway 4-20 Offaly 2-14 (Shane Dooley ’58)
Just reward for all those loyal Faitful fans. Dooley’s shot is harmless enough, but it seems Skehill is in generous mood as he deflects the shot underneath his post.
Game on… well, still on. Just about.
GOAL: Galway 4-21 Offaly 3-14 (Dooley ’64)
The corner forward once again manages to find the weak link in Galway’s defence. This time his goal comes from a free, driven low at the feet of defenders.
It should have been stopped, but dribbles through.
FULL TIME:Galway 5-23 Offaly 3-15
The final whistle goes, but this one was long since decided. The second half acted as little more than a training match as Galway were able to keep Offaly arm’s length throughout.
Ollie Baker will have a lot of work on his hands to pick up his team after that. But, to take a step back, the Leinster title was always slightly out of reach. Is it better to be outplayed by Galway than obliterated by Kilkenny?
Maybe not, but Offaly showed enough spirit in attack to ensure Galway will be nothing more than rank outsiders in the final against Kilkenny.
“If I ever wear a Chelsea shirt, you have permission to kill me”- Cesc Fabregas, 2010.
Money talks, ladies and gentlemen
That quote has never been verified.
Pity its a fake quote, or what seems to be one. If you look up the quote the place it originated from was Twitter and Facebook and that be said it originated very recently.
Chelsea are going to have some midfield now. Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Ramires and now Fabregas. Meanwhile at Manchester UInited have Nani, Young, Fellaini, Cleverley.
Ed Woodward still has the nightmares
Ed Woodward is the nightmare
As a replacement for Lampard, they could have done a lot worse!
Why wegner why…..
As a liverpool supporter……..i feel like crying
Sure he would never have went to Liverpool anyway. He was Chelsea bound from the very start like.
Why Jack? Were Liverpool actually in for him?
Ill rephrase my comment.
As a supporter of a prem team thats not chelsea……i am crying
Having him does not guarantee anything Jack, they already had a solid midfield… what did it get them? These players still have to fit in…. if Fabregas is the player he is really meant to be, would Barcelona have sold him????
He replaces Lampard and with Costa on the way they have an amazing squad..
I dont like saying it graham but i cant see us realistically being in the title race in april next year like this year. Fabregas will only make chelsea far better
Jack, have faith….. Chelsea have had a world class squad for the last 10 years…..
Graham. Barca sold yaya. Hasn’t done too bad, except for birthdays.
How was the deal structured? I was reading it would be done to shaft Arsenal and a clause in the transfer to Barcelona….
Ill try…..ill try…..
Gutted. Cesc has been one of if not my favourite Arsenal player.
Cannot believe Wenger has let him sign for our direct competitor.
People who say we are well stocked in midfield must not remember last season too well. From Jan to April, with Ramsey out, Özil off form and out, Wilshere out, Arteta and Cazorla running on empty and Diaby being the glass man that he is, I would’ve given anything to have had a player of Fabregas’s quality to call upon.
I can’t blame Cesc for this. He was being pushed out at Barca and wanted to come back to the Premier League, to Arsenal and we turned him down.
We’ll have no one to blame but ourselves when he’s doing a lap of honour at Stamford Bridge with a Premier League medal wrapped around his neck and we’re possibly scraping into 4th with a strike force consisting of Giroud and Carlos Vela!!!
I’m just gutted. Thanks for ruining World Cup day Arsenal
Now my comment on the nxt article looks stupid
Excellent singing for Chelsea
Shows how much he loved Arsenal doesnt it……
Arsenal had the first option in buying him back but they never triggered it, it’s hardly his fault now is it ?
He said after Torres moved that he’d never go to another English Club after Arsenal.
Van Gaal and that fool Woodward….better bring in some quality over the summer…because they way it looks now Chelsea and City are gonna dominate…Liverpool will be up there as well with them
Did u expect them to get him? He was always going to go back to London and would of course want champions league football..
As a Chelsea fan I am delighted to say the least :) #incescwetrust
Incest?
@Kieran Patton Spot on! How is this real? No way would Wenger let him sign for Chelsea, it isn’t in his nature. Arsenal fans have been going on about this move for months, it would have been a very popular signing imo!
“No way would Wenger let him sign for Chelseam it isnt in his nature”??
He sold Van Persie to Man Utd, Nasri to Man city, Ashley Cole to Chelsea, Clichy to Man City, Adebayor too.
Wenger obviously doesn’t think he is worth the big transfer fee. He didn’t set the world alight at barca, their fans were booing him at the end of the season, and he is injury prone. Arsenal could easily be right to pass on him, I imagine Ramires will be out the door now
Money grabbing mercenary.
Sure why wouldn’t he move?? Their career is so short they have to make the most of it!!
Because he “loves” Arsenal and “could never move to another English club after Arsenal” maybe?
Why would he love arsenal anymore? They were probably his 1st choice club to go to and they didnt want him…
He was wasting away at Barca Arsenal didnt want him Chelsea did. He did what was right. Think he wouldve gone to any time for First Team football.
Watch Torres bang them in next season with plenty of assists from Fabregas
United should have been all over this signing… bad start not getting him. To be fair if Liverpool want to even finish top 4 next year their name should have been the mix too.
Why would he go to United? Not going to waste a few years of his career trying to break into the top 4.
With the money that Chelsea can spend, if they are interested in a player, they will get him.
He’d go to United because I’m a United fan…. obviously!! #StupidQuestion
Delirih
Wat a good player, arsenals lost, wasters they are