Cody & Molloy impress as Offaly beaten
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Allianz National Hurling League
Round 1
Kilkenny 0-20 Offaly 0-16
UPMC Nowlan Park.
Despite a little rustiness which saw them register 13-odd wides, Kilkenny got off to a winning start in Division 1A of the National Hurling League. Eoin Cody top scored for the home side, finishing his days work with 0-10 and was lively throughout, while Jordan Molloy and the Cats defence in general all performed well. This performance will have given the management plenty to think about and work on, ahead of their next outing, away to John Kiely’s Limerick in just over a week’s time.
With conditions not conducive to good hurling, both sides took their time to settle, and it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the 5th minute thanks to some great pressure on the hosts which saw Shinrone’s Luke Watkins split the posts in UPMC Nowlan Park. The scorer then turned provider when he set up wing back Dan Ravenhill, who fired over to double his sides lead. The Cats were getting on plenty of ball in the early stages, but were very wasteful, notching five wide’s inside 10 minutes of the round 1 encounter.
It would take the Noresiders 11 minutes to get the scoreboard moving, former captain Eoin Cody slotting over a placed ball effort of what would be the first of a 10-point haul. The Shamrocks Ballyhale man registered the games next three scores, the first from play, way out the park, the second a free after Dublin ref Thomas Gleeson had booked wing forward Ross Ravenhill. Cody’s fourth of the game showed his game intelligence as he took a quick free, swapped passes with Killian Doyle before riffling over, again from distance.
Johnny Kelly’s charges got their first score in almost 13 minutes, thanks to a close range free from Kilcormac-Killoughey’s Adam Screeney, who was being closely shackled by O’Loughlin’s Mikey Butler in general play to reduce the home sides lead to just one point after 20 minutes of the round one clash. Kilkenny’s only scorer to date, Eoin Cody then gave a nice pass to the hard running Jordan Molloy who became the hosts second scorer of the afternoon. Offaly’s Screeney then converted a difficult free from a tight angle just ahead of a point from Luke Watkins, the Shinrone man possibly opting for the safe option, when a goal chance looked likely. Dublin whistler Gleeson then blew for a touch on the ground, the Offaly player attempting to slide on the ground to secure possession, a good call from the official. In the absence of this season’s captain TJ Reid, Eoin Cody continued his free-taking duties and popped over the free to nudge his side ahead again. Some great teamplay between Glenmore’s Cathal Beirne and Gearoid Dunne saw the ball worked to Jordan Molloy who struck over a lovely score. Main man Cody then gave Mossy Keoghan the opportunity to get on the scoresheet and the Tullaroan man made no mistake. Glenmore’s Shane Muphy took a quick free down the sideline which Gearoid Dunne collected before battling his way towards goal and striking over a tidy score, ahead of the short whistle to see Derek Lyng’s men take a 3-point lead into the interval, despite registering 8 wides in the opening period.
On resumption of play, The Faithful County got the scoreboard moving, Durrow’s Dan Bourke firing over having taken a fine pass from Adam Screeney. Cathal Beirne got the black and amber moving in the second half, assisted beautifully by Shane Murphy. Eoin Cody then found his way into referee Gleeson’s book, and the Shamrocks star was having to tread carefully, as he was looking very hungry on the day. Fenians defender Rory Garrett then set up Mossy Keoghan, who fired over a good score to push the Cats lead out to four points. The home support believed that this would be the catalyst for those in black and amber to push on, but Johnny Kelly’s troops rallied and notched the games’ next three scores. First up was a free from Adam Screeney before Belmont’s Oisin Kelly got half a yard on Mikey Carey, and split Aidan Tallis’s posts. Kilcormac-Killoughey’s Screeney then smelt a goal chance, and he rifled his effort which just scrapped over the Kilkenny crossbar.
Derek Lyng then made a double change, with Thomastown’s Stephen Donnelly and James Stephens Ed McDermott replacing Gearoid Dunne and Liam Moore respectively. Eoin Cody got his first score of the second half when he converted a ‘65, but again Offaly responded with a fine score from danger man Adam Screeney. Injured then forced Rory Garrett from the action, the Fenians man making way for another former captain, Paddy Deegan. The impressive Jordan Molloy then notched his third point of the game. The O’Loughlin Gaels man was then fouled, and Eoin Cody did the needful with 52 minutes gone in UPMC Nowlan Park. Captain Darragh Corcoran was then bottled up by a couple of hardworking Offaly players, and Referee Thomas Gleeson awarded the free to the visitors, which Screeney dispatched with ease. Another free followed, this time for the home side, as Ed McDermott was fouled, and again the reliable Cody punished the indiscretion to leave the Cats lead at 3 points.
Thomastown’s Luke Connellan was then replaced by Shamrocks Ballyhale’s Niall Shortall as Kilkenny sought to freshen up their attack on an energy-sapping surface. Adam Screeney converted another free for the travelling side, just ahead of one of the game’s best scores. The lively Dan Bourke, who was dropping deep to get on the ball, passed to cornerback Patrick Taffee, who let fly from halfway for a real wonder score to make it a 1-point game once more with about 13 minutes of normal time remaining. Derek Lyng sent on the vastly experienced Richie Reid for Clara’s David Barcoe as he looked to control matters with the result in the melting pot.
One of the Kilkenny subs, Paddy Deegan then struck over a trademark score from his own ‘65 just ahead of another placed ball effort. Some battling from those in the black and amber saw the Cats win the ball back and give Mossy a chance to register his third of the round one clash and leave the Faithful County four points in arrears. Again, Dan Bourke got on the ball and set up sub Ciaran Cleary and the Shinrone man popped the ball over the bar. Eoin Cody then played in Stephen Donnelly and the Thomastown man tried his best to keep going but has halted illegally, and this allowed Cody to collect his 10th and final score of a productive afternoon on Noreside. The last score from the home side came after sub Ed McDermott did well to break the ball to the supporting Shane Murphy, who was still full of running with the game in injury time. The Glenmore man steadied himself before striking over a great score to seal a decent outing for the talented stickman. Oisin Kelly was then fouled, and this gave Adam Screeney his ninth point of the clash which saw a four-point home win for Derek Lyng’s charges. Full time score: Kilkenny 0-20, Offaly 0-16.
Kilkenny: A Tallis; M Butler, M Carey, R Garrett; D Barcoe, D Corcoran, S Murphy (0-1); K Doyle, J Molloy (0-3); L Connellan, E Cody (0-10, 7fs and 1 ’65), C Beirne (0-1); G Dunne (0-1), L Moore, M Keoghan (0-3).
Subs: Subs: E McDermott for Moore (48); S Donnelly for Dunne (48); P Deegan (0-1) for Garrett (50); N Shortall for Connellan (55); R Reid for Barcoe (61).
Offaly: L Hoare; P Taaffe (0-1), B Miller, B Conneely; D Ravenhill (0-1), D Shirley, B Kavanagh; L Watkins (0-2), C King; C Doyle, B Duignan, R Ravenhill; D Bourke (0-1), O Kelly (0-1), A Screeney (0-9, 6fs).
Subs: C Spain for Shirley (25); D Hand for Duignan (48); L Kavanagh for Watkins (53); E Kelly for Kavanagh (66); C Cleary (0-1) for King (68).
Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)
