Offaly 2-16
Westmeath 1-8

A razor-sharp Offaly team scored a double-scores victory over a disappointing Westmeath to ease into the Leinster MFC semi-finals at a sun-splashed O'Connor Park this evening.

Pascal Kellaghan's charges were never troubled in a one-sided encounter which casts doubt over Tommy Carr's future as Westmeath minor boss. This was, without doubt, the lowest point of the former Dublin captain and manager's three years in the role.

Faster, clinical and dominant in virtually every facet of the game, Offaly ran last year's Leinster runners-up ragged in the first half to take a commanding 1-12 to 0-5 lead into the break. And the game was ended as a contest early in the second half when Faithful captain Ruairi McNamee bagged their second goal.

McNamee top-scored with 1-4, fellow half forward Jack Walshe chipped in with 1-2, while Adam Mahon scored an eye-catching 0-3 from centre back.
Offaly will play the winners of tomorrow's quarter-final between Dublin and Meath in Parnell Park in early July, and on this evidence, it will take a good team to beat them.

Favoured by a slight breeze in the first half, Offaly opened the scoring from a Paddy Dunican free inside the opening 70 seconds. Ryan Heavin, the son of former Westmeath star Ger, was then awarded a dubious free which Dylan Hyland slotted over.

Hyland kicked his second, this time from play, after a powerful surge through the middle by Cathal Mangan to give the hosts a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after six minutes.

Shamrocks starlet Dunican nailed another free before sending a high delivery into wing forward Jack Walshe who ghosted in behind the Westmeath defence and finished past Kevin Fagan for a well-taken goal in the eighth minute.

Hyland made it 1-5 to 0-0 before Darren Giles finally got Westmeath off the mark in the 11th minute. But Offaly continued to run amok and swept down the field for another score, this time a fisted effort from Shane Tierney. And they stretched their advantage to a massive nine points, 1-7 to 0-1, when McNamee converted another free.

Ciaran Shanley got a free back for Westmeath before Heavin kicked Offaly's first wide after 17 minutes.

Jack Walshe scored a great point on the turn and centre back Adam Mahon also got in on the scoring act as the Faithful eased into a 1-9 to 0-2 lead with barely 20 minutes played.

There was no respite for the visitors as Hyland landed a '45' which had been needlessly conceded by goalkeeper Fagan. Full back Israel Ilunga then came to his 'keeper's rescue when he got back to clear Dunican's lobbed effort off the goal-line.

It was embarrassingly easy for the home side at this stage as Mahon came forward to fist his second point. Substitute Alan Hughes and Shanley (free) replied for a dispirited Westmeath side before normal business resumed when McNamee kicked a great point from near the left sideline.

Hughes grabbed the final score of the half to leave 10 in it at the break.

Whatever hope Westmeath had of getting themselves back into the game was ended within three minutes of the restart when Shane Tierney picked out McNamee with a perfect pass and the Rhode clubman finished clinically to the bottom right hand corner of the net to increase Offaly's lead to 2-12 to 0-6.

The visitors responded with a point from Gavin Murray and a fine Darren Giles free from the 45-metre line. But back came Offaly with another McNamee point.

Westmeath then enjoyed their best spell which should have produced more than one goal. Midfielder Fergal Hynes got it in the 46th minute when he fired a screamer past Jamie Colgan following a sweeping move that had been started by Israel Ilunga in the full back line.

Substitute Niall Gavin could have had another moments later, but his effort was saved by Colgan at the expense of a '45' which Eoin Fox sent wide.

That was as good as it got for Tommy Carr's side as Offaly clicked back into gear with three in-a-row from Walshe, Mahon and McNamee. And just as he had done in the first half, hard-working sub Alan Hughes scored the last point for a badly beaten Westmeath crew.

Scorers - Offaly: Ruairi McNamee 1-4 (0-1 free), Jack Walshe 1-2, Dylan Hyland 0-4 (0-1 free, 0-1 '45'), Adam Mahon (0-3), Paddy Dunican 0-2 and Shane Tierney 0-1. Westmeath: Fergal Hynes 1-0, Alan Hughes 0-3, Darren Giles 0-2 (0-1 free), Ciaran Shanley 0-2 (0-2 frees) and Gavin Murray 0-1.

Offaly: Jamie Colgan; James Lalor, Clint Horan, Aaron Whelan; Jack Egan, Adam Mahon,Colm Doyle; Cathal Mangan, David Maloney; Ryan Heavin, Ruairi McNamee, Jack Walshe; Dylan Hyland, Paddy Dunican, Shane Tierney. Subs: Shane Dolan for Egan (41 min), Christian Brazil for Hyland (black card, 45 min), Killian Kiely for Dunican (47 min), Ciaran Farrell for Tierney (55 min), Paul O'Toole for Mangan (58 min), Jack McNamara for Doyle (58 min).

Westmeath: Kevin Fagan; Boidu Sayeh, Israel Ilunga, Matthew Darling; Eoin Fox, Stephen Ward, Daire Conway; Fergal Hynes, Ruairi Cunningham; Ciaran Shanley, Darren Giles, Cathal Daly; Sam Duncan, Jack Quinn, Gavin Murray. Subs: Alan Hughes for Daire Conway (15 min), Liam Cassidy for Duncan (half-time), Niall Gavin for Murray (38 min), Aidan Byrne for E Fox (50 minutes), James Fox for Ilunga (53 min, injured), Sam Omukoro for Shanley (56 min).

Referee: Stephen Murphy (Louth).

Footnote: A minute's silence was observed before the throw-in for Offaly great Greg Hughes who died yesterday. Tweet

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