Reid ravenous on return as he fires 2-9 to ease Cats past outclassed Offaly
Leinster SHC: KILKENNY 4-25 OFFALY 2-16
The return of TJ Reid to championship action was a bigger story than anything that happened on the field at UPMC Nowlan Park this evening, and the seven-time All-Star didn't miss a beat as he fired in 2-9, 2-2 from play, in a facile win for the Cats.
As a contest, there was little to report. Offaly travelled to Kilkenny with the heads down after three hammer blows crushed the rising sense of optimism surrounding the hurling scene in the county. A no-show in front of 10,000 supporters against Galway was followed up by a seven-goal filleting from Laois in the minor championship and the demise of their highly-rated but injury-ravaged U-20s against Dublin last Monday, and the Faithful needed everything to go right early on to give them some cause for hope here.
Instead Brian Duignan and Daniel Bourke were off the mark with good early chances and while those two forwards – along with Charlie Mitchell and Oisín Kelly – were not to be faulted in what was a 'one point per man' defeat, the game was over before they got going.
Stephen Donnelly set up Martin Keoghan for a goal in the fourth minute, TJ Reid whipped in a second after 12 minutes to push the lead out to nine points, and unlike the fare in Ennis where there was always likely to be a fightback from the All-Ireland champions, that was never on the cards here.
Even allowing for a tricky breeze that was aiding Kilkenny, they were too dominant in too many sectors of the pitch to be reeled in.
Billy Ryan picked off some excellent scores from the right wing, while they lorded matters at half-back, with Offaly struggling to compete up front due to their use of a sweeper.
Daniel Bourke and Charlie Mitchell were among the leading lights for the Faithful County, notching some good points and an Oisín Kelly score from close range cut the lead to seven points on the half hour mark.
Perhaps that only served to rouse Kilkenny, as they kicked on again with six points before half-time, including three from John Donnelly at centre forward.
A slow start to the second half saw the Stripey Men continue to enjoy the lion's share of possession but they shot the first couple out of seven second half wides in a scoreless five minutes. Adrian Mullen put any lingering doubt about the result to bed when he powered through a tackle to add the third goal after 41 minutes, and while Oisín Kelly replied in kind for Offaly immediately, that was to be their only score in the third quarter.
Kilkenny's profligacy, plus the general lack of intensity that might be expected in a game where the result was never in doubt, was a key factor in the lead not extending much further, though there were a couple of impressive scores at both ends in the final quarter.
TJ Reid whipped in Kilkenny's fourth goal and Fionán Mackessy also caught the eye with a superb point in his short spell on the field. At the other end Shirley hoisted one over from distance and Kelly's second goal was the highlight of the game, as he exploded past the Kilkenny cover and blasted a shot inside Eoin Murphy.
For both these counties however, more important tests lie in store.
Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 2-9 (0-7f), B Ryan 0-4, J Donnelly 0-4, M Keoghan 1-0, S Donnelly 0-3, A Mullen 1-0, C Kenny 0-3 (0-2f), H Shine 0-1, F Mackessy 0-1.
Scorers for Offaly: B Duignan 0-8f, O Kelly 2-1, C Mitchell 0-3, D Bourke 0-2, D Shirley 0-2.
KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, M Carey, P Deegan; C Kenny, J Molloy; B Ryan, J Donnelly, H Shine; S Donnelly, TJ Reid, M Keoghan.
SUBS: A Mullen for Shine (33), K Doyle for Blanchfield (49), L Hogan for S Donnelly (51), B Drennan for Reid (59), F Mackessy for Keoghan (61).
OFFALY: M Troy; B Conneely, C Burke, J Mahon; J Sampson, D Shirley, R Ravenhill; C King, C Spain; K Sampson, D Bourke, O Kelly; D Ravenhill, B Duignan, C Mitchell.
SUBS: E Burke for D Ravenhill (44), D Nally for R Ravenhill (48), S Bourke for J Sampson (48), P Cantwell for Conneely (58), B Kavanagh for Mahon (62).
Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim).
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