DEFENDING champions Kilkenny turned on the style at Nowlan Park on June 9th when they crushed Offaly.
The Cats, with eight of last year’s All-Ireland team aboard, wrapped up the match with a blast of 1-3 early in the second half. Offaly went in at the break in trouble when 0-8 to 1-12 down, Mark Bergin raising the green flag.
Within minutes it was all over for them. Bergin and Eoin Murphy tossed over easy points for the winners before James Nolan buried the ball in the net to stretch the difference to 2-14 to 0-8. Offaly simply had no answer and also had Thomas Spain red-carded.
Scorers — Kilkenny: M Bergin 1-9 (0-5f), C Fennelly, L Ryan 0-5 each, J Nolan 1-2, E Murphy 0-4, (0-2f), A Stapleton 0-3, W Walsh 0-2, P Murphy 0-1. Offaly: J Mulrooney 0-3 (0-2f), B Lonergan 0-2, E Murphy (0-1f), D Morkan, D Currams 0-1 each.
Kilkenny — C McGrath; A Cuddihy, C Fogarty, R Doyle; PJ Rowe, K Mooney, D Langton; P Murphy, C Fennelly; M Bergin, JJ Dunphy, L Ryan; E Murphy, W Walsh, J Nolan. Subs: A Stapleton for W Walsh (45), M Fagan for D Langton (45), M Walsh for M Bergin (52), T Breen for C Fennelly (52), M Moloney for R Doyle (52).
Offaly — J Dempsey; C Guinan, E Murphy, B Coughlan; C Egan, S Wynne, B Harding; D Morkan, B Lonergan; J Mulrooney, D Currams, D Gath; T Carroll, M Egan, T Spain. Subs: T Bolger for D Gath (h-t), K Leonard for C Guinan (37), C McDonald for B Coughlan (45), M Ryan for M Egan (44).
Ref — D Hughes (Carlow).
