Down top of Division 3

Down top of Division 3

6 March 2019

A HUNGRY Down side moved into pole position at the top of Division 3 following this impressive win at Pairc Esler on Saturday night.

League leaders Louth lost out to Carlow on the same night and Down are now expected to make another appearance at Croke Park in the not too distant future.

Paddy Tally’s charges have two games left — away to Carlow on Saturday, March 26 and home to Louth on Sunday, March 24 — win them both and a place in the Division 3 final at headquarters is guaranteed.

Down had the strong wind in their backs in the fist half, but they were frustrated by Offaly’s defensive set-up and struggled to get scores on the board.

Offaly were content to sit back and defend in numbers and then rely on hitting back on the counter-attack.

Darren O’Hagan registered the first score of the game following good play from Caolan Mooney in the second minute, but Brendan Allen quickly brought the sides level with a converted free.

Down then wasted a few good scoring opportunities before points from Jerome Johnston and Mooney gave the home side a 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the 12th minute.

Allen kept Offaly in touch with another free and the busy Shane Horan brought the sides level again by the 20th minute. Horan then gave Offaly the lead for the first time, but with 22 minutes gone Donal O’Hare grabbed his first score of the game, 0-4 to 0-4.

With 24 minutes gone Carryduff’s Daniel Guinness had a stinging effort well saved, but Rory Burns casually converted the resulting 45’ to restore Down’s lead.    

Allen had made it 0-5 apiece with another free, but successive scores from Kevin McKernan, Mooney and an O’Hare free put Paddy Tally’s men 0-8 to 0-5 to the good after 32 minutes.

Allen then knocked over another free to leave two between the sides going into the break.

Peter Cunningham’s free cut the deficit to one point at the start of the second period, but two O’Hare scores edged Down 0-10 to 0-7 in front after 45 minutes.

It was then that Down struck gold.

Mayobridge’s Corey Quinn, who had replaced the injured Johnny Flynn in the first half, blasted to the net after being picked out by Guinness and Down were on their way at 1-10 to 0-7.

O’Hare increased Down’s lead to seven points midway through the half before a Niall McNamee point made it a six-point game again.

Allen reduced the lead further with a free in the 65th minute, but two O’Hare frees put paid to any hopes of an Offaly comeback.

Again, Allen converted a free with time almost up, but it was Down who had the final say when Quinn grabbed his second goal of the game with another clinical finish.

Down: Rory Burns (1x45’), Gerard Collins, Ruairi Wells, Ryan McAleenan, Pierce Laverty, Colm Flanagan, Darren O’Hagan (0-1), Caolan Mooney (0-2); Johnny Flynn, Daniel Guinness, Conor Poland, Ryan Johnston, Jerome Johnston (0-1), Donal O’Hare (0-5, 3f), Kevin McKernan (0-1). Subs: Corey Quinn (2-0) for Flynn, Conor Maginn for Collins, Ceilum Doherty for Jerome Johnston, Owen McCabe for Ryan Johnston, David McKibbin for Laverty.

Offaly: Paddy Dunican, Declan Hogan, Eoin Rigney, David Dempsey, Cian Donohoe, Johnny Moloney, Paul McConway, Eoin Carroll, Cathal Mangan, Shane Horan (0-2), Peter Cunningham (0-1f), Niall Darby, Bernard Allen (0-6f), Anton Sullivan, Ruairi McNamee. Subs: Niall McNamee (0-1) for Horan, Shane Tierney for Ruairi McNamee, Conor Carroll for Donohoe, Dan Molloy for Eoin Carroll, Nigel Bracken for Mangan.

Down 2-12

Offaly 0-12

ALLIANZ NFL DIVISION 3