The first puck-out to start a hurling match, taken by Offaly goalkeeper Stephen Byrne, threatened to be the main talking point in the Walsh Cup quarterfinal before the visitors turned in a stunning late rally which left Dublin flat-footed on a soft Parnell Park pitch yesterday.
Offaly had the advantage of a gale-force wind in the second-half but Dublin looked winners going into the closing 10 minutes when they held a three-point lead.
Offaly's performance, despite a notable edge in guile, appeared destined to for defeat until John Troy finished off good work by John Ryan and Brendan Murphy to hit an equaliser with nine of the 70 minutes remaining. Troy's goal, the result of a Dublin error, was the signal for a grandstand Offaly finish in which Johhny Dooley and substitute David Franks also stood out.
Offaly: S Byrne; W Comerford, M O'Hara, C Cassidy; A Mannion, H Rigney, D Kelly; M Duignan (0-1, 65), T Spain; Johnny Dooley (0-6, three frees, 65), G Oakley, J Troy (1-2); C Gath (1-1), J Ryan (1-0), B Murphy. Subs: D Moran for Comerford (half-time); A Hanrahan for Gath (45 mins); D Franks (0-1) for Spain (47 mins).
Dublin: D Maguire; J Finnegan, J Power, D McCormack; L Walsh, D McInerney, L O'Donoghue; D Sweeney (0-1, 65), M Fitzsimon; T McGrane (0-3, frees), D McMullan (1-2), D Russell; E Carroll, D Daly (1-0), K Flynn (0-1). Subs: C McCann for Carroll (23 mins), K Horgan for Flynn (27 mins), N McCaffrey for McInerney (55 mins).
