All-Ireland SHC Relegation play-offs: Offaly 5-17, Antrim 0-18 Saturday's relegation semi-finals are a glaring malfunction in the new hurling system. Most players and management do not want any involvement while they hinder the club championships. Ditto the Tommy Murphy Cup in football.
In theory, the new structures are relatively sound. The best eight teams in the country meet in the quarter-finals while the qualifier group system has plenty of long-term benefits. The relegation/promotion idea is also essential in giving a progressive county a chink of light for the future, but surely one play-off match between the bottom qualifier teams would suffice?
After losing to Clare by a point and thus narrowly missing out on an All-Ireland quarter-final, Offaly manager John McIntyre was surprised to learn his team had to keep on hurling.
"I thought when we had beaten Dublin that was the end of it," said McIntyre. "This relegation trapdoor was bigger than I thought but it's just the way Offaly's luck was this year."
After Saturday's destruction of Antrim, McIntyre was happy in the knowledge that their championship status was still intact and felt his side only had themselves to blame: "I would applaud their (the Hurling Development Committee) originality in bringing this system in, but when you are down where we are, there is a reason for it. It is our own fault. End of story. We have to deal with that and luckily enough we have survived the process."
There was one significant subplot as the match may signify the last time Brian Whelahan pulls on an Offaly jersey.
Offaly came with an attitude akin to a bank robber: get in, grab the loot and hightail back to the midlands before a posse of Ulster folk arrive for the main event.
It was the perfect crime as within 15 minutes they had 2-7 in the bag to a single Antrim score. Brian Carroll, Brendan Murphy and the livewire Michael Cordial did the damage. By half-time they were out to 3-11 to 0-10 with Joe Brady adding to earlier goals from Carroll and Murphy.
Thereafter it became a non-event with Cordial ghosting through for two more goals.
Laois provide the opposition to Antrim in the relegation play-off final.
OFFALY: 1 B Mullins; 2 K Brady, 3 G Oakley, 4 D Franks; 5 Brian Whelahan, 6 R Hanniffy, 7 B Teehan (capt); 8 D Hoctor, 9 G Hanniffy (0-1); 10 B Murphy (1-3), 11 M O'Hara (0-1), 12 M Cordial (2-3); 13 B Carroll (1-8), 14 J Brady (1-0), 15 A Hanrahan. Subs: 24 M Corcoran for R Hanniffy (temp 40-42 mins), 20 D Murray (0-1) for A Hanrahan (52 mins), 17 P Cleary for G Oakley (inj, 57 mins), 21 C Parlon for R Hanniffy (65 mins), 22 P Healion for K Brady, 19 Barry Whelahan for G Hanniffy (both 68 mins).
ANTRIM: 1 G Magee; 2 M Kettle, 3 G Bell, 4 C Herron (0-1); 5 G Cunningham, 6 K McKeegan (0-1, 65), 7 J Campbell; 8 M Scullion (0-1), 9 J Connolly (capt, 0-1); 10 M Herron, 11 C McGuckian (0-1), 12 P Redmond; 13 J McIntosh (0-5, 4f), 14 B McFall (0-6, 4f), 15 A Delargy. Sub: 23 B Herron (0-1) for C McGuckian (31 mins), 19 C Hamill (0-1) for A Delargy (43 mins), 21 M McCambridge for G Cunningham (45 mins), 22 C Cunning for K McKeegan (53 mins), 20 J Scullion for P Richmond (62 mins).
Referee: J Sexton (Limerick).
