The Leinster Council must be hardly over the shock of Johnny Dooley's late thunderbolt as it knocks about 15,000 off the expected attendance at tomorrow's Guinness Leinster hurling final.
The loss of Wexford has not been to the disadvantage of merely the coffers and the match atmosphere, but there's a strong feeling that the best team in the province is now out of the championship.
That theory came from a Kilkenny man during the week as he pondered his county's dilemma. Should they be glad that Wexford had packed their bags early or sorry that they have to face Offaly whose grip on Kilkenny's self-esteem has been far tighter than anything Wexford have managed on a continuous basis in recent times?
It's unusual to have two teams in a final who played so badly in the semi-finals but for Offaly and Kilkenny, it beats the alternative. Kilkenny's form is hard to define, probably neither as overwhelming as the massacre of Dublin indicated nor as poor as was suggested when stumbling past Laois.
Were Offaly to play as badly again, Kilkenny would fancy their chances, but were both of them to reproduce their semi-final performances, who'd lose then? There were of course merits in the dogged survival of the finalists and the killer opportunism that brought decisive goals. Both rode their luck in the guise of their opponents' failure to put them away - and in Offaly's case the added factor of referee Aodan MacSuibhne's fatwa on the Wexford forwards.
Each team has had to reshape itself a bit because of injury and suspension. Offaly lose Mark Hand and Paudie Mulhaire - whose contribution after coming on at centre forward was singled out by Babs Keating after the semi-final.
John Ryan - who was singled out in sterner fashion by his manager after the same match - retains the full forward position and is apparently knuckling down satisfactorily. His clash with Pat O'Neill should create a few sparks. All of which leaves John Troy back at centre forward which is still his best position when fitness allows.
Kilkenny's own difficulties also concern injuries on the half forward line. Michael Phelan's injury was always going to necessitate a replacement, but the ineffectiveness of the line when it came to countering Laois's half backs, who dictated chunks of the game, made changes unavoidable.
The introduction of the inconveniently-named Johnny Dooley (only a digit away from the same number jersey as his Offaly counterpart) was a bit of a surprise, but he has been on Kevin Fennelly's mind this year although incapacitated by injury.
It's unusual to have a player without under-age experience making an appearance for a county which tomorrow is seeking a ninth successive Leinster minor title, but the task awaiting Dooley is pivotal.
Brian Whelahan was subdued against Martin Storey, although he chipped in some crucial long-range frees, but whether Dooley can summon up the guile and craft of Storey is open to question. If DJ Carey rediscovers top gear - and he always manages a decent score against Offaly - he can probably expect a visit from Whelahan with whom he has had some memorable tussles.
On paper, Offaly have more to recommend them, but the problem with a match where both teams are struggling to find form is that the range of potential performance is fairly wide. The majority of permutations indicate an Offaly win.
Offaly: S Byrne; Barry Whelahan, H Rigney, M Hanamy; C Cassidy, Brian Whelahan, K Martin; J Pilkington, M Duignan; Johnny Dooley, J Troy, Joe Dooley; D Hannify, J Ryan, B Dooley.
Kilkenny: J Dermody; T Hickey, P O'Neill, W O'Connor; M Kavanagh, C Brennan, L Keoghan; P Larkin, P Barry; DJ Carey, J Dooley, B McEvoy; N Moloney, PJ Delaney, C Carter.
