Revenge was sweet for Offaly when they staged a second half recovery to knock Westmeath out of last year's Leinster minor hurling championship. The defeat was a major disappointment to Westmeath who had high hopes of progressing to a semi-final meeting with Kilkenny for the second year-in-a-row.

It is a measure of how much expectations have increased in Westmeath underage hurling circles that there was acute disappointment at the minor team's failure to beat Offaly for the second year running in last year's Leinster championship.
After accounting for Meath and Laois by 18 and eight points respectively in their earlier outings, Westmeath had high hopes of setting up a home semi-final against Kilkenny for the second year-in-a-row. However, after leading by 0-8 to 0-5 at half-time, Pat O'Brien's charges faded in the second half as Offaly came storming back to claim a 0-16 to 0-14 victory courtesy of two injury-time points from Offaly free-taker Stephen Quirke.
It could have been a different story had Westmeath taken two guilt-edged goal chances that came their way either side of half-time. Late in the first half, the home side twice hit the woodwork in the same passage of play, while full forward David Higgins somehow fired wide from close range immediately after the restart. These misses, combined with injuries to key players Davy Gavin and Diarmuid Garvin and Neal Kirby's unavailability due to suspension, cost Westmeath dearly against an Offaly side they were well capable of beating.
It's also disappointing to think that both Offaly and Dublin got a second chance in the championship after losing their first round games to Wexford and Kilkenny respectively. For every other team, it was a case of "one strike and you're out".
With eight players from Seamus Qualter's 2009 crew eligible for the grade once again and the likes of Thomas Doyle, David Fennell, Aonghus Clarke and Joseph Boyle stepping up from Ray Gavin's talented 2009 under 16 team, it was widely felt that manager Pat O'Brien and his selectors Pat Clancy, Christo Murtagh and Paddy Walsh had a strong squad at their disposal. It was even suggested that the team was good enough to reach a Leinster final if they could avoid Kilkenny along the way.
Westmeath showed their potential in a facile first round win over Meath at a sun-kissed Cusack Park on April 10. But the Lake County's 2-16 to 0-4 victory came at a cost as Neal Kirby received a straight red card and fellow attacker Davy Gavin suffered a dislocated shoulder inside the first 30 minutes. Both players were huge losses against Offaly, as was Diarmuid Garvin who picked up a hamstring injury playing for the county minor footballers, although dual star Gavin did make a late appearance from the bench against the Faithful County.
Castletown-Geoghegan youngster Aonghus Clarke has long been tipped for big things in the game and he showed why he is so highly regarded by posting 1-26 in three championship outings. The lethal attacker was at his brilliant best against Meath when he amassed 1-10 (0-8 from frees) in a man of the match display.
The Royals offered very little resistance to Pat O'Brien's charges, who had established a 0-11 to 0-2 lead by half-time. And despite Kirby's dismissal in the 26th minute, the home side continued to dictate proceedings in the second half with David Higgins and Clarke combining to set up Niall O'Brien for a goal after just 25 seconds of the restart.
Westmeath had extended their lead to 1-15 to 0-3 before Clarke capped a brilliant display with a second goal seven minutes from the end.
Laois were expected to provide much sterner opposition for Westmeath when they travelled to Cusack Park on May 1 but, despite playing the final 33 minutes with 14 players, the home side still ran out comfortable winners by 2-16 to 1-11.
Picking up from where they had left off against Meath, the Lake County raced into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead inside four minutes thanks to points from Cathal Scally and Niall O'Brien, and a goal from Enda Kincaid. Midfielder Steven Maher replied with a brace of points for Laois, only for Westmeath to restore their five-point advantage through scores from David Higgins and Aonghus Clarke.
Laois then got themselves back in the game when Patrick Keating's weak shot somehow found its way to the net past Niall Kelly at his near post. Crucially, though, Westmeath hit back with their second goal from Niall O'Brien. Miller and Gearoid Burke had points for the O'Moore County before Westmeath had a player sent off just before half-time for the second consecutive game. This time corner back Tommy Gallagher was given his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Westmeath managed to double their half-time lead - 2-6 to 1-5 - in the second half. They were under pressure at the end of the third quarter when Laois reduced the margin to just three points, but points from Clarke (three), O'Brien, substitute Joseph Boyle and Cathal Scally in the final quarter put the result beyond doubt.
Westmeath were handed home advantage for the third game in-a-row by virtue of the fact that Offaly had lost their first outing to Wexford after extra-time. Having defeated the Faithful County in a challenge match earlier in the year, Westmeath had no reason to believe they couldn't repeat that victory or their memorable 2009 championship win.
Westmeath took the game to the visitors from the start and, with Thomas Doyle, Tommy Gallagher, David Fennell and Anthony Price outstanding in defence and Aonghus Clarke unerring in attack, they deservedly led by 0-7 to 0-3 after 20 minutes before Offaly closed the gap to 0-8 to 0-5 at half-time.
Just before the break, Aonghus Clarke soloed through, only to see his shot come back off the inside of the post and then, unbelievably, Joseph Boyle hit the opposite post from the follow-up when it seemed easier to score. Offaly also struck the woodwork, but had the consolation of scoring a point from the rebound.   
The home side should have made it a six-point game after the restart, but David Higgins spurned another glorious goal-scoring opportunity. Following that let-off, a wind-assisted Offaly gradually clawed back the deficit before taking a 0-11 to 0-10 lead with 15 minutes remaining thanks to three points by Stephen Quirke and two from Adrian Hynes.
Despite losing the midfield battle at this stage, Westmeath hung in and levelled with points from Clarke and Niall O'Brien. When Clarke made it 0-14 apiece in the 58th minute from a free, extra-time looked to be on the cards, but two points from the equally unerring Quirke - one from a '65 and one from a free - sealed the win for the Faithful County.
 
The Westmeath team which lost to Offaly in the Leinster MHC quarter-final was: Niall Kelly; Enda Kincaid, Thomas Doyle, Tommy Gallagher; David Fennell (0-1), Anthony Price (0-1, 1f), Kelvin Reilly; Aaron Craig (0-1), Shane Fagan; Aonghus Clarke (0-9, 6f, 1 '65), Cathal Scally, Glen Flynn; Niall O'Brien (0-1), David Higgins, Joseph Boyle (0-1). Subs used: Davy Gavin and David McCormack. Tweet

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