Offaly are through to the Joe McDonagh Cup final with one round of games remaining after handing Kerry a 1-24 to 0-16 defeat in Tullamore this afternoon.

Johnny Kelly’s men were in control from the moment David Nally bagged their 19th minute goal, as points from Nally, Eoghan Cahill (3) and Jason Sampson saw them towards a 1-10 to 0-10 interval lead.

A couple of Brian Duignan points after the turnaround were backed up by Cahill’s frees as the Faithful men went 1-16 to 0-13 in front with less than 20 minutes to go.

Kerry’s last three points came from the stick of Shane Conway as the hosts kicked on for the 11-point win that sees their unbeaten season continue and guarantees them a place in their first Joe McDonagh Cup final.

The result also means that the Kingdom must beat Laois in the final round next weekend and hopes that Offaly defeat Carlow in order to get back to competition’s decider at Croke Park for a fourth successive time.

Carlow themselves are right in the hunt for a final berth thanks to their emphatic 6-23 to 0-28 win against Down in Ballycran today.

Conor Kehoe, Chris Nolan (2) and Marty Kavanagh struck the first-half goals for the Barrowsiders and they went on to take in a 4-14 to 0-11 lead at the half.

Jon Nolan and James Doyle hit the net after the turnaround to pour more salt on the home side's wounds as they were handed their fourth loss of the competition in emphatic fashion.

The #JoeMcDonaghCup Table after Round 4

Laois 1-23 v 0-11 Kildare
Offaly 1-24 v 0-16 Kerry
Down 0-28 v 6-23 Carlow#gaaleaguetables #hurling pic.twitter.com/vnWn6AMFIx

— GAA League Tables (@GAALeagueTables) May 7, 2023

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