Clancy's point is well made

Time-lapse photography shot at each of Mick O'Dwyer's big visits to Croke Park over 50 years would show structures tumbling and arising from the rubble, with the process repeating.

Yesterday his Laois side demolished Dublin's provincial title and in doing so beat them for the first time in 22 years and staked their claim to next month's novel Leinster final against neighbours Kildare, O'Dwyer's team until 11 months ago. The counties haven't met at such an advanced stage since 1946, even before O'Dwyer's epic county career began with Kerry.

"We've been working hard since last October and you saw what happened out there. Every time you come to Croke Park and win a game there's great satisfaction," he happily declares. "I love coming here."

Of the moments being recounted from yesterday his eyes light up at the memory of Padraig Clancy's long-range strike in the 69th minute which put a safe four points between his team and a Dublin at that stage in hot pursuit.

"Ah that was the great one, a really marvellous score, a great catch, a great score. But the whole team played well, from the goalkeeper out."

The player himself is in animated form. A Leinster minor medallist in 1998, the tall, red-haired midfielder has had a great year. An early-season player of the month, he made an outstanding contribution to disabling Dublin in the middle. He fondly remembers that point, but prefers to talk about the overall display of himself and Noel Garvan.

"Coming up here to beat the Dubs. That's what we were aiming at all year. When you see a point like that going over, it's got to be Laois's day. We knew from the very start that we were good enough to take them on. We're good enough to win in the middle of the field, and myself and Noel concentrated on winning the middle of the field."

Even the disgruntlement of the big Dublin following inspired Laois.

"The supporters were booing us," says Clancy, "but that sort of egged us on. We enjoyed it."

Dublin manager Tommy Lyons isn't enjoying 2003. The season started with a worryingly flat defeat by All-Ireland champions Armagh in February. Early signs of how hard it would be to improve on last year.

"I suppose in real terms no one could dispute that they deserved to win the game. We kicked an unbelievable number of chances away. We were struggling and weren't winning any real ball in the middle of the field. And then we got a run at them in the second half and they kicked a couple of unbelievable scores. I felt if we had got it back level we could have won, but I wouldn't take anything away from Laois.

"We didn't compete in the middle third and that's where we lost the game. The feeling at half-time was that we were still in the game and that we'd get a run at them. The talk was 'keep our composure and make sure we rattle over two or three points in a row'. We knew that would happen and it did, only they went down and kicked a few unbelievable points. Hey, you couldn't begrudge them their win.

"We kicked 16 wides and had four clear goal chances. They were going in last year and they didn't go in this year. If any had gone in we could have put it up to them, but that's life. I keep saying we over-achieved last year and have a lot of learning to do. We've got to get back and focus on next weekend."

It was a match riddled with alarming aspects from a Dublin perspective, from subdued performances to lack of confidence. Everything fed into the loss of appetite that Lyons re-emphasised as the reason behind the defeat. His words also seemed to hold a veiled menace for those players whose hunger might have been sated by last summer's exploits.

"Their hunger and desire in that middle third won nearly all the breaking ball. No matter what we did or who we put in we couldn't seem to win it. We won a Leinster championship last year because I felt we were the hungriest team in Leinster. This year there's no doubt that Laois and Kildare are hungrier than the rest of us. That's why they're in the Leinster final.

"My task is to pick them up tomorrow evening. At the end of the day there's lots of men who want to play with this county, lots of men hungry enough to play for the county, and hopefully we can get enough out next Saturday that really want to take this championship by the scruff of the neck."