LEINSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL: Laois 1-15 Louth 1-11: THE FOOTBALL championship got serious over the weekend, in Munster anyway.
It was a little lighter around Leinster, with no one yet to make a serious (Cork-like) statement of intent. Laois remain a footballing enigma.
They can produce some of the most attractive and enriching passages when the mood grips them, but rarely do they hold pace.
Two Kerry men have had a go in recent times at trying to transfer minor excellence into senior consistency, before Laois turned to one of their own for 2009. Seán Dempsey was behind much of their underage success – including the 2003 minor All-Ireland success.
This was his first championship game with Bainisteoir emblazoned across his chest and back. Having nurtured so many of these men as teenagers, Dempsey seemed pleased with the opening salvo they provided for his management term, but was hardly surprised with the stuttering finish that developed, allowing a Louth side with no real identity to claw back into sight.
Unfortunately, the referee had a significant input as well.
Two weeks back, Marty Duffy had a poor game in Croke Park, messing up the time-keeping and flashing yellow cards with an unnecessary relish. His namesake and fellow Sligo native, Michael, was the man in the middle down the road in Donnycarney and he was equally whistle-happy and inconsistent, missing what the consensus marked down as two genuine Louth penalty appeals in either half, despite frees being easily bought out the field.
Even if Louth had been awarded and converted both penalties, though, the feeling is Laois would have moved back up a gear and pulled away again.
They were in complete control around the middle third, where Pádraig Clancy looks the complete elder statesman alongside Kevin Meaney, with Brendan Quigley joining in on occasion, but usually operating in his new sweeping role behind them.
Another stand-out performer was under-21 star John O’Loughlin. Used as a wing back, and made out of granite, he rarely takes the wrong option.
Rivals will be bouncing off him for years to come.
In the past, Laois have rightly been accused of lacking power, but this charge must now be dismissed as a half-back line of O’Loughlin, Darren Rooney and assured debutant Ger Reddin possess the strength and mobility to turn defence into attack on every play. Bruno McCormack, at centre forward, is no shrinking violet either and while Donie Kingston will have better days, the teenager’s natural strength is the ideal tonic to mix with snappers MJ Tierney and Ross Munnelly.
Laois remain a group with bundles of potential – though whether Dempsey can hone that talent will be established against Kildare, whose manager Kieran McGeeney was an interested spectator yesterday.
Kingston may have some time to go before he becomes a force at this level, but his mere presence contributed for the opening goal.Louth goalkeeper Stuart Reynolds was clearly distracted by such an imposing frame – taking his eye off Clancy’s speculative high ball into the square. It landed in the net.
They raced into a 1-5 to 0-3 lead by the 15th minute, with Tierney finding his range along with further Clancy and O’Loughlin points. Darran Clarke landed 0-2 for Louth, but inaccurate passing denied them any rhythm. They look either a bad team or one lacking any direction. That is for Eamonn McEnaney to define in the qualifiers.
Laois hardly made matters easy for them, ending the first-half with a string of attractive points from Clancy, Peter O’Leary, McCormack and Tierney.
Munnelly finally came alive on 47 minutes to make it 1-13 to 0-5 – Louth’s only riposte coming from a Shane Lennon point that would have been a goal if not for Michael Nolan’s reflexes.
The Laois goalkeeper ruined that good work when Aaron Hoey’s tame shot on 58 minutes slid under him. This was followed up by two frees from Brian White and a Darran Clarke score to ensure a nervy end.
Hoey added a point entering injury-time, but it was an earlier penalty appeal by Adrian Reid, waved away by Duffy, after Clancy made contact, that incensed the Louth followers, amused the Laois contingent and just bemused neutrals in the 6,500 crowd.
McEnaney admitted his own confusion with his team, refusing to blame the referee for the poor performance. “You prepare a team and you try to send them out to win a championship game, but we never really got going in the first half. Laois were all over us in so many positions it was hard to believe, but when we did sort of play we cut them open, brought it back to three points and should have had a penalty according to everybody who was around the place.
“It was fairly conclusive even to the Laois boys who admitted it was a penalty. That’s the breaks in the game. At least we fought to the end.”
True, but Laois were a grade above these opponents, yet remain a level below the action witnessed in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“I thought nothing was going right for us, but the work ethic was there,” Dempsey said. “At least there is plenty to work on.”
Not the worst position in June.
LAOIS:1 M Nolan; 2 C Ryan, 3 M Timmons, 4 R Stapleton; 5 D Rooney (0-1), 6 G Reddin, 7 J O'Loughlin (0-1); 8 P Clancy (1-3), 9 K Meaney; 10 B Quigley, 11 B McCormack (capt, 0-1), 12 P O'Leary (0-2); 13 MJ Tierney (0-6, five frees), 14 R Munnelly (0-1), 15 D Kingston. Sub:27 P McNulty for D Kingston (56 mins); 29 C Cross for R Munnelly (69). Yellow cards: B McCormack (19 mins); K Meaney (44); MJ Tierney (67).
LOUTH:1 S Reynolds; 2 P Rath, 4 J Obrien, 3 D Finnegan; 6 M Fanning, 5 D Crilly, 7G Hoey; 8 B White (0-3, three frees), 9 P Keenan (0-1); 10 R Finnegan, 11 R Carroll, 12 D Reid; 13 C Judge (0-1), 14 S Lennon (0-2, one free), 15 D Clarke (0-3, one free). Subs: 22 A Reid for D Reid (29 mins); JP Rooney for C Judge, A Hoey (1-1) for D Crilly (both 46); P Smith for B White (67). Yellow cards: D Crilly (19 mins); S Lennon (26); A Reid (45 mins), J O'Brien (48); P Keenan (66 mins).
Referee:M Duffy (Sligo).
