Limerick 2-13 Laois 1-5 Limerick marked their debut in the highest level of league football with a handsome victory against the champions of Leinster at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday.
The afternoon afforded us a fine perspective of the revamped stadium because it was almost empty. These counties might belong to Gaelic football's nouveau riche but that is not enough to coax their followers out in early February. Only 1,800 gathered to see Limerick play champagne football in the rain.
The home team were missing several summer starters, not to mention a few erstwhile hurlers but their opening hour in Division One suggests they intend booking in for quite a few seasons. In fairness to Laois, their preparation for this match was hardly perfect. They spent last week big-game hunting on the lowveld in South Africa. When they jetted back to reality, they knew they could be easy prey for Liam Kearns's young team.
"We did not expect too much," smiled Mick O'Dwyer as he sat on a wooden bench in the dressing-room. "We were completely outplayed there today, we just were not on our game. We needed a goal in the first half and they got it and that was about it."
Although pleased with the positive opening to the year, Kearns - who in a previous life trained under the great O'Dwyer - was mindful to put the win in context.
"It was good that despite missing about five senior players we could put out a team that could play like that. The young fellas coming through are starting to mature.
"It's a good start but I would not read too much into the game because obviously that Laois team is going to get much sharper later in the year."
That Laois's full-forward line of Ian Fitzgerald, Michael Lawlor and Beano McDonald could not score tells its own story. Matters were notably different at the other end. Maurice Horan, the young man who transferred after a frustrating few seasons at home in Mayo, certainly announced himself in his adopted county. He delivered four points from play, none of them easy to take, and was full of imagination and running along with Eoin Keating, who should be a treat to watch on dry ground.
Even on yesterday's soft sod, Stephen Kelly displayed an acceleration that forced Laois to try three different defenders on him. None enjoyed the experience.
For most of the first half, Limerick attempted to break down the Laois defence with short, complex passing. On 33 minutes, it worked. Keating and the excellent Stephen Lucey provided the build-up; Kelly sped through a gap in the defence and slipped his shot past Fergal Byron.
Laois, with the wind, belted seven first-half wides. Limerick used the wind cleverly, the burly Jason Stokes lobbing in accurate passes and hammering over two points himself.
In truth, this was never much of a contest. There was one consolatory glimmer for Laois. Ray Turley fly-kicked a pass down the wing for McDonald and, in the minimum of space, he did his thing, jinking and faking before chipping a gorgeous lateral cross for Martin Delaney.
The Tories were in power across the water when Delaney last played football for Laois but goal dimensions have stayed the same. His shot rolled underneath Seamus O'Donnell. Instead of rallying though, Laois managed only one other score for the next 15 minutes.
Last year Laois took to the league with fresh enthusiasm. This year, its uses are different for O'Dwyer: "We feel we know our team now. Hopefully they will be ready for June anyway. What I want to do now is train them but that is hard with games each Sunday."
Limerick's last score was a messy giveaway. A long ball was sent in. Byron advanced and suddenly found Mark Keane bearing down. The forward got a fist to it first and wheeled away in celebration. It was a moment to forget for Byron. The good news is he will probably have little trouble in doing so. On Tuesday night, O'Dwyer will most likely run his boys so hard they will forget everything other than getting off the field alive.
Limerick are perhaps where Laois were last year - hungry and growing in confidence, fresh with respect for the league and happy to take each Sunday as it comes.
LIMERICK: S O'Donnell; M O'Riordan, J McCarthy, T Stack; P Browne, S Lucey, D Reidy (0-1); J Stokes (0-2), T Carroll; S Kelly (1-2), M Gavin (0-1, a free), C Mullane (0-1); M Horan (0-4), J Murphy, E Keating (0-2). Subs: M Keane (1-0) for Murphy (56 mins), J Quane for Carroll (61 mins), M O'Brien for Horan (63 mins).
LAOIS: F Byron; P McDonnell, C Byrne, J Higgins; D Rooney (0-1), T Kelly (0-1), K Fitzpatrick; P Clancy, N Garvan; C Parkinson, M Delaney (1-1, pt from 45), C Conway (0-1); I Fitzgerald, M Lawlor (0-1), B McDonald. Subs: P Conway for Fitzpatrick (26 mins), R Turley for Fitzgerald (44 mins), T McDonnell for Higgins (55 mins).
Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).
