Dublin 2-21
Laois 0-16
DUBLIN PUT A poor start behind them to score 2-13 in the second half against a brave Laois team in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final.
The Dubs trailed at half time by 0-10 to 0-8 but thanks to a goal blitz midway through the second half, they came through as easy 11-point winners.
Jim Gavin’s substitutes managed 0-9 between them but the two crucial goals came from Diarmuid Connolly and then Michael Darragh MacAuley, after Bernard Brogan came off after just 23 minutes through injury.
Alan Brogan scored the first point of the game within a minute but inspired by captain Ross Munnelly, Laois soon took control of proceedings.
His two early points put Laois 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after four minutes, and Tomás Ó’Flatharta’s men would maintain their two-point advantage for the first quarter as the teams went point for point.
Dublin finally found a way through a stubborn Laois defence after 15 minutes as Paddy Andrews latched on to a breaking ball off Eoghan O’Gara only to see his effort rattle the crossbar. Two minutes later Diarmuid Connolly would again hit the woodwork, and it seemed Laois had survived the Dublin onslaught.
Jim Gavin wasted no time in introducing Jack McCaffrey, and a late flurry of attacks before the interval called Graham Brody in to make a fantastic double save.
The second half coughed and spluttered before Kevin McManamon, on as an early substitute for the injured Brogan, slotted over two fine points.
Dublin kicked on as Laois struggled to come out of defence in possession, and on 46 minutes the inevitable happened. Paddy Andrews who was in fine form for the Dubs found Diarmuid Connolly with a cross-field ball, and the half-forward comfortably finished in to the bottom left corner.
Six minutes later an unfortunate fumble by Paul Begley broke to MacAuley who did his very best to break the net and leave Dublin six ahead.
Despite the excellence of Ross Munnelly, John O’Loughlin and Colm Begley, Laois couldn’t eat into the Dubs’ two-goal advantage and as Jim Gavin introduced Dean Rock, Cormac Costello and Bryan Cullen for the final fifteen Laois had no answer.
A late trio of scores first by Rock, and then Costello, had the Hill in full voice as Jim Gavin now looks ahead to a semi-final clash with Wexford.
Scorers for Laois: Ross Munnelly 0-7 (2f); Donal Kingston 0-3 (0-2f); Darren Strong 0-2; James Finn, David Conway, John O’Loughlin, Niall Donoher 0-1 each.
Scorers for Dublin: Diarmuid Connolly 1-1; Paul Flynn, Cormac Costello, Dean Rock (3f) 0-3 each; Michael Darragh MacAuley 1-0; Stephen Cluxton (2 45’), Kevin McManamon 0-2 each; Paddy Andrews, Bryan Cullen, James McCarthy, Alan Brogan, Eoghan O’Gara, Bernard Brogan (1f), Cian O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
Laois
1. Graham Brody
2. Padraig McMahon
3. Paul Begley
4. Peter O’Leary
5. Darren Strong
6. Stephen Attride
7. Colm Begley
8. Kevin Meaney
9. John O’Loughlin
10. James Finn
11. Donal Kingston
12. Billy Sheehan
13. Ross Munnelly
14. Conor Meredith
15. David Conway
Substitutions: Niall Donoher for Sheehan (31), Eoin Lowry for Meaney (51), Robbie Kehoe for Attride (58), Evan O’Carroll for Conway (64), Paul Kingston for Finn (66).
Dublin
1. Stephen Cluxton
2. Philly McMahon
3. Rory O’Carroll
4. Jonny Cooper
5. James McCarthy
6. Nicky Devereux
7. Darren Daly
8. Michael Dara MacAuley
9. Cian O’Sullivan
10. Paul Flynn
11. Paddy Andrews
12. Diarmuid Connolly
13. Alan Brogan
14. Eoghan O’Gara
15. Bernard Brogan
Substitutions: Kevin McManamon for B. Brogan (23), Jack McCaffrey for Daly (29),Bryan Cullen for O’Gara (44), Cormac Costello for A. Brogan (50), Dean Rock for O’Sullivan (58), Paul Mannion for Andrews (66).
Referee: Padraig Hughes (Armagh).
Dont understand the hate for Tyrone, suppose it comes from the analysis of the likes of spillane, O Rourke and brolly and then everyone adopts it as their opinion that Tyrone are ruining the game. Football was never pretty, and it’s even more evident now with hurling being so good, Eir sport shows a lot of past all Ireland finals and so called classic games, makes for some interesting viewing, Meath were a shower of thugs, spillane/kerry forwards spent most of the ’86 final in their own half (blanket), brolly was anonymous in the 93 final, but overall long kicks down the pitch with ball retention abysmal wasnt a joy to watch, which this era was all about. I think Dublin will win but at the same time Tyrone are worthy of being there in the final.
@paddy: Spot on.
@paddy: yay
@paddy: Paddy from Tyrone, Meath in the eighties and nineties had individual players far more talented than this Tyrone team. Brian Stafford, Colm O’Rourke, Martin OConnell, Graham Geraghty, Trevor Giles. Tyrone 2018 play to a system fundamentally built upon fear. There’s nothing honourable about their game.
@Conor Kilgallon: actually a clare man, with more interest in hurling. Funny how people like loughnane and Ring can be honourable and say there’s great players now but there’s better to come, 95 was a great year for us but looks like junior B stuff now. That Meath team would be thrashed by the current Tyrone team just like cork and roscommon, the current Dublin team are better than any other football team to come out of kerry or anywhere. But have a look these classic games, Dublin/kerry in thurles, dreadful stuff apart for the Maurice Fitzgerald kick at the end. Football is better now Conor my man, just because they kicked long and lined out in traditional formations doesn’t mean it was better to watch, Dublin/meath in 91 might have been exciting/close but the skill level was very poor.
@Conor Kilgallon: Cop yourself on, Conor. How is the Tyrone style built on fear? Their game plan involves conceeding kickouts and inviting teams on to them, and committing extra men to the tackle – two high risk strategies. You’re like a spoofer who has been listening to Spillane and co down the years and can’t form your own opinion in the here and now.
As for your eulogy of the Meath team of the 90′s, the less said the better, but what I would say is the current Tyrone team would run rings around them, and they themselves knew a thing or two about playing with fear – the only game plan they had in the 1996 semi final v Tyrone, knowing that Tyrone were hot favorites, was to use sickening levels of violence to take Tyrone’s key men out of the game.
The dream will be over quite soon
Some amount of hate for Tyrone on here. Cant wait for the usual Brit and taxes to the queen stuff
@Mel Roberts: Mickey Harte will be an all-time legend if he can pull this off, hope he does it and it sticks forever in brollys craw, Tyrone abu, from a Wexford man
I hope Dublin destroy them
@jl: Why ?
Tt