Dublin 1-25
Laois 0-10
Kevin O’Brien reports from Croke Park
DUBLIN’S VICE-LIKE grip on the Delaney Cup shows no sign of letting up.
Jim Gavin’s side lifted an eighth straight Leinster SFC crown and the 57th in their history after brushing Laois aside by 16 points in front of 41,728 at Croke Park.
The nine-in-a-row that’s likely coming next summer would be the longest stretch of provincial dominance by any county in All-Ireland SFC history.
The only blots on the Dublin copybook were John Small’s 57th-minute red card for a strike to the face of Evan O’Carroll and their poor first-half shooting display. Small is now set to be suspended for Dublin’s opening Super 8s game in three weeks’ time.
The reigning champions shot nine wides in the opening period, missed a penalty and dropped two efforts into Graham Brody’s hands. They had a more polished performance in the second period and hit just one wide after the break.
In the absence of Stephen Cluxton, who missed out with the rib injury he suffered in the semi-final against Longford, Jonny Cooper captained the Sky Blues while Evan Comerford deputised between the posts.
Ballymun stopper Comerford had a troublefree afternoon in goals on his first championship start and was able to go short with the majority of his restarts.
After 26 minutes, Laois were just 1-3 to 0-5 behind, but they were outscored by 0-22 to 0-5 for the remainder of the game. Dublin clicked through the gears and easily beat the 15-point handicap set by the bookies beforehand.
Laois, competing in their first provincial final since 2007, needed goals to stay in the game. Although they threatened with a few half-chances in the opening half and Donie Kingston looked dangerous, they couldn’t get the green flag that would have ignited their challenge.
The All-Ireland champions hit the net through the excellent Ciaran Kilkenny, who scored 1-4 and slipped through Niall Scully for the 20th-minute penalty he won. Paul Mannion sent the spot-kick wide and Dublin were denied further goals when Jack McCaffrey was twice denied by the goalkeeper in the second-half.
Dean Rock scored 0-8 from 10 shots and elsewhere James McCarthy, Scully and Brian Fenton all impressed.
Laois withdrew number 15 Damien O’Connor to a sweeper role and set-up with Donie Kingston and Evan O’Carroll in a two-man full-forward line that they targetted with long diagonal ball.
Dublin rotated Kilkenny in between full-forward and wing-forward, but he started the game at 14 as he often does. Eric Lowndes, who had pushed right up on O’Connor, sent a lovely delivery into the Castleknock ace who slotted home in the fourth minute to give his team the perfect start.
Sugrue’s side typically defended with 12 men back and kept at least two players up at all times. They played a good brand of football and looked to kick-pass to the half-forward line every opportunity.
Rock tagged on a free, but Laois settled and kicked the next four scores, including three from Kingston, who was five inches taller than his marker Philly McMahon.
Despite dominating possession, Dublin’s shooting was erratic at times with Paddy Andrews, Mannion, Kilkenny and Rock all hitting uncharacteristic misses.
As the half wore on the runs of James McCarthy and Niall Scully from deep began to cut holes in the O’Moore rearguard. McCarthy set-up Rock for one from play and had a shot on goal foot-blocked by Trevor Collins which allowed his Ballymun team-mate clip over another free.
Meanwhile, Scully was taken down in the area for a penalty that was sent wide by Mannion.
Laois had a hint of a goal chance but Farrell opted to take his point as he bore down on goal while Kingston sent his last three shots of the half wide as his outfit went in 1-8 to 0-5 behind.
Dublin improved their execution in the third quarter with good scores from play arriving through O’Callaghan, Andrews, his 46th-minute replacement Cormac Costello and Kilkenny.
Kieran Lillis was the only Laois man to trouble the scoreboard from play third quarter as Dublin took complete control of the game.
Jack McCaffrey was intent on raising a green flag but was denied by Graham Brody and then after the Portlaoise stopper went off injured, by Laois sub goalie Eoghan Keogh.
Costello had four points on the board before the finish, while Howard chipped over a fine score. Gary Walsh arrived off the bench to add a couple of garbage-time points for the Laoismen, before Cooper lifted the crown.
Scorers for Dublin: Dean Rock 0-8 (0-5f, 0-1 45), Ciaran Kilkenny 1-4, Cormac Costello 0-4, Con O’Callaghan, Paddy Andrews and Brian Fenton 0-2 each, Brian Howard, James McCarthy and Paul Mannion 0-1 each.
Scorers for Laois: Donie Kingston 0-4 (0-2f), Gary Walsh and Alan Farrell 0-2 each, Kieran Lillis and Evan O’Carroll 0-1 each.
Dublin
16. Evan Comerford (Ballymun Kickhams)
2. Philly McMahon (Ballymun Kickhams)
3. Michael Fitzsimons (Cuala)
4. Eric Lowndes (St Peregrine’s)
6. James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams)
7. Jonny Cooper (Na Fianna)
5. Brian Howard (Raheny)
8. Brian Fenton (Raheny)
9. Michael Darragh Macauley (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
10. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street)
11. Con O’Callaghan (Cuala)
12. Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock)
13. Paul Mannion (Kilmacud Crokes)
14. Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams)
15. Paddy Andrews (St Brigid’s)
Subs
21. Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf) for Lowndes (ht)
18. Cormac Costello (Whitehall Colmcille) for Andrews (46)
26. John Small (Ballymun Kickhams) for Macauley (52)
20. Paul Flynn (Fingallians) for O’Callaghan (55)
19. Darren Daly (Fingal Ravens) for Mannion (61)
22. Conor McHugh (Na Fianna) for Rock (68)
Laois
1. Graham Brody (Portlaoise)
2. Darren Strong (Emo)
3. Mark Timmons (Graiguecullen)
4. Gareth Dillon (Portlaoise)
7. Finbarr Crowley (Emo)
6. Colm Begley (Stradbally)
5. Trevor Collins (Graigcullen)
15. Damien O’Connor (Timahoe)
8. John O’Louglin (St Brigid’s)
9. Kieran Lillis (Portlaoise)
10. Alan Farrell (Ballylinan)
11. Paul Kingston (Arles Killeen)
12. Niall Donoher (Courtwood)
13. Evan O’Carroll (Crochta Ard)
14. Donal Kingston (Arles Killeen)
Subs
18. Benny Carroll (Portlaoise) for Donoher (48)
17. Ross Munnelly (Arles Kilcruise) for Crowley (51)
16. Eoghan Keogh (Mountmellick) for Brody (inj, 56)
24. David Holland (Portlaoise) for Strong (57)
19. Gary Walsh (Ballylinan) for O’Carroll (blood-sub, 60-63)
20. Brian Glynn (Portlaoise) for Farrell (63)
19. Walsh for Paul Kingston (71)
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry)
So this weekend we’ve seen 3 non events in provincial finals and some big beatings in the qualifiers and still we’re being told a second tier is a bad idea.
Fermanagh and Laois getting to Ulster and Leinster finals and Carlows “rising ” are supposed to be reasons against it yet all three this weekend were hammered.
@Stephen Pierce: The provincial championships need to go it’s ridiculous one province has 5 counties and another 13 that’s never going to produce a fair system.
@Damien Costello: Actually 12 and kilkenny don’t play in the football championship so it’s 11 my bad.
@Damien Costello: Connacht is 7 with London and NY and a much more competitive province than Leinster’s 10. Even Leitrim hammered Louth yesterday. It was the only competitive Province and has also 3 Div 1 teams.
@Brendan Walsh: hahahahaha the whole statement actually
What’s the point of the Leinster football championship anymore?
Dubs are a different gravy
@Mick Kelly: indeed Mick. Can’t remember the last time Dublin didn’t win in Leinster by at least 10 points. It doesn’t seem to bother Dublin though, the bandwagon keeps rolling on.
@Sloop John G: Last year’s Leinster final.
Proud as a Laois man that we went out and played football, gave it our best shot, no bullsh!t 14 men behind the ball, but that Dublin team is just awesome..they’re so far ahead it’s a bit ridiculous.
@Dave Fingleton: proud of being bet by 18 points? Good man
@Hugh Jass: shut up arsehole
@Hugh Jass: proud they performed to the best they could..beaten by a better team..
@Dave Fingleton: annihilated by a better team
Time to put Dublin into the Munster
@Kevin Deegan: sure would that not just be dublin Kerry all the time then and not saying that been smart but it would
@Kevin Deegan: why so they can hammer them too?
@Kevin Deegan: We’ll just beat everyone down there and you’ll still find a way to moan about us.
How did they manage to get 35,000 people in to watch that boring muck ???
@Barry Teehan:
Number will continue to fall through the floor, if they don’t make changes soon.
@Barry Teehan: 42,000
@Pauliebhoy: The other 7.000 were asleep.
@Barry Teehan: Didn’t think Laois brought that many
Did Dublin even get out of second gear? A good club side would have given them a better game. Only way they are ever gonna get a game in Leinster is if they are allowed to have a B team in it
One of the biggest upsets in the GAA of the modern era
40k attended the match, smallest crowd in over 15 years, amateurs v semi pros will destroy the GAA.
What a massacre of the innocents in the provincial finals and qualifiers this weekend and somehow the pundits think the super 8s will be any better- the paying supporters will sooner or later get sick of paying out money to see this tripe.
Kerry and Dublin monopoly will continue as they are pouring money into players and guaranteed the hush money is playing its part.
Since the championship is no longer knockout the big budget teams even if they slip up once can sail through.
Football is now only for Kerry and Dublin supporters
@Tim Brennan: Super 8s could throw up a group of Dublin, Donegal, Mayo and Tyrone
@Tim Brennan: Mayo and Donegal can absolutely win an All Ireland. Lets not go ignore that Mayo have been a point away from winning 2 All Irelands.
@Gary Dunne: being a point away makes no difference to being 10 points away, they couldn’t get the job done end of.
Evan Comerford had a great game with the Dubs today and recovering well from his mistake playing in the Tipp goal last night !
Drop Jon Small
@John O Reilly: He will be dropped for the next game
@Pauliebhoy: he will be suspended. But he is a liability. Sent off in last 2 championship games….could lose a big match for Dublin
Champions.
@PATO DUNNE: Shh you can’t speak positive about Dublin on here, how dare you!
@fella la fella: day hate de dubs day do.
The rest of the country moaning about Dublin again, what’s new?
@fella la fella: No ones moaning as Kerry will cream you in sept and both of your supporters will be only inter counties able to win all Ireland’s going forward.
The hush under cover money is widening the gap some players can now train full time and pay all their bills with what fresh air don’t think so
@Martin Brennan: . Or ,
@Martin Brennan: Kerry will cream us hahahahaha I’ve heard that for past 7 years and they haven’t beaten us once in the championship during then. They have a great team but you lot are starting to sound like parrots, say the same thing every June, all go hush hush in September.
@fella la fella: laois just need to lump it basically they lost!, the just can live up to the dubs in croke park.
@Martin Brennan: They’re comparing the current Kerry crop to those of 1975, some of whom won 7 All-Irelands. Thats some pressure to be putting on the shoulders of this latest Kerry side. Who knows, they walloped Cork by a record score in the Munster
Cooper almost looks embarrassed lifting it. Football championship is a joke.
I would have thought that the Bob O’Keefe cup was for the hurling champions
@Sean Doheny: yeah I kinda squinted for a second. What happened to the delaney cup?
Another brilliant week end of football over
@Tony Mcgrath: Not over yet Tony. Poland v Colombia at 7.
What’s the point of even playing a Leinster championship anymore?
I think if you formed a squad of all other Leinster counties, they still wouldn’t beat Dublin.
What are the odds none of the beaten provincial finalists will get in the Super 8s
Good chance with the exception of Roscommon.
I’d say only Roscommon will make it
Farce! Time to scrap the provincial championships!
Great to see such a lengthy, informative and passionate article about Dublin football. Especially on a weekend so devoid of any other games of note nationally in the GAA calendar.
@Statler R. Waldorf:It’s a match report on Dublin v Laois game. What do you expect a report on Mayo V Tipperary
@Statler R. Waldorf: Haha the hate for Dublin is real, your hate makes it better when we win all Irelands.
@George Thompson: And then there’s THIS guy! Blinkered baby blue eyed fool. I’ll type slowly for you…. it’s the ONLY match report on the Journal. #KindaMyPoint
@fella la fella: God no. I think they’re a powerful team. They’ll be a force for years to come hopefully. I will say that the GAA need to shake things up a bit to give a great team like Dublin more of a challenge in the early games but that’s not taking from the Dubs.
@George Thompson:
@fella la fella: gwan de dubs!
@Statler R. Waldorf: I’ll just leave these here. Maybe check the site properly next time before you post.
http://www.the42.ie/donegal-fermanagh-ulster-sfc-final-report-4089424-Jun2018/
http://www.the42.ie/clare-offaly-gaa-4089409-Jun2018/
@Aideen Thornton: I’ll just leave this here “the Journal”. Maybe check the comment first before you post. (Just to help you distinguish – it’s not the same publication…. )
@Statler R. Waldorf: And i’ll leave this here. Go to the42 and select the gaa section. All of the articles above are here for you to see.
http://www.the42.ie/gaa/
Just to help you distinguish, all 3 articles are on the42.
@Statler R. Waldorf: Why are you pretending that the42 is not the sport section of The Journal?
@Aideen Thornton: Oh God. When Stupid can’t stop!
@Statler R. Waldorf: You really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. But agreed all the same.
Scrap the provincials, make the championship an open draw or maybe with this new super 8′s format make it that only the 6 teams who survive in Div 1 and the 2 promoted from Div 2 compete in it thereby putting more emphasis on the national league.
Dublin put enough work in to make everyone else look sh!te. Stop crying and put the work in instead will fix that.
YAY…!
Gaelic Football is torture to watch… plain and simple. Serious reform needed to come to terms with the Dublin “formula”.
Too many players on pitch Congested….
13 a side might do it.
@scanlanavia: You hate watching it because Dublin are currently the best at it, cmon don’t lie.
@fella la fella: wan de dubs!
Dublin BLOW Laois……..