16,764 FANS TURNED up at Nowlan Park last night to witness Dublin’s first senior football championship game outside Croke Park in a decade.
There was still an overwhelming majority of Dublin fans present with Laois having voiced their discontent over the venue choice for the game.
Laois boss Mick Lillis reiterated his view after the game that the Leinster Council had ‘got it seriously wrong’, by choosing the Kilkenny venue.
“It was very heavily weighted towards Dublin, that’s not surprising.
“The Laois people didn’t travel, more in protest than anything else and you can understand why. I’m not going to go down the same road again.
“But the Leinster Council got it seriously wrong and I just hope they learn from it.”
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Laois suffered a terrible start to the game when shipping two goals in the first five minutes. Lillis dismissed suggestions that ‘fear’ of facing the All-Ireland champions resulted in his team being mentally damaged at the start.
“I don’t think fear is the right word. We weren’t afraid. We didn’t cope with their onslaught.
Laois boss Mick Lillis with Dublin manager Jim Gavin Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“It was hard, it was fast, their running game was strong. It just took us a little bit longer to get into the game than we would have liked, and we were punished accordingly.
“They’re the All-Ireland champions, they’re not the All-Ireland champions for nothing.”
Lillis paid tribute to his team for his battling against the odds. Despite being reduced to 14 men when John O’Loughlin was sent-off in the first-half, Laois still managed to bag two goals against Dublin in the second-half courtesy of Paul Cahillane and Stephen Attride.
“I hope the realisation will get into fellas heads that this team can play,” remarked Lillis.
“Now, all we can do is go back and prepare as best we can. These guys put their life on hold for football so they’re not going to do it for six months and just walk away at this stage.
“They’re going to put their shoulder down, take a bit of encouragement and hopefully go and give themselves a bit of a boost.
“There are other teams out there capable of playing like that. Dublin are a very good side. They’re a quality side but they won’t get it their own way.
“It’s not the foregone conclusion that a lot of people think it is. But they’re a formidable side and they will take some beating.”
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'The Leinster Council got it seriously wrong and I just hope they learn from it'
16,764 FANS TURNED up at Nowlan Park last night to witness Dublin’s first senior football championship game outside Croke Park in a decade.
There was still an overwhelming majority of Dublin fans present with Laois having voiced their discontent over the venue choice for the game.
Laois boss Mick Lillis reiterated his view after the game that the Leinster Council had ‘got it seriously wrong’, by choosing the Kilkenny venue.
“It was very heavily weighted towards Dublin, that’s not surprising.
“The Laois people didn’t travel, more in protest than anything else and you can understand why. I’m not going to go down the same road again.
“But the Leinster Council got it seriously wrong and I just hope they learn from it.”
Laois suffered a terrible start to the game when shipping two goals in the first five minutes. Lillis dismissed suggestions that ‘fear’ of facing the All-Ireland champions resulted in his team being mentally damaged at the start.
“I don’t think fear is the right word. We weren’t afraid. We didn’t cope with their onslaught.
“It was hard, it was fast, their running game was strong. It just took us a little bit longer to get into the game than we would have liked, and we were punished accordingly.
“They’re the All-Ireland champions, they’re not the All-Ireland champions for nothing.”
Lillis paid tribute to his team for his battling against the odds. Despite being reduced to 14 men when John O’Loughlin was sent-off in the first-half, Laois still managed to bag two goals against Dublin in the second-half courtesy of Paul Cahillane and Stephen Attride.
“I hope the realisation will get into fellas heads that this team can play,” remarked Lillis.
“Now, all we can do is go back and prepare as best we can. These guys put their life on hold for football so they’re not going to do it for six months and just walk away at this stage.
“They’re going to put their shoulder down, take a bit of encouragement and hopefully go and give themselves a bit of a boost.
“There are other teams out there capable of playing like that. Dublin are a very good side. They’re a quality side but they won’t get it their own way.
“It’s not the foregone conclusion that a lot of people think it is. But they’re a formidable side and they will take some beating.”
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Grounds For Complaint Mick Lillis Nowlan Park Dublin Laois