ROSS MUNNELLY SHOT an impressive nine points to book Laois a glamour Leinster SFC quarter-final clash with holders Dublin.
A storming second-half display from Laois that yielded six points without reply at one stage secured their place in the June 8 Croke Park tie.
But Tomas O Flatharta will demand a much improved performance from his side who trailed the Division 4 outfit with less than half an hour remaining.
The 2003 provincial winners ultimately retained too much attacking quality for plucky Wicklow to deal with though.
Munnelly and Donie Kingston shot 15 points between them overall while Evan Costello proved a useful substitute, winning two frees that were converted at an important stage.
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It was far from convincing though and Harry Murphy’s Wicklow looked in a strong position with 40 minutes on the clock when they held a two-point lead.
A Paul Cunningham goal just before half-time for Wicklow left the sides level at the break, 1-5 to 0-8.
Seanie Furlong was in fine form at full-back and contributed directly to 1-2 of Wicklow’s first-half tally.
Furlong’s third point of the game and one from Rory Finn gave Wicklow a two-point advantage.
But Laois finally found their feet to register an impressive 13 points in the final 27 minutes of the game to win with some to spare.
John O’Loughlin was powerful at midfield, inspiring a burst of scoring with back to back points that were followed by scores from Munnelly and Kingston.
All poor Wicklow could muster late on was consolation scores from Leighton Glynn, Furlong and Finn as they faced up a Round 1A qualifier tie on June 21.
Scorers for Laois: Ross Munnelly 0-9 (0-5f), Donie Kingston 0-6 (0-4f), John O’Loughlin 0-3, Darren Strong 0-2 (0-1 45), Kevin Meaney 0-1.
Scorers for Wicklow: Seanie Furlong 0-4 (0-4f), Paul Cunningham 1-0, Rory Finn 0-3, Leighton Glynn 0-3 (0-2f), Conor McGraynor 0-1.
LAOIS: Graham Brody; Padraig McMahon, Paul Begley, Peter O’Leary; Darren Strong, Stephen Attride, Robbie Kehoe; Kevin Meaney, John O’Loughlin; James Finn, Conor Meredith, Billy Sheehan; Donie Kingston, Ross Munnelly, David Conway.
Subs: Evan Costello for Finn h/t, Evan O’Carroll for Conway 57, Paul Kingston for D Kingston (71).
WICKLOW: Robert Lambert; Paul McLoughlin, Alan Byrne, Aaron Murphy; Dean Healy, Patrick McWalter, Kevin Murphy; James Stafford, Anthony McLoughlin; Rory Finn, Mark Kenny, Darren Hayden; Leighton Glynn, Seanie Furlong, Paul Furlong.
Subs: Conor McGraynor for Kenny (44), Paddy Dalton for Cunningham (54), Niall Gaffney for Hayden (67).
Magnificent Munnelly sees Laois past Wicklow in Leinster SFC
Laois 0-21
Wicklow 1-11
ROSS MUNNELLY SHOT an impressive nine points to book Laois a glamour Leinster SFC quarter-final clash with holders Dublin.
A storming second-half display from Laois that yielded six points without reply at one stage secured their place in the June 8 Croke Park tie.
But Tomas O Flatharta will demand a much improved performance from his side who trailed the Division 4 outfit with less than half an hour remaining.
The 2003 provincial winners ultimately retained too much attacking quality for plucky Wicklow to deal with though.
Munnelly and Donie Kingston shot 15 points between them overall while Evan Costello proved a useful substitute, winning two frees that were converted at an important stage.
It was far from convincing though and Harry Murphy’s Wicklow looked in a strong position with 40 minutes on the clock when they held a two-point lead.
A Paul Cunningham goal just before half-time for Wicklow left the sides level at the break, 1-5 to 0-8.
Seanie Furlong was in fine form at full-back and contributed directly to 1-2 of Wicklow’s first-half tally.
Furlong’s third point of the game and one from Rory Finn gave Wicklow a two-point advantage.
But Laois finally found their feet to register an impressive 13 points in the final 27 minutes of the game to win with some to spare.
John O’Loughlin was powerful at midfield, inspiring a burst of scoring with back to back points that were followed by scores from Munnelly and Kingston.
All poor Wicklow could muster late on was consolation scores from Leighton Glynn, Furlong and Finn as they faced up a Round 1A qualifier tie on June 21.
LAOIS: Graham Brody; Padraig McMahon, Paul Begley, Peter O’Leary; Darren Strong, Stephen Attride, Robbie Kehoe; Kevin Meaney, John O’Loughlin; James Finn, Conor Meredith, Billy Sheehan; Donie Kingston, Ross Munnelly, David Conway.
Subs: Evan Costello for Finn h/t, Evan O’Carroll for Conway 57, Paul Kingston for D Kingston (71).
WICKLOW: Robert Lambert; Paul McLoughlin, Alan Byrne, Aaron Murphy; Dean Healy, Patrick McWalter, Kevin Murphy; James Stafford, Anthony McLoughlin; Rory Finn, Mark Kenny, Darren Hayden; Leighton Glynn, Seanie Furlong, Paul Furlong.
Subs: Conor McGraynor for Kenny (44), Paddy Dalton for Cunningham (54), Niall Gaffney for Hayden (67).
Referee: Rory Hickey (Clare).
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Aughrim All-Ireland Senior FC Leinster SFC GAA Laois Wicklow Value for Munnelly