Roscommon 2-14
Laois 2-14

Kevin Egan reports at Dr Hyde Park

FOR THE PAST couple of seasons the footballers of Roscommon and Laois have operated in very different worlds. Roscommon dined with the elite in Divisions One and Two of the Allianz League, not to mention playing Super 8 football, while Laois lingered in Divisions Three and Four. Last year Laois were well-beaten by Cork in the qualifiers, a team that Roscommon went on to beat in the Super 8 series.

Both sides lost key men over the winter but even so, this was expected to be a simple first outing for the Rossies. It was anything but. They needed to use all their guile and experience to stay in touch and get their noses in front throughout the game, and then even when a late penalty goal from Enda Smith should have made their win safe, they weren’t able to close it out. A wonder goal from Evan O’Carroll and then a last-ditch equaliser from Kieran Lillis salvaged a fully-deserved league point for the O’Moore County.

For all the talk of modern tactics and innovation, it was a good old fashioned “horse it in and see what happens” kick that led to the equaliser. Ross Munnelly lobbed a free into the Roscommon penalty area and once the home side failed to control it at the first attempt, Lillis was able to seize the break and then use all his power and strength to find a half a yard of space and slam the ball to the net.

Had Michael Quirke’s side come away from this game empty-handed, they would have felt hard done by. They controlled the game in the first half, particularly at midfield where John O’Loughlin and Seán Byrne were dominant, with Kieran Lillis also alternating between roles in the centre and on the edge of the square.

Laois also made excellent use of the mark, with Lillis, O’Carroll and Colm Murphy all converting scores that way in the opening 35. Roscommon did look sharp up front when they got good possessions and both Smith brothers made a strong impact on the game, but they had to be efficient as they spent long spells of the half on the back foot, only taking the lead when a superb pass from Brian Stack put Niall Kilroy through on goal, and the Fuerty man duly applied a precise low finish to find the net.

1-7 to 0-9 at half time became 1-10 to 0-10 and it looks as if the Rossies might pull away after half time, but instead they lapsed back into some sloppy play and a series of turnovers in the Laois half of the field cost them scoring chances. Ross Munnelly came off the bench to kick off his 18th season of competitive inter-county senior football and he added two scores to keep Laois in touch, before again a run from Kilroy seemed to make the game safe.

He darted through the middle, picked up a pass from Cathal Cregg, and once Mark Timmons dragged him to the ground, it was an easy call for Ciarán Branagan to stretch his arms wide for the penalty and to give Timmons a black card.

Enda Smith blasted a perfect penalty to the net, followed up with a fine point from play, and when Hubert Darcy added a free, it was 2-13 to 0-13 to Roscommon, and that should have been that. Instead, the drama was just beginning.

Scorers for Roscommon: Enda Smith 1-2 (1-0 pen), Donie Smith 0-4 (0-2f, 0-1m), Cian McKeon 0-3 (0-2f), Niall Kilroy 1-0, Cathal Cregg, Shane Killoran, Niall Daly, Hubert Darcy (f) & Noel Gately 0-1 each.

Scorers for Laois: Evan O’Carroll 1-6 (0-2 ‘45’s, 0-1f, 0-1m), Kieran Lillis 1-3 (0-1m), Colm Murphy 0-2 (0-1m), Ross Munnelly 0-2 (0-1f, 0-1m), Michael Keogh 0-1.

Roscommon

1 Colm Lavin Éire Óg

2 David Murray Pádraig Pearses

3 Brian Stack St. Brigid’s

4 Gary Patterson Michael Glaveys

18 Pádraig Scott Tulsk Lord Edwards

5 Niall Daly Pádraig Pearses

7 Richard Hug

hes Roscommon Gaels

9 Shane Killoran Elphin

8 Tadhg O’Rourke Tulsk Lord Edwards

10 Niall Kilroy Fuerty

11 Enda Smith Boyle

12 Finbar Cregg Elphin

13 Donie Smith Boyle

14 Cian McKeon Boyle

15 Cathal Cregg Western Gaels

Subs:

20 Conor Daly (Pádraig Pearses) for Richard Hughes, 43 mins

24 Hubert Darcy (Pádraig Pearses) for Killoran, 53 mins, blood

24 Hubert Darcy (Pádraig Pearses) for F Cregg, 59 mins

22 Ciarán Lennon (Clann na nGael) for C Cregg, 62 mins

66 Noel Gately (Creggs) for D Smith, 66 mins

26 Dylan Ruane (Michael Glaveys) for O’Rourke, 70+3 mins

Laois

1 Niall Corbet Clonaslee St. Manman’s

2 Trevor Collins Graiguecullen

3 Mark Timmons Graiguecullen

4 Gearóid Hanrahan Mountmellick

5 Seán O’Flynn Courtwood

17 Robert Pigott Stradbally

7 Patrick O’Sullivan Portarlington

14 Kieran Lillis Portlaoise

8 John O’Loughlin Rosenallis

9 Seán Byrne Portarlington

13 Mark Barry O’Dempseys

12 Eoin Lowry Killeshin

10 Michael Keogh St. Joseph’s

11 Colm Murphy Portarlington

15 Evan O’Carroll Crettyard

Subs:

24 Cahir Healy (Portlaoise) for Collins, 46 mins

18 Ross Munnelly (Arles-Kilcruise) for Murphy, 49 mins)

25 Damien O’Connor (Timahoe) for Keogh, 49 mins

26 Gary Walsh (Ballylinan) for O’Loughlin, 53 mins

20 Garry Comerford (Ballincollig, Cork), for Lowry, 66 mins

21 Brian Byrne (Graiguecullen) for Barry, 70 mins

Referee: Ciarán Branagan (Down)

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