Leinster SFC: Laois cruise to victory

Leinster Senior Football Championship Round One

Laois 3-12 Offaly 0-12

By Kevin Egan at Glenisk O'Connor Park

Laois are up and running in the Leinster SFC and will go to Newbridge with a spring in their step after they were surprisingly comfortable in a one-sided game against Offaly.

The faint green shoots of recovery that were on display from Offaly in the latter stages of the league were nowhere to be seen tonight.

Goals from Kevin Swayne, Ciarán Burke, and Simon Fingleton were the difference on the scoreboard at the end of the game, but Offaly could easily have shipped as many again, only for a heroic display from goalkeeper Conor Melia.

Right from the start, there was a lack of conviction at the heart of the Offaly defence and Laois didn’t need to be asked twice to take advantage. An early point from Rioghan Murphy was followed by a two-point attempt from Evan O’Carroll that crashed back into play off the post and was touched to the net by Kevin Swayne, who was stronger under the dropping ball.

A simple handpassing move opened up Offaly again and allowed Ciarán Burke to add a simple finish for a second goal in the ninth minute, and while Offaly settled into the contest from there with several good turnover wins and scores from Keith O’Neill and Dylan Hyland, Evan O’Carroll continued to threaten at the other end, kicking four of his five points in the opening 35 minutes.

In front of 2,841 supporters, impacted heavily by blockades and the fuel crisis, Offaly still weren’t without hope at half-time, 2-7 to 0-8 adrift. That was in no small part due to Melia, who delivered crucial saves to deny Swayne and O’Carroll from goal attempts.

The goalkeeper also blocked two more Laois efforts in the second half and was in good form from restarts, but he had no chance however when Simon Fingleton found himself on his own on the edge of the small square shortly after half-time, and Brian Byrne was able to dink a short pass into the wing-back, who was as shocked as anyone in O’Connor Park when he was able to turn and slam the ball to the roof of the net.

Laois went 21 minutes without scoring after moving nine clear, but Offaly never seemed to be able to muster up any attacking momentum and scored just four times in the second half from nearly a dozen attempts.

Diarmuid Egan’s goal effort that was fizzed over the bar and a Jordan Hayes two-point attempt that flew narrowly wide were crucial missed opportunities and once those final hammer blows landed, the dam eventually broke.

Offaly had spent the second half pushing up and chasing the game and their strong showing in the tackle meant that the Laois forwards had been starved of ball for long stretches. Once a couple of breakaway moves gave them attacking platforms in open space, substitutes Pa Kirwan and Paul Kingston kicked three late points to really hammer home their dominance and send them to Newbridge with a spring in their step.

Scorers for Laois: Evan O’Carroll 0-5, Kevin Swayne 1-0, Ciarán Burke 1-0, Simon Fingleton 1-0, Paul Kingston 0-2 (1f), Ronan Coffey 0-2, Rioghan Murphy 0-1, Robert Tyrrell 0-1, Pa Kirwan 0-1.

Scorers for Offaly: Dylan Hyland 0-5 (1tpf, 1 45, 1f), Keith O’Neill 0-2, Cormac Egan 0-1, Jordan Hayes 0-1, Diarmuid Egan 0-1, Harry Plunkett 0-1, Marcas Dalton 0-1.

Laois: Killian Roche; Jack Lacey, Trevor Collins, Alex Mohan; Paddy O'Sullivan, Simon Fingleton, Brian Byrne; Conor Heffernan, Rob Tyrell; Kevin Swayne, Ronan Coffey, Rioghan Murphy; Daragh Galvin, Ciaran Burke, Evan O'Carroll

Subs: Paul Kingston for Galvin (half-time), Pa Kirwan for Coffey (55), Aaron McEvoy for O’Sullivan (61), Niall Corbet for Swayne (61), Mikie Dempsey for Tyrrell (62).

Offaly: Conor Melia; David Dempsey, Aidan Bracken, Shane O’Toole Greene; Cormac Egan, Diarmuid Egan, Lee Pearson; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Rory Egan, Keith O’Neill, Daire McDaid; Dylan Hyland, Shane Tierney, Darragh Flynn.

Subs: Marcas Dalton for Bracken (half-time), Harry Plunkett for Tierney (43), Jack Bryant for Flynn (43), Kyle Higgins for McDaid (52), Conor Dunican for C Egan (67).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).