Laois keep Joe McDonagh Cup hopes alive with a thrilling victory over Antrim

Laois 2-23 

Antrim 0-22 

 LAOIS kept their Joe McDonagh Cup hopes alive with a thrilling victory over Antrim in Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday afternoon.

They suffered a tough start to the competition in Carlow a week previous but those demons were well banished by Saturday evening as they brushed Antrim and the Davy Fitzgerald circus aside.

Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher top scored for the host with fourteen points while Cillian Dunne marked his first championship start for Laois with 2-1 and Martin Phelan was also hugely impressive with his work rate up front and chipped in with two points.

Fiachra C Fennell was very impressive at the back while Ryan Mullaney also put in a good shift after transitioning back to half-back.

Antrim led at half time after an industrious first half, but they struggled to break down the Laois backs and Eoin Reilly was never under any pressure on first championship game in a decade for the county.

In the first half The Saffrons had the benefit of a breeze that grew throughout the afternoon as they hurled towards Portlaoise and Ryan McCambridge opened their account with a good score.

The wind mattered little moments later however when Mossy Keyes took the ball on a blazing run through the heart of their defence only to see his shot at goal saved and rebounded out to Cillian Dunne to mark his first championship start with a goal.

Both sides traded points with Conal Cunning and Sean Elliot on target in reply to Picky Maher and a brilliant score from Martin Phelan.

Antrim began to build up a head of steam and went two point ahead thanks to a James McNaughton brace and a brilliant effort from range by Ryan McCambridge.

Laois needed a score to slow the tide and they found it through Maher after excellent work again by Keyes, but Antrim replied on the double through Paul Boyle and Elliot.

Everything was at stake for both teams in this game and that began to show with some hard tackles flying in and battles for every second of possession.

Another excellent Phelan point geed up the hosts once more and Maher followed with a brace to take back the lead.

Keyes was again denied a goal after cutting through the middle of the Antrim defence, and Laois had to settle for a Maher 65.

A brace from McNaughton and a fine score from the right by Elliot saw Antrim back ahead as the topsy turvy nature of the contest continued further.

The pair continued to trade scores as the half progressed with Antrim always keeping their noses in front until the break.

Picky Maher added two more frees to his tally while Fiachra C Fennell and Ian Shanahan both got in on the act from deep with a good pair of scores from play.

Antrim matched them however with a trio of frees from Elliot and McNaughton while McCambridge got the score of the half with an excellent catch and turn under a high ball and Antrim led 0-15 to 1-11 at half time.

The Ulstermen struck first after the break with Eoin O’Neill on target but Laois hit back with four in a row, three from Picky and the other from his Clough-Ballacolla clubmate Cillian Dunne to take a two point lead for the first time since the second minute of the game.

Laois were beginning to apply some real pressure on the Antrim full back line with Ben Conroy forcing a good save from Cormac McFadden before the ball was eventually cleared after a couple of swipes and Keelan Molloy struck for Antrim on the break.

Mossy Keyes brought about another save from McFadden, though Maher once again slotted the 65.

Those chances awakened Antrim and they fired back with three quick scores in a row from Sean Elliot, but they wouldn’t score again for fourteen minutes and Laois went on a rampage.

Ben Conroy did excellently to keep the ball in play on the line and Keyes fired over his solitary score of the game and Maher followed with another 65.

David Dooley then pointed on the run and he was followed by subs James Keyes and Mark Dowling before the pressure ramped up when Fiachra C Fennell found Dowling with a long ball and he fed it to Dunne who hammered home his second goal of the game.

James Keyes struck again before a reply from McNaughton that was cancelled out by Maher before he was subbed off to a rapturous applause from the O’Moore Park stand.

Antrim threw everything they had at Laois in the closing minutes but the jig was up and Davy Fitzgerald’s life up north isn’t getting any easier.

SCORERS:

Laois: Picky Maher 0-14 (0-8fs, 0-3 65s), Cillian Dunne 2-1, Martin Phelan and James Keyes 0-2 each, Tomas Keyes, Ian Shanahan, Fiachra C-Fennell, David Dooley and Mark Dowling 0-1 each.

Antrim: Sean Elliott 0-9 (0-7fs), James McNaughton 0-6 (0-3s), Ryan McCambridge 0-3, Conal Cunning, Paul Boyle, Jack McCloskey and Eoin O’Neill 0-1 each.

LAOIS: Eoin Reilly; Ian Shanahan, Podge Delaney, Lee Cleere; Ciaran McEvoy, Fiachra C Fennell, Ryan Mullaney; David Dooley, Aidan Corby; Picky Maher, Tomas Keyes, Aaron Dunphy; Martin Phelan, Ben Conroy, Cillian Dunne.

Subs: Gearoid Lynch for Corby (ht), James Keyes for Dunphy (50m), Mark Dowling for Conroy (58m), Jack Kelly for Dunne (66m), Cormac Byrne for Maher (69m).

ANTRIM: Cormac McFadden; Ryan McNulty, Paddy Burke, Stephen Rooney; Oisin Donnelly, Niall O’Connor, Joe Maskey; Eoin O’Neill, Paul Boyle; Keelan Molloy, Ryan McCambridge, Conal Cunning; James McNaughton, Ruairi Donaghy, Sean Elliott.

Subs: Conal Bohill for Donaghy (42m), Conor Johnston for O’Neill (46m), Jack McCloskey for Boyle (62m), Ruairi McCormack for McNulty (65m), Joseph McLoughlin for Elliott (66m).

Referee: Caymon Flynn (Westmeath)