Laois minors exit Leinster championship after Meath mauling

Leinster Minor Football Championship Group 1 Rd 2 

Meath 6-22 

Laois 0-7 

LAOIS minor footballers’ Leinster campaign came to a halt on Tuesday evening as they lost out to Meath by 33 points condemning them to the All-Ireland Tier 3 championship for the third year running.

Meath were far too good for Laois from the outset and hammered the home side to reach the Leinster quarterfinals.

Laois couldn't get to grips of the pace and intensity that Meath possessed and that was the big real difference between the sides.

Milo Stafford opened the scoring for Meath through a lovely point. Laois did respond with two points of their own but that was as good as it got for the home side.

Meath would go on to crash four goals in the half. The first coming through Harry McGuirk who followed his goal up with another point.

Thomas McKeever then added another point for Meath before the second goal arrived and it was a long way back at an early stage. Conn Brennan would make no mistake in beating the keeper, Michael Dowling.

Laois did reply with a point from Cian Murphy but Meath were now in full flow. McGuirk added a two pointer which sparked a scoring blitz for Meath.

Cormac Walsh got a brace while Conn Brennan added another point for his side. Goal number three soon followed through Cormac Walsh and the game was well and truly over.

The fourth goal came straight after the third through Conn Brennan and Laois looked out of ideas.

Milo Stafford, McKeever and Walsh all added points before half time. Sean Maree did respond before half time to leave the scores at 4-12 to 0-4 to Meath.

It was a case of damage limitation in the second half and unfortunately for Laois there was no let up from Meath.

Harry McGuirk got the scoreboard up and running in the second half with a brilliant point. The fifth goal of the game in the next attack with Thomas McKeever adding a goal to his name.

They would kick a further 1-5 without reply with Stafford getting a brace, before McGuirk adding his second goal and Meath's sixth and final goal.

To be fair to Laois they stayed battling away and kicked the next three points including a two pointer from Fionnan Brennan and Eoghan Harris getting the other.

Meath kicked on again and finished the match strongly. They kicked the last five points with Walsh who got three of them while McGuirk and Milo Stafford got the others as Meath ran out easy winners.

Laois now go into the All-Ireland Tier 3 championship again with Meath booking their place into the Leinster quarter-final.

Teams that are eliminated from the early stages of the provincial minor championships qualify for this championship. 13 teams currently participate. The All-Ireland Championship is played on a straight knockout basis with the eventual winner team receiving the Séamus Heaney Cup.

SCORERS:

Meath: Harry McGuirk 2-5 (1 tp), Cormac Walsh 1-6 (0-2fs), Conn Brennan 2-2, Milo Stafford 0-6 (0-1 45, 0-1f), Thomas McKeever 1-2, Niall Smyth 0-1.

Laois: Fionnan Brennan 0-3 (1 tp, 0-1f), Will Craig, Cian Murphy, Sean Maree and Eoghan Harris 0-1 each.

MEATH: Cormac Fitzsimons; Ben Browne, Tomas Clarke, Niall Rogan; Liam O'Donoghue, Harry McGuirk, Niall Smyth; John Killoran, Thomas Proudfoot; Cormac McKenna, Conn Brennan, Alex Keane; Cormac Walsh, Milo Stafford, Thomas McKeever.

Subs: Dillion Glynn for Browne (42m), Tomas Dillon for McKeever (45m), Harris Moffat for McGuirk (55m).

LAOIS: Michael Dowling (Crettyard); Oran Langton (Barrowhouse), Dan Downey (Park-Ratheniska). Darragh Brennan (Crettyard); Oisin Gilligan (Ballyfin), Fionnan Brennan (Crettyard), Will McGrath (Arles-Killeen); Will Craig (O'Dempsey’s), Cillian Hoey (Portarlington); David Timmons (Portlaoise), Tom Lawler (Graiguecullen), Cian Murphy (St Joseph's); Sean Maree (Emo), Aaron Mackey (Arles-Killeen), Eoghan Harris (Arles-Killeen).

Subs: Ethan Neilon (O'Dempsey's) for Darragh Brennan (29m), Dale Heffernan (Killeshin) for Hoey (45m), Mikey Hand (Graiguecullen) for Maree (45m).

Referee: Lar Murphy (Carlow)