Dublin raise questions but provide few answers

The question of where Dublin football is heading this championship season was again asked but not fully answered in Croke Park yesterday.

The road to victory over Laois in the Leinster semi-final replay was rocky and the scoreline of 0-16 to 1-11 will hardly reassure the Dublin supporters.

Even with Laois reduced to 14 men for almost half the game, Dublin began to squander the eight-point advantage (0-13 to 0-5) they had established around the three-quarter mark. Chris Conway converted a penalty in the dying seconds to bring Laois back to within two points but it turned out to be just a little too late.

Nevertheless, Dublin manager Tommy Carr was satisfied with the result. "Laois are a quality team, no doubt about it," he said. "We're obviously happy to put them behind us." Still, with 12 wides stemming from periods of untidy and loose play, problems remain that Carr knows will be more severely punished when they return to face Meath at Croke Park for the Leinster final on Sunday week.

For Laois, the performance proves that they can become a force in Leinster. "We're still a young team and I believe we learned a lot today," said manager Tom Cribbin. "Dublin managed to get ahead of us and it was a struggle after that, but we have a lot of potential. This is not the end of the world."

Meanwhile, it's fast becoming the season of the big appetite for Cork. After starting the decade with a football and hurling double, yesterday they took another major step to achieving a similar ending.

In reclaiming the Munster football crown after a three-year absence with a comfortable 2-10 to 2-4 victory over champions Kerry, Cork again left no doubt that hunger can be the greatest motivation. Manager Larry Tompkins had only recently tasted success with the National League title but now only Mayo stand in the way of feasting at the highest level.

"I thought that for the second half we were in charge," said Tompkins. "With that the goals were inevitable."

For his counterpart and enduring rival Paidi O Se, the performance must rank as one of the most disappointing since he took over as manager four years ago. "We just never got going," was about all he could say, "but we have no excuses."

That was despite Aodhan MacGearailt plundering two goals in the first half for Kerry. Later they went 25 minutes without a score. In total, they only scored six times and that made sure that Cork were never in danger of being pressed home.