Laois knock the wind out of Dublin's sails

NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE/Division 1 A - Dublin ... 1-8 Laois ... 3-14: Two teams came to Parnell Park yesterday, each looking to consolidate recent progress. One team strode on; the other was left on the seat of its pants. At least it was private as Laois took Dublin's new-found hurling confidence and knocked it into a cocked hat.

Less than 2,000 supporters were there on a pet afternoon. Perhaps they sensed the imminence of something awful.

Afterwards in the search for small good things to take away from the wreckage, Marty Morris, the Dublin manager, could point to the fact that his side had eight wides in the opening 12 minutes. Had they gone over, who knows?

The point isn't moot, however. Not for a side that scores one point from play in 70 minutes.

This was a poor game that Laois won at a canter. They scored three goals in as many minutes in the second half, accelerating a process of dominance that had begun midway through the first half when they realised they were playing a rather anaemic opposition.

That each of Dublin's goals came from basic errors of defending will worry the home side more than the visitors. That Dublin started without Conal Keaney and then had to accept a limited contribution from him will trouble the management. Keaney has a calf strain but it was hoped Keaney Lite would be sufficient to rescue his side. Never happened.

Conditions were mixed for hurling. The weather was perfect and almost windless. The Parnell Park pitch has some rucks and bumps you could lose a car in. No surprise then that the match never reached decent quality.

Dublin, with Shane Martin on at midfield instead of Keaney, started the match well, but as wide followed wide the confidence began seeping away.

Dublin were still competing at this stage but with little of the zeal or self-belief they brought to Dungarvan last week. Ball to the full-forward line was sporadic and of poor quality and in midfield Keaney's absence was being felt sorely.

Laois were better but not by a lot. Two basement teams having an off-day. The sole highlight in the opening 20 minutes was a fine score from Laois midfielder James Young.

Dublin subsisted on the excellence of Mossy McGrane's free-taking and some desperate defending from their half-back line in particular. After 26 minutes, however, they bowed to the inevitable. Morris asked Conal Keaney could he go in and do something, anything.

Keaney came in at wing forward. A minute later Dublin won a penalty when the swinging got a little wild under a McGrane 65. Keaney drove it home, his fourth penalty goal of the campaign and his fifth in all (Dublin have only scored six).

Dublin stapled on two more frees from McGrane and conceded one to Young. They went to the break leading by two points and thinking possibly things could get better.

Not so. It was tit for tat for 20 minutes or so in the second half. Tit for tat but less exciting. A pattern was emerging, however. Dublin's forwards were suffocating. Laois's Paul Tynan was becoming an increasing threat at full forward. Fittingly he scored Laois's 10th point to restore their lead.

Meanwhile, there was a sense of something creaking and wrong in the Dublin full-back line. Suddenly the roof fell in.

In the 22nd minute Enda Maher found a tapped-down ball coming straight towards him. He pulled first time. Swoosh! Goal. Ninety seconds later Michael Dunphy had a similar experience. Pow! Goal.

And then in the 24th minute, with the Dublin bench still scratching their heads, Fionan O'Sullivan bagged another soft one. Goal. There and then they should have given the manager of the month award to Paudie O'Neill. All three goalscorers were substitutes.

Not that Dublin's own substitutes didn't have an impact. Keaney improved things despite his injury. John McGuirk, in at half forward in the second half, scored Dublin's only point from play with seven minutes left in the game. Hardly enough to make him undroppable though.

Generally the second half was one long distress call from Dublin.

Laois had bigger, more powerful hurlers and they were obviously smarting a little from their Walsh Cup semi-final loss before Christmas.

The engine room of their dominance was midfield, where James Young had an outstanding game. The half-back line impressed also, especially Cyril Cuddy on the right.

Towards the end of the game, with Dublin wounded, Laois were even able to express themselves a little and Liam Tynan polished off a good performance with two lovely points.

For Dublin, next week's match with Kilkenny now assumes huge importance. The news for them in the run-up to that occasion is bad, however. Keaney seems likely either not to be fit or to throw in his lot with the under-21 footballers.

The evidence of what his diminished influence does to this team was everywhere to see yesterday.

DUBLIN: G Ryan; C Wilson, L O'Donoghue, C Meehan; K Wilson, S Perkins, S Hiney; S Martin, D Sweeney; T Moore, L Ryan, S McDonnell; T McGrane (0-6, 6 frees), P McDonald, K Flynn. Subs: C Keaney (1-1, 1-0 pen, 0-1, free) for Moore (27 mins) K O'Donoghue for McDonald (42 mins), J McGuirk (0-1) for McDonnell (45 mins) K Elliot for Martin (50 mins).

LAOIS: J Lyons; L Mahon, P Cuddy, T Phelan; C Cuddy, P Cuddy, M McEvoy; J Young (0-5, 3 frees), D Cuddy (0-2 2 frees); J Phelan, M Rooney, P Mahon (0-1); B McCormack, L Tynan (0-4), T Fitzgerald (0-1). Subs: E Maher (1-0) for D Cuddy (35 mins), F O'Sullivan (1-1) for McCormack (41 mins) M Dunphy (1-0) for Rooney (46 mins) O Bergin for Fitzgerald (66 mins).

Referee: G Devlin (Armagh).