Laois 1-09 Dublin 1-14:Dublin survived a late scare in Portlaoise tonight before running out comfortable winners in Division One of the Allianz Football League. The All-Ireland champions' first points of the season came after some encouraging performances from fringe players, most notably Eoghan O'Gara.
In scintillating form for DCU in the Sigerson Cup, he maintained the momentum tonight with a barnstorming display that yielded 1-5, all from play, with the goal settling the match in injury time.
It capped a second half in which Dublin had been conspicuously better but a slightly bizarre goal, curled around Dublin’s reserve goalkeeper Michael Savage, who otherwise had a very steady match, by Ross Munnelly in the 64th minute ensured an exciting conclusion.
On an awful night played in relentless rain both teams played well enough to provide an engrossing and entertaining opening half. It was, in the words of the cliché, ‘end to end’ stuff with the ball moved quickly and expertly out of defence to provide shooting opportunities at the other end.
Dublin can’t have been happy with how easily their opponents managed to find free men on the end of frequently intricate passing movement and during a purple passage leading up to the 10th minute, the home side struck for three points from Munnelly, twice, and Pádraig Clancy who posed early menace to Dublin.
In fact, Laois will regret the chances they missed by dropping ball short into the capable hands of Savage, who despite the conditions was assured under the high ball.
Dublin recovered and reeled off three points to equalise by the end of the first quarter. Tomás Quinn struck first and Diarmuid Connolly followed up with two fine points, the second from way over on the left wing, and he finished the night with five, all but one from play. The Dubs came close to a goal in the 22nd minute when Paul Brogan rushed onto a cross but hadn’t the space to do anything except bundle the ball wide.
In the battle of the in-form full forwards, O’Gara was coming out on top, as the Dublin defence and Rory O’Carroll combined to stop Clancy from getting under the ball fired in his direction.
O’Gara moved well for the ball, distributed accurately, and took two points before the break for a half-time lead of 0-7 to 0-6.
In the second half Dublin took over and gradually stretched the margin to six by the 62nd minute, 0-14 to 0-8, before Munnelly caused the late scare.
LAOIS: E Culliton; P O’Leary, K Lillis, C Healy; D Strong, K Meaney, C Boyle; B Quigley, J O’Loughlin; R Munnelly (1-3), C Begley (0-1), D O’Connor; P Cahillane (0-2, one free), P Clancy (0-1), B Sheehan. Subs: C Kelly (0-2 frees), for Clancy (33 mins), S Conroy for Cahillane (47 mins), J Kavanagh for O’Connor (68 mins).
DUBLIN: M Savage; P McMahon, R O’Carroll, D Daly; D Byrne, G Brennan (Capt.), C Dias; E Fennell, R McConnell; P Brogan, K McManamon, P Flynn (0-1); D Connolly (0-5, one free), E O’Gara (1-5), T Quinn (0-2, one free). Subs: B Cullen for Brogan (33 mins), A Brogan (0-1) for McManamon (54 mins),
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
NFL results
Allianz Football League Division 2
Armagh 0-11 Mayo 1-14
Laois 1-09 Dublin 1-14
Allianz Football League Division 2
Derry 0-14 Monaghan 0-08
Meath 2-11 Kildare 0-18
Allianz Football League Division 3
Antrim 2-14 Offaly 1-08
Cavan 0-14 Sligo 1-08