Minors provide solace for Laois

Leinster MFC Final/Laois 3-8 Carlow 1-12:Carlow may yet have a say in the All-Ireland minor football championship. Utterly outplayed in what seemed destined to be a cruel second visit to Croke Park, they worked hard to recover from a nine-point interval deficit to enter injury-time needing a goal to claim their first Leinster title. Alas, it never came as Laois pulled 14 players behind the ball as they resisted Carlow's last brave assault.

After eight minutes it seemed like a non-event. Laois full forward Conor Meredith gathered, side-stepped two opponents before shooting low to the net. This was followed soon after by a fine point from wing back Zac Tuohy.

Carlow were equal in the gathering of points but referee Seán Carroll awarded Laois a penalty after 21 minutes when Eddie Kelly was fouled by Daniel St Ledger. Meredith rolled the ball into the left corner.

Carlow were dazed, desperately seeking a chance to regroup but it didn't come before Meredith bagged his hat-trick. The response was a fine free from St Ledger.

The captain continued to keep them ticking over with two more frees, in contrast to his team-mates who rattled up 11 wides, but it took a 47th-minute goal from substitute Jordan Lowry to make it a genuinely competitive game.

Full back Alan Callinan supplied Denis Murphy, who hit the crossbar but the ball rebounded kindly for Lowry to finish. Four-point game.

David Kinsella spurned the next goal chance after great build-up play by Gary Nolan and Brendan Murphy, the latter eventually kicked a point.

That missed opportunity, along with Laois only registering three points in the second half, nearly provided the most unlikely of champions.

Granted, Laois took their foot off the pedal but this must be deemed the strongest Carlow team in a generation. At least they get another chance against Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

LAOIS: M Webster; R Kehoe, J Mulhare, J O'Connor; K Lillis, C Boyle, Z Tuohy (0-1); S Ramsbottom (capt), J O'Loughlin (0-2); K Farrell, D Kingston (0-2), B Smith (0-2); J Doyle, C Meredith (3-1, 1-0 penalty), E Kelly. Subs: I Whelan for K Farrell (20 mins), C O'Shea for M Webster (38 mins), S Miller for B Smith (45 mins), D Lowry for S Ramsbottom (53 mins).

CARLOW: P Hughes; BJ Molloy, A Callinan, S McInerney; S Redmond, D St Ledger (capt, 0-3, three frees), G Nolan; B Murphy (0-2), M Clowry; D Kinsella, D Murphy 0-3, two frees), J Roberts; B O'Connor, C Murphy, C Mullins (0-3, two frees). Subs: J Lowry (1-0) for C Murphjy (half-time), M Morrissey (0-1) for B O'Connor (40 mins), A Corcoran for D Kinsella (54 mins).

Referee: S Carroll (Westmeath).