Dublin dominated their Leinster Championship quarter-final clash against Laois, finishing with a commanding 4-30 to 0-15 victory.
First-half masterclass
Dessie Farrell’s men got off to a slow start with Laois opening the scoring via Paul Kingston. However, Dublin quickly took control of the match with Con O’Callaghan and Paul Mannion putting them ahead, and two quick goals scored by Sean O’Callaghan and Colm Basquel.
Dublin continued to extend their lead with points from Brian Fenton and Mannion. Laois managed three points in a row, but their scoring chances ended with Mark Timmons’ point in the 16th minute.
Dublin added more points with O’Callaghan and Basquel, and a third goal was conceded by Laois when Lee Gannon scored after a pass from Colm Basquel. Ciaran Kilkenny finished the first half with 1-1 to leave Dublin 4-15 to 0-4 ahead at half time.
Laois stage a brief comeback
Laois made two changes at half time and moved Mark Timmons back as a sweeper. Although O’Callaghan took his tally to 1-5 for the day when play resumed, Laois ended their 22-minute scoring drought with marks from Paul Kingston and Eoin Lowry.
Dublin’s Colm Basquel kicked their 17th point, but then Laois struck for two goals in a three-minute spell. The first came when Evan O’Carroll scored, and Lowry followed with a second goal after a pass from Paul Kingston.
Dublin’s second-half response
Dublin did not panic and recovered from that set back by kicking the next eight points in a row. Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler, Con O’Callaghan, Brian Fenton, and sub Dean Rock all scored as Dublin regained control of the game.
Laois went another 18 minutes after Lowry’s goal without a score before Evan O’Carroll kicked a mark in the 63rd minute. Dublin continued to score and hit the 30-point mark before the end of the match, ending Laois’s interest in the Leinster Championship.
Looking ahead
Dublin will continue their quest for 13 Leinster titles in a row when they face Kildare in the semi-final. Despite their comfortable win over Laois, Dublin will need to maintain their form against Kildare to secure a place in the final.
Scorers for Dublin: Con O’Callaghan 1-7 (two marks, one free), Colm Basquel 1-5, Ciaran Kilkenny 1-4, Dean Rock 0-3, Brian Fenton 0-3, Paul Mannion 0-3 (one free), Lee Gannon 1-0, Ross McGarry 0-2, Sean Bugler 0-1, Cian Murphy 0-1, Brian Howard 0-1
Scorers for Laois: Eoin Lowry 2-1 (one mark), Paul Kingston 0-3 (one free, one mark), Evan O’Carroll 0-2 (one mark, one free), Mark Barry 0-1, Mark Timmons 0-1
Dublin: David O’Hanlon; David Byrne, Daire Newcombe, Sean McMahon; Cian Murphy, Jack McCaffrey, Lee Gannon; Brian Fenton, James McCarthy; Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler, Ross McGarry; Paul Mannion, Con O’Callaghan, Colm Basquel.
Subs: Brian Howard for McCarthy (HT), Eoin Murchan for McCaffrey (45), Cormac Costello for O’Callaghan (54), Dean Rock for Mannion (57), Craig Dias for Fenton (62).
Laois: Scott Osborne; Sean Greene, Trevor Collins, Robbie Pigott; Sean O’Flynn, Mark Timmons, Padraig Kirwan; Kieran Lillis, Damon Larkin; Kevin Swayne, Paul Kingston, Paddy O’Sullivan; Eoin Lowry, Evan O’Carroll, Mark Barry.
Subs: Seamus Lacey for Greene and Dylan Kavanagh for Pigott (both ht), Colm Murphy for Barry (48), James Finn for Swayne (54), Alex Mohan for O’Flynn (63).
