Dublin 4-17
Laois 0-19
Jackie Cahill reports from O’Moore Park, Portlaoise
MARK SCHUTTE’S EARLY double goal blast helped to account for Laois in this evening’s All-Ireland senior hurling championship round 1 qualifier at O’Moore Park – but not without a fight from the hosts.
Schutte batted home from close range with just 29 seconds on the watch and was on target again in the seventh minute as Dublin roared out of the blocks.
But Laois got back level in the first half before Dublin hit back to establish a half-time lead that proved impossible to plug back.
In the end, they won comfortably by ten points, as sub David O’Callaghan put the icing on the cake with a goal in stoppage time.
Dublin kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely in the second half and did enough to ensure that their championship interest will extend by at least another week.
This fixture brought together two counties who had been demolished by Galway in the Leinster championship.
And it was Dublin, without ever hitting any major heights, who survived in the All-Ireland series from a game that saw former Allstar Liam Rushe restored to centre-back.
The main statistic sticking out from a Dublin perspective is a tally of 21 wides over the 70 minutes and long-range shooting is something the Sky Blues can focus in on training over the next week.
Dublin led by five points at half-time, 3-9 to 0-13, having survived a Laois purple patch in the opening half.
Schutte’s early strikes had Dublin seven points clear, 2-2 to 0-1, but Laois came roaring back and were back level at 0-10 to 2-4 with a string of points.
If Laois had managed to edge in front then it would have asked serious questions of Dublin as home fans were in fine voice.
But the visitors hit back with an impressive spell of their own to put some breathing space between the sides again.
Eamon Dillon was particularly good at centre forward for Dublin and Conal Keaney’s goal three minutes before the break came as a major boost for the Metropolitans.
Schutte turned provider on this occasion with a superb ball cutting in along the endline and Keaney had a relatively simple task as he drove a low shot past Eoin Reilly from ten metres.
That goal handed Dublin a six-point advantage, 3-8 to 0-11, and while Laois did manage to tack on two of the three remaining points in the first half, they had a mountain to climb after playing with the breeze in the opening half.
Dublin registered nine wides in the first half, as Laois notched eight of their own.
Scorers for Dublin: Mark Schutte 2-1, Conal Keaney 1-3, Paul Ryan 0-5 (4f), Eamon Dillon 0-4, David O’Callaghan 1-0, Shane Barrett, Johnny McCaffrey, Daire Plunkett & Ryan O’Dwyer 0-1 each.
Scorers for Laois: Zane Keenan 0-6 (5f), Willie Hyland 0-4, Charles Dwyer 0-3, Joe Fitzpatrick, Matthew Whelan, Tom Delaney, Stephen Maher, Joe Campion & Neil Foyle 0-1 each.
Dublin
1. Gary Maguire (Ballyboden SE)
2. Niall Corcoran (Kilmacud Crokes)
3. Cian O’Callaghan (Cuala)
4. Paul Schutte (Cuala)
5. Chris Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields)
6. Liam Rushe (St Patrick’s)
7. Shane Barrett (Na Fianna)
8. Johnny McCaffrey (Lucan Sarsfields)
9. Ryan O’Dwyer (Kilmacud Crokes)
10. Cian Boland (St Oliver Plunketts)
11. Eamon Dillon (Na Fionnbarra)
12. Danny Sutcliffe (St Judes)
13. Paul Ryan (Ballyboden SE)
14. Conal Keaney (Ballyboden SE)
15. Mark Schutte (Cuala)
Subs:
18. Shane Durkin (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for Barrett (temp, 52-full-time)
25. David O’Callaghan (Ballyboden St Endas) for Boland (61)
24. David Treacy (Cuala) for Ryan (70)
22. Daire Plunkett (St Brigid’s) for Sutcliffe (70+1).
Laois
1. Eoin Reilly (St Lazerian’s Abbeyleix)
17. Patrick Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
3. Cahir Healy (Portlaoise)
4. Brian Stapleton (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
5. Joe Fitzpatrick (Rathdowney-Erril)
6. Matthew Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
7. Tom Delaney (Clough Ballacolla)
8. Dwane Palmer (Camross)
9. Patrick Purcell (Rathdowney-Erril)
10. Stephen Maher (Clough Ballacolla)
11. Zane Keenan (Camross)
12. Charles Dwyer (Ballinakill)
13. Tommy Fitzgerald (Portlaoise)
14. Willie Hyland (Clough Ballacolla)
15. Joe Campion (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
Subs:
2. John A. Delaney (Clough-Ballacolla) for Stapleton (half-time)
21. Neil Foyle (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton) for Fitzgerald (44)
20. James Walsh (Ballinakill) for Purcell (44)
22. PJ Scully (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton) for Patrick Whelan (47)
18. Ben Conroy (Slieve Bloom) for Maher (69)
Referee: Johnny Ryan (Tipperary)
