Laois 2-27
Antrim 2-21
LAOIS HAVE BOOKED their place in the qualifiers of the All-Ireland SHC after holding off the challenge of Antrim in a thrilling All-Ireland SHC preliminary round at Parnell Park.
The result also sees Antrim suffer relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup.
There was plenty of drama as both sides controlled patches of the game, while Laois were briefly reduced to 13 men after Seán Downey was sin-binned and Ross King was dismissed with two yellow cards.
Antrim rallied from 10 points down at the break, and even brought the difference back to two points at one stage, with Eoin O’Neill bagging a brace of goals. But Laois’s Paddy Purcell also helped himself to two goals as his side overcame their numerical disadvantage to put their name in the hat for the draw on Monday morning.
Séamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s took command of the pace in the first half, building up a 0-16 to 0-9 lead before Purcell struck for a goal in the 33rd minute.
Ciarán Collier popped over another score before the break to put the Leinster outfit in the ascendancy.
Meanwhile, Antrim were struggling to catch fire as Ciarán Clarke lead the scoring charge for the Saffrons while Neil McManus, Conal Cunning and Jams McNaughton all found their range in the opening half.
McNaughton gave Antrim a promising start to the second half when he converted a free from distance, only for PJ Scully to respond in kind for Laois with an impressive sideline cut.
The sides then traded points before O’Neill injected life into Antrim’s cause with the first of his two goals in the 43rd minute to reduce the gap to six points.
That score gave Antrim a major boost as Conor Johnston was awarded a penalty after referee Seán Cleere deemed that he was denied a goal-scoring opportunity. Laois were also reduced to 14 men as Seán Downey was sent to the sin-bin.
However, McManus failed to connect effectively with his effort as Laois goalkeeper Enda Rowland got his stick behind the shot.
Laois were dealt another blow in the 49th minute when Ross King was dismissed with a second yellow card, leaving his side briefly with 13 players on the pitch as Clarke pointed to leave five between the sides.
With 52 minutes on the clock, O’Neill stepped forward to grab his second goal of the afternoon after sweeping the ball home along the ground from outside the post before the second water break.
Jack Kelly slotted over a much-needed point for Laois after the resumption to extend their lead to three points.
Scully brought his tally up to 0-10 with a free from midfield before Willie Dunphy rattled off their third score without reply to make it 1-24 to 2-16.
Purcell then collected his second goal after pouncing on loose possession in the Antrim defence before firing his shot into the roof of the net just before the hour mark.
The final 10 minutes were frantic as O’Neill tried to weave through the Laois cover in the search for his hat-trick but was hauled down in a dangerous position. On this occasion however, the referee considered this to be just a free.
Two more Antrim points followed from McManus and Keelan Molloy to set-up a tense drive to the final whistle.
The Ulster side hunted for goals but couldn’t squeeze through the Laois wall as Cha Dwyer swept over a monstrous point to ensure there was no way back for Antrim.
Joe McDonagh Cup Round 3
— Westmeath GAA (@westmeath_gaa) July 10, 2021
Full-Time
Westmeath 2-19
Kildare 1-21
A last gasp point from Derek McNicholas & goals from Ciaran Doyle & Niall Mitchell secure our place in the 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup Final at Croke Park next Saturday 🇶🇦🇶🇦#iarmhiabu#westmeathgaa#maroonandwhitearmy
There was also lots of action in the Joe McDonagh Cup today.
In Group A, Westmeath edged out a tight encounter with Kildare, winning by a slim one-point margin to progress to the final.
Derek McNicholas struck for a late winning point to secure a 2-19 to 1-21 victory and send his side through to the decider at Croke Park next Saturday.
A Ciarán Doyle goal was the difference between the sides at half-time before Niall Mitchell also hit the net in the 52nd minute to push Westmeath into a 2-12 to 0-14 lead.
But Kildare mustered a strong response as Kildare added another five points, including three from the stick of Jack Sheridan to bring the sides level.
McNicholas then ensured that Westmeath would have the final say as he landed the decisive score to book their spot in the final.
In Group B of the Joe McDonagh Cup, Meath edged out Kerry by 0-28 to 1-21 but the Kingdom will still progress to the decider against Westmeath on account of their superior scoring difference.
Along with Down, all three teams finished on two points each after two games but Kerry finished on top having scored a higher number of goals throughout the campaign.
However, a late point from Padraig Boyle was crucial for Kerry as it meant they lost by four points. A five-point defeat would have put Down through to next weekend’s final.
Jack Regan posted 0-11 for the winners and Patrick Conneely chipped in with six points for Meath, while Kerry’s Cian Hussey grabbed the only goal of the game in the first half.
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