O'Byrne Cup/ Laois 1-11 Kildare 0-7: All O'Byrne Cup reportage is a fine line between honest scrutiny and over interpretation. Laois looked fit and hungry yesterday and in the end easily beat a stale and ragged looking Kildare.
That's the honest scrutiny out of the way, and at the risk of over interpretation Laois also appeared fired-up and well loaded for the year ahead, while Kildare appeared stagnant and somewhat disinterested.
There's nothing won on the first Sunday in January but if the race for 2007 silverware officially starts here then Laois are up and running, and Kildare still stuck in the starting blocks.
Around 2,000 showed up at a rainy and windswept Portarlington and most of those were favouring Laois. Kildare's once enviable support seems to be waning and if that is any sign of the year ahead then perhaps they aren't going anywhere fast.
It probably didn't help that Kildare manager John Crofton was last week calling time on the O'Byrne Cup, saying he'd prefer to stick to the training field right now. That's where Kildare will need to spend a lot more time in the weeks and months ahead if they're to make any impression on the league and championship.
For Laois, the first hurdle of the new season was cleared with ease and a little style. All six starting forwards scored and at midfield Padraic Clancy was a constant reminder of the talent within the panel. Their defence was built around newcomers yet comfortably dealt with the best Kildare could produce, and late appearances by Greg Ramsbottom and Colm Parkinson was a reminder of their enduring depth.
It was also their first competitive outing in the post Mick O'Dwyer-era and the new Liam Kearns-era. It could be because they're both Kerry men but so far the transition appears seamless, with Kearns' Laois playing with all the traits as the O'Dwyer Laois - smooth, free-flowing football based on a high level of fitness.
"Yeah, given the conditions, I was happy with the way they played," said Kearns afterwards. "It was a good competitive match. We'd had a hard week's training before it, and we used most of our panel as well. We've 13 backs at the moment. Seven of them were out, and six were playing, and in fairness they all acquitted themselves well. I thought the whole back line was excellent.
"But there's good hunger there as well. Since I came in I have been asking them to do plenty, and they have been doing it without question."
Their reward for this victory is a quarter-final tie against Louth on Sunday, again with home advantage. This came without the services of such established players as Fergal Byron, Tom Kelly, Joe Higgins, Aidan Fennelly, Donie Brennan and Beano McDonald, and yet Kearns is quite happy with that range of options at this stage.
"We've Louth next, yeah, and we'll learn a little more there," he added. "There were still some great scores out there in poor conditions. But then lads are playing for places. We've 38 in the panel and have to take a few off before the league."
Among those sure to be pressing for a place in the weeks ahead are defenders Rory Stapleton, Niall Donogher and Peter O'Leary, and forwards David Murphy and Michael Tierney - both of whom chipped in with two points each.
The score of the match was finished by full forward Brian McCormack, who caught Clancy's brilliantly placed pass from the halfway line, and sweetly left-footed into the net. That put Laois 1-1 to 0-2 in front, with 18 minutes played, and from there until the end they merely underlined their superiority.
Kildare were just three points adrift early in the second half when Andrew McAndrew hit a point but Laois then hit 0-4 without reply, including two easy scores for Gary Kavanagh, and a class point from McCormack. Kildare went 16 minutes without a score as their wide count mounted (nine in the end) and they would have fallen even further behind had full back David Lyons not bravely stopped an otherwise certain goal for Parkinson.
Crofton used all five subs in the end - including Dermot Earley - but none of them had the desired effect. Except for one fine goal effort from McAndrew in the first half Kildare's forward play never threatened.
LAOIS: M Nolan; N Donogher, P Begley, R Stapleton; P O'Leary, D Brennan, J Madigan; P Clancy, B Quigley; G Kavanagh (0-2), C Conway (0-1, a free), D Murphy (0-2); M Tierney (0-2, one free), B McCormack (1-1), R Munnelly (0-2, one free). Subs: G Ramsbottom for Kavanagh (56 mins), C Parkinson for Tierney (57 mins), K Meaney for Quigley (63 mins), P Lawlor (0-1)for Conway (65 mins).
KILDARE: E Murphy; T Dowling, D Lyons, E Bolton; B Flanagan, D Hendy, N Browne (0-1); K Donnelly (0-2), K Brennan; A McAndrew (0-1), M Fitzharris, M Donnelly; M Conway (0-1, a free), T O'Connor, T Archbald (0-1). Subs: D Jordon for McAndrew (45 mins), M O'Sullivan for Fitzharris (48 mins), M Scanlon for Browne (49 mins), D Earley for Brennan (52 mins), P Ennis (0-1)for Archbald.
Referee: S Farrell(Dublin).
