Leinster SFC Final: Laois 2-13 Kildare 1-13 You can't measure the hunger that 57 years of losing brings. You can't imagine the longing, the desire, the passion. Not till it's over, not till you hear the immense guttural roar.
When Laois last won Leinster in 1946 can anyone have guessed that we would see in a new century before they repeated the feat? They did it yesterday before 61,786 onlookers at Croke Park and the grass turned blue and white just after six o'clock. How sweet it was, how sweet it was.
These days are what the championship is all about. Afternoons when the tribal yearnings reverberate and the air itself seems to dance with anticipation and hope. This was a game which lurched and careened every which way before screeching to a halt with Laois in front. As a metaphor for more than half a century of blood, sweat and mainly tears it was just fine.
In the end they had three points to spare but while the adulation is being heaped deservedly on to the shoulders of Mick O'Dwyer this week it is worth taking note of the achievement of Padraig Nolan in Kildare. He has taken a transitional team and made them something more than respectable. They battled and hustled yesterday and almost pulled off a remarkable victory against the odds. On the day it fell to Kildare to do most of the improvising and for a young team they coped remarkably.
Considering what befell them and taking into account the absence of Anthony Rainbow and Dermot Earley, this was a fine performance.
Setting off, nobody knew how askew things would go or how early. This was a game which offered each team a sheaf of excuses for losing it. Especially Kildare. Alan Barry, a hefty presence for Kildare at midfield, was booked in the fourth minute for some off-the-ball argy-bargy with Pauric Clancy. A little harsh but the storm cloud had yet to break.
Play resumed and 10 seconds later Barry delivered a bad tackle to the person of Tom Kelly and the red card was whisked from the pocket of Seamus McCormack.
By then Laois were two points up having started the game with a bursting sense of urgency common in Mick O'Dwyer teams. Gary Kavanagh and Ian Fitzgerald had both launched good scores and Barry's dismissal added to their momentum as Laois added three more quick points to go five up by the 12th minute.
With Barry gone Kildare placed Ronan Sweeney on Clancy and soon found they weren't entirely without hope.
Joe Higgins was marking Tadgh Fennin and getting the worst of it. In the 13th minute Fennin's speed burned Higgins off and having rounded Colm Byrne too he looked set for a goal but blasted wide.
Worries persisted though. Kildare had lined out with two changes to their half-back line and the emergency installations of Martin Dunne and Damien Hendy in the wing positions didn't work well initially. Dunne was replaced by Glenn Ryan in the first half as both Ross Munnelly and Kavanagh cut through the barriers at will.
And further back there were worries also. Laois full forward and captain Ian Fitzgerald would finish the day with four points,each of them a fine score. His second, after counterpart Stuart McKenzie Smith had got Kildare off the mark, seemed designed to sink Kildare's morale entirely, restoring Laois to a five-point lead after 17 minutes.
And then things broke Kildare's way. Fennin beat Higgins in a chase for the ball down the right and sprinted after it. The versatile Kevin Fitzpatrick was covering and burst towards the wing. He arrived at the low ball marginally late and took Fennin's legs from under him. The tackle didn't look especially malicious but a massive roar of opprobrium went up from the Kildare crowd and the red card was fished out again. Fourteen men apiece.
Kildare drew encouragement. A series of frees and a McKenzie Smith point narrowed the gap and they went in just two behind and feeling they could win.
After the break fate stretched them with a sucker punch though. Laois were bristling with new amendments and resolutions and introduced Colm Parkinson (in a fetching sleeveless number) for Damien Delaney, keeping their prodigal-son quotient to one.
Blessings rained upon them. Clancy won the throw-in, launched a big high one and saw it fall into the bosom of Beano McDonald. A quick turn, a low shot and the net dancing. Laois were five points ahead again. Kildare were on the canvas.
It got worse before it got better. Kildare dusted themselves off and took two points to steady their nerves. Then 10 minutes into the half McDonald's pace drew Andrew McLoughlin and Mick Wright towards him. He smuggled the ball to Munnelly, who drove it home. Laois were six ahead again. Minutes later Kelly galloped through and fisted a point. Seven ahead.
Laois's second goal and the third sending-off a few minutes on should by rights have killed the game. Kildare had just scored two points as they came back yet again and while Padraig Brennan was scoring the second Mick Lawlor of Laois lay on the ground 80 yards back. A linesman noted that Wright, the Kildare centre back, had appeared to hand off Lawlor's face. Wright had a booking already. Red card again.
Still Kildare wouldn't lie down. The space up front seemed to suit their game and they ran at Laois with a kamikaze directness.
They scored the next two points to get within a goal and then Patrick Murray was tumbled in the large square and Sweeney dispatched the penalty with some aplomb. Level! Eleven minutes left.
Had Laois the guts? They had. Not for the first time this summer Clancy popped up to score a big reassuring point. John Doyle equalised but by then Laois had teased their supporters enough. Donal Miller, Fitzgerald and Barry Brennan kicked a string of nerveless scores before the whistle blew and the earth started shaking.
LAOIS: F Byron; A Fennelly, C Byrne, J Higgins; D Rooney, T Kelly (0-2), K Fitzpatrick; P Clancy (0-1), N Garvan; R Munnelly (1-1), M Lawlor, G Kavanagh (0-1); B McDonald (1-2), I Fitzgerald (0-4), D Delaney. Subs: C Parkinson for Delaney (half time), B Brennan (0-1) for Kavanagh (41 mins), D Miller (0-1) for M Lawlor (60 mins), S Kelly for Munnelly (72 mins).
KILDARE: E Murphy; B Lacey, D Lyons, A McLoughlin; D Hendy, M Wright, M Dunne; A Barry, K Brennan; P Murray (0-4, 3 frees), J Doyle (0-5, 4 frees), R Sweeney (1-0, penalty); D McCormack, S McKenzie-Smith (0-2), T Fennin. Subs: G Ryan (0-1) for Dunne (19 mins), P Brennan (0-1) for McCormack (47 mins), E Callaghan for McKenzie-Smith (54 mins), R Quinn for McLoughlin (68 mins), K Donnelly for Fennin (69 mins).
Referee: Seamus McCormack (Meath).
