Joe McDonagh Cup - Round Two
Laois 2-23
Antrim 0-22
At O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

ANTRIM suffered a major set back in their Joe McDonagh Cup campaign as they suffered back-to-back defeats in the competition with Laois leaving it late to blitz Antrim in Portlaoise on Saturday afternoon.

The start certainly was not the one the Saffrons envisaged as the hosts took the lead within the first minute with a goal from late addition,Cillian Dunne who found the net for Laois.

However, Antrim responded well and struck the next two scores to stop any early worries of a blow-out in the Midlands. Both Ryan McCambridge and Conal Cunning made sure their efforts were strong against the breeze to see white flags raised.

Antrim sharpshooter Seáan Elliot soon got himself off the mark with a close-range free, before James McNaughton hit a double of scores to level.

Laois did find themselves back in front with Picky Maher and Martin Phelan both finding their range inside the opening ten minutes.

A monstrous Ryan McCambridge strike from inside his own half gave Antrim the lead as they began to find the spaces and looked a far-cry from the team who were defeated to Down last weekend. The long-distance accuracy had certainly improved with only a handful of miscues preventing Antrim from hitting double figures in the early stages.

Paul Boyle made short work with a terrific strike from the middle of the park and Seáan Elliot slotted a free straight over the black spot for a two-point advantage on the 16th minute.

Laois did manage to once again peg Antrim back when Phelan and Maher were the suppliers of scores with two great points from a similar distance to level the game.

Picky Maher would then flip the lead once again, this time back in favour of the hosts as he clipped an easy free over, then saw a half-way hit soar for his fifth score of the day.

But Antrim soon rallied with McNaughton really finding some early half form, finding space and drilling a score over the bar and he replicated the play on the next possession for the levelling score at ten-apiece.

Elliot once more split the posts, using his driving pace to bury on goal but his effort just managed to miss the crossbar and the Saffrons settled for the white flag.

McNaughton's shooting continued to excel; a 60-yard free split the posts before Ryan McCambridge caught a tremendous pass in amongst the crowd of Laois defenders, before planting his feet and thumping a score over the bar.

Elliot and Maher both exchanged frees, but the Saffrons led by two as the half began to fade.

The hosts cut it once again to within one after Ian Shanahan found himself in the forward quarter and pointed from the right-hand side.

Fiachra Fennell's score for Laois replied to Elliot's superb sharp-shooting from another free, and just a single score separated the sides at the break.

The Saffrons picked up where they left off by winning the ball in the opening throw-in and a straight drive from Paul Boyle allowed him to find Eoin O'Neill in space to point and extend Antrim's lead.

The home side responded by hitting two scores to level proceedings as Maher and Cillian Dunne both had white flags raised for their efforts.

The first half accuracy of Antrim seemed to evaporate from the players as Antrim's opening three attacks all resulted in the umpire signalling a wide ball and they rued that in the early stages as Picky Maher's ninth point gave Laois the lead. Maher soon found his double digit strike, another sloppy bit of passing allowed Laois to take a two-point advantage from a free.

Keelan Molloy broke the scoreless run since the opening score of the half, driving an effort to reduce the Antrim deficit to the minimum, but Maher's 65 restored the two score lead.

Molloy's transition back into the middle of the park allowed the Saffrons to re-establish their dominance in the midfield, and a trio of scores from Seáan Elliot, including two frees and a terrific off-the-shoulder score, dragged Antrim back in front by one on the 55th minute.

Laois did once again play their part in a game which very much ebbed and flowed as Picky Maher struck twice more before David Dooley and James Keyes saw white flags raised with three separating the sides.

Cillian Dunne extended the lead to seven and put the final nail in the coffin with his second goal of the afternoon when the forward found space and drilled it past Cormac McFadden to seal Antrim's fate just after the hour mark.

Antrim’s survival in the second tier championship now hangs in the balance, with London, Westmeath and Carlow still to play.


Antrim: Cormac McFadden; Ryan McNulty, Paddy Burke, Stephen Rooney; Oisin Donnelly, Niall O'Connor, Joe Maskey; Eoin O'Neill 0-1, Paul Boyle 0-1; Keelan Molloy 0-1, Ryan McCambridge 0-3, Conal Cunning 0-1; James McNaughton 0-6 (0-2f), Ruairi Donaghy, Seáan Elliot 0-8 (0-5f).

Subs: Conal Bohill on for Ruairi Donaghy (43'), Conor Johnston on for Eoin O'Neill (46'), Jack McCloskey 0-1 on for Paul Boyle (65’), Ruairi McCormick on for Ryan McNulty (67’), Joseph McLaughlin on for Seaan Elliot (71’)

Laois: Eoin Reilly: Ian Shanahan 0-1, Lee Cleere, Cillian Dunne 2-1; Ciaran McEvoy, Podge Delaney, Fiachra C Fennell 0-1; David Dooley 0-1, Aidan Corby; Martin Phelan 0-2, Picky Maher 0-13 (0-8f, 0-3 65'), Ryan Mullaney, Ben Conroy, Aaron Dunphy, Tomás Keyes 0-1.

Subs: Gearoid Lynch on for Aidan Corby (36'), James Keyes 0-2, on for Aaron Dunphy (54') Mark Dowling 0-1 on for Ben Conroy (63'), Jack Kelly on for Cillian Dunne (70’)

Referee: Caymon Flynn (Westmeath)