Laois win secures status in Liam MacCarthy
SéAMUS ‘CHEDDAR’ PLUNKETT hailed a huge win in his most difficult season in management as Laois secured their MacCarthy Cup status for another year.
Paddy Purcell’s 2-2 haul was decisive as Laois held firm to relegate Antrim to the Joe McDonagh Cup for 2022.
Laois led by 11 points early in the second half but winced as the deficit was reduced to just two by a surging Antrim.
Substitute Eoin O’Neill struck two goals for Antrim who also had a Neil McManus penalty saved during a blitzkrieg period.
Laois were also down to 13 players for a spell as Ross King was red-carded in the 49th minute and Sean Downey sin-binned for the foul that led to the earlier penalty. The margin was down to just two at the second water break but Laois rallied, outscoring Antrim by 1-6 to 0-5 in the final quarter to progress.
They’ll be in tomorrow’s draw for the
qualifiers, though more significant is the fact that they’ll stay in the MacCarthy Cup. ‘The result means that Laois are playing Championship hurling next year and gives us a chance to get reorganised and refocused and to bounce back in the Leinster championship next year,’ said Laois boss Plunkett.
‘This has been a very, very tough year. We came in as a new management team in a pandemic for starters. And in my time, and I’ve been involved with teams a long time, it’s probably the biggest injury crisis of key players in any team I’ve been involved with. So I have to give incredible credit to each and every Laois player for their commitment, for how they dug out this win.’
Laois brought a ferocity to the game from the off and Purcell’s first goal in stoppage time left the midlanders 1-17 to 0-10 clear at half-time.
Antrim sub O’Neill threw his side two lifelines with the 44th and 52nd minute goals but Laois composed themselves at the water break and wrestled back momentum to see off the Saffrons.
LaOIS: E Rowland; D Hartnett, S Downey, L Cleere; P Delaney, C McEvoy, R Mullaney (J Ryan 53); FC Fennell, J Kelly; P Purcell (J Keyes 65), W Dunphy (A Dunphy 72), C Collier (E Lyons 58); C Dwyer (C Comerford 75), PJ Scully, R King.
SCOReRS: PJ Scully 0-10 (7f, 2 s/l), P Purcell 2-2, P Delaney, W Dunphy, J Kelly 0-3 each, R King 0-2, C Collier, C McEvoy, FC Fennell, C Dwyer 0-1 each. aNtRIm: R Elliott; D McMullan (A Crawford 18), S Rooney, G Walsh; E Campbell (J Maskey h-t), P Burke, A O’Brien (M Donnelly 71); K Molloy, Ciaran Johnston; N McManus, M Bradley (E O’Neill h-t), J McNaughton; Conor Johnston (S Elliott 59), C Cunning, C Clarke. SCOReRS: C Clarke 0-8 (7f, 1 65), E O’Neill 2-0, N McManus 0-4, K Molloy 0-3, C Cunning, J McNaughton (1f) 0-2 each, Conor Johnston, S Elliott 0-1 each.
RefeRee: S Cleere (Kilkenny).
– PAUL KEANE