Dublin avoid last-gasp collapse at home due to Crumney’s heroics
CHRIS Crummey’s diving save from an Enda Rowland free saved Dublin’s blushes at Parnell Park.
The Dubs had turned a one-point half-time deficit into a seven-point lead during the second half, but almost collapsed late on.
Rowland blasted a 21-yard free to the net on 72 minutes to cut the gap to just three. PJ Scully then clipped over a free to bring Laois within two, before Fiachra C Fennell was tripped up as he headed for goal.
All eyes turned to Rowland as he trundled upfield to the edge of the D, and he cracked a fierce shot towards goal, which a diving Crummey diverted away to seal the win.
While Laois might have been missing key men in Stephen Maher, Willie Dunphy and Ben Conroy, it was Dublin’s main men who struggled to impose themselves.
Danny Sutcliffe’s first possession was in the 31st minute when striking a wide, while seven of their nine points in the opening half came from placed balls.
In all, Dublin hit 11 wides during those 35 minutes, with Fergal Whitely the only attacker registering from opening play.
Laois, on the other hand, struggled to create chances but converted whenever they did. Scully and Ross King found the range during a first half where their wide count was just four.
The accuracy issues at one end for Dublin were compounded at the other in the 11th minute when Ciaran McEvoy’s point effort from distance was touched down from over the crossbar by goalkeeper Sean Brennan, only for Mark Dowling to bat it to the net.
By the interval, Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s troops had established a 1-7 to 0-9 lead.
Dublin came out for the second half with renewed vigour and
Donal Burke began to shine.
He hit two in a row from play to tip the balance, and it might have been by more had his free-taking not continued to let him down.
Rowland fired over a bomb from his own ‘45, but they had to wait until the 52nd minute for their first from play of the half through Aidan Corby. During that time, Ronan Hayes and Burke got on the scoreboard, while Whitley got his second of three.
The crucial moment came in the 62nd minute when Conor Burke burst out from the Dublin defence, and was granted a free.
He quickly delivered upfield to Alex Considine, who turned at pace, drew a man, and fed Aidan Mellett to stretch the net from 14 yards.
Whitley and James Madden added points for Dublin but they were cancelled out by Cha Dwyer and James Keyes.
Dublin seemed to have done enough when Paul Crummey caught a high ball and clipped over a point to make it 1-20 to 1-13 on 68 minutes.
But then Rowland buried that ‘21 after Patrick Purcell had been upended, before the goalkeeper was denied with the game’s final shot. dUBliN: S Brennan; J Bellew, E O’Donnell, C O’Callaghan; D Ryan ( C Donoghue, 70+3), P Smyth (S Barrett, 69), J Madden; C Burke, C Crummey; D Burke (A Mellett, 70+1), D Keogh (A Mellett, 34-70), D Sutcliffe (P Crummey, 67); E Dillon (A Considine, 61), F Whitely, R Hayes.
ScorerS: D Burke 0-13 (0-10 frees); F Whitely 0-3; A Mellett 1-0; J Madden, C Crummey, P Crummey, R Hayes 0-1 each.
WideS: 18 (11).
YelloW card: D Keogh 24, J Bellew 51. laoiS: E Rowland; D Hartnett, P Delaney (P Dunne, 55), S Downey; C McEvoy, L O’Connell, R Mullaney; F C Fennell, J Kelly; C Dwyer (C Byrne, 70), P Purcell, J Keyes; R King (A Corby, 49), PJ Scully, M Dowling (B McGinley, 63).
ScorerS: PJ Scully 0-8 (0-5 frees; 0-1 s/l); E Rowland 1-2 frees; J Keyes 0-2; M Dowling 1-0; C Dwyer, R King, A Corby 0-1 each.
WideS: 10 (4).
YelloW card: R Mullaney 30. referee: L Gordon (Galway).