February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“There has to be some change to the format,” said Laois’ manager, Mick O?Dwyer, who, curiously, had been part of the committee that recommended a trial period for the sin bin in the first place.
“Maybe referees are overreacting a little bit and the whole thing certainly has to be looked at now.”
His Kildare counterpart, Padraig Nolan, was more conciliatory, suggesting there “could still be a place” for the sin bin. “We’ve only had a couple of matches with it, so I suppose we should let everyone have a good go at it, and decided then what we can do.”
For all the movement on and off the sideline, this was still an entertaining game of football for the 6,000 spectators who witnessed Laois’ narrow win, which earns them a place in the final against Westmeath. With Ross Munnelly and Chris Conway looking sharp, the winners had the better of the early stages, but when Eamonn Callaghan was fouled in front of the goal by Laois keeper Fergal Byron, who was subsequently sin binned for his challenge, Ronan Sweeney calmly stroked the penalty past stand-in goalkeeper Noel Garvan.
That left it 1-3 to 0-6 at the interval, but Laois hit back with a Mark Dunne goal before Kildare replied again when Sweeney flicked in his second goal. However, Laois still had some momentum, and they secured the result with an injury-time point from Stephen Kelly.
WESTMEATH 0-12, LOUTH 1-6
There was less frustration in Drogheda, where Westmeath had too much class for Louth in the second semifinal. The 0-12 to 1-6 scoreline was a fair reflection of the winners’ superiority and the brandishing of four yellow cards failed to halt the flow of a bright contest.
Westmeath boss Paidi O Se, while essentially keeping his powder dry regarding the sin bin, was somewhat skeptical about any reduction of football’s physicality. “I don’t want to see a decent skelp of a shoulder taken out of Gaelic football, that would be my only fear,” he said.
Certainly, O Se appears to have more apprehension about the experimental rule, which will carry through into the National Leagues than any worries about his players, who are wintering well.
Ahead by 0-5 to 0-3 at the break with Dessie Dolan coming off the bench to make an immediate impression, Westmeath were soon five points to the good with Alan Mangan and Denis Glennon taking their chances, and even though a David Devanney goal gave Louth some temporary hope, scores from Joe Fallon and Mangan finished the job.
The winners will be understrength for Sunday’s decider as the outstanding cornerback John Keane, as well as Dolan, will be on duty for the All Stars in Hong Kong.
OTHER GAMES
There was an upset in the quarterfinal of the McGrath Cup in Munster when Tipperary defeated Kerry, 1-10 to 0-8, at Clonmel. Even though Kerry fielded a shadow team, this was still a heartening result for Tipp, for whom Declan Browne scored 1-5.
Eyebrows were also raised at Kill, where Tralee IT advanced to the semifinal with a 2-8 to 0-9 victory over Waterford. Michael Collins was the standout performer for the winners, bagging all 8 points, while Patsy O’Connell and Enda Coughlan struck for the goals.
There was a tetchy McKenna Cup encounter between Derry and Down at Esker Park, where Derry edged the verdict by 0-9 to 0-5. With the Ulster Council not employing the sin bin at this stage of the season, there was a case for several cooling-off periods as the players found it hard to fit some football into the frequent skirmishes. Paddy Bradley’s 5 points for Derry made the difference.
Tyrone booked their place in the final with a comprehensive 4-21 to 1-10 demolition of Antrim at Edendork. Stephen O’Neill, with 1-6, and Sean Cavanagh, with 1-5, were the main marksman, while Peter Canavan came off the bench to kick three points.
Armagh had to struggle to overcome Queen’s University by 0-8 to 0-7 at Crossmaglen. Four points clear going into the closing stages, Armagh failed to score in the last 13 minutes as the students almost leveled matters with a determined finish.
Cavan were also forced to battle hard to get the better of the University of Ulster Jordanstown by 1-10 to 0-11 at Breffni Park, where a second-half goal by substitute Larry Reilly turned out to be the decisive score.
It was easier for Monaghan, who had the edge over Donegal at Clones and ran out winners by 2-15 to 0-13 with Dick Clerkin kicking 9 points. Fermanagh advanced to the semifinal following their 3-13 to 0-13 success against St Mary’s College at Irvinestown. Rory and Raymond Gallagher each had a goal, with Mark Little adding a third.
In the Connacht League, there was a second successive win for Galway/Mayo IT, who prevailed over Sligo by 0-16 to 0-11 at Menlough. Leitrim hammered Clare by 2-10 to 0-5 at Bornacoola, while a goal by Michael Meehan helped NUI Galway to a 1-14 to 0-12 victory against Roscommon at Kiltoom. Another goal by Marty McNicholas proved decisive as Mayo ran out 1-10 to 0-12 winners over IT Sligo at Ballinode.