Slow start to each half costs Laois hurlers as Dublin inflict second league loss

Dublin 4-18 Laois 2-17 
National Hurling League Division 1 Group B Round 2

Laois’s wait for a win in Division 1 of the National Hurling League goes on as they were beaten by Dubllin in Parnell Park.

Eddie Brennan’s charges, who lost Allan Connolly to a shoulder injury in the warm up, started both halves slowly and that was ultimately their downfall.

Dublin were 1-4 to no score up after ten minutes and although Laois battled back to get level, they went in three points down at half time.

But after a similarly slow start to the second half saw Laois concede two soft goals, there would be no way back.

To their credit, they kept battling away right to the net but they went down by seven points in the end.

With games against Kilkenny and Clare to come, it now looks increasingly likely that Laois will be set for a relegation play-off deciding final round game with Carlow in the coming weeks.

After that slow start in the first half, Laois got back into the game with Ciaran McEvoy, Ross King and Aaron Dunphy among the point scorers before Willie Dunphy struck for a goal after 22 minutes to give them the lead for the first time.

But with Oisin O’Rorke nailing frees, Dublin got back on top and lead 1-11 to 1-8 at half time.

Laois reduced the gap to one on the restart through McEvoy but Dublin then struck for two goals in as many minutes to settle the game.

Oisin O’Rorke batted the first to the net after keeper Enda Rowland saved a Donal Burke effort – and then, with the next attack, David Keogh fired to the corner.

Laois kept plugging away but a fourth Dublin goal soon arrived through Ronan Hayes.

Nevertheless, Laois kept going and Willie Dunphy’s second green flag as we entered injury time reduced the margin to six.

But Dublin got the final two points to run out eight point winners in the end.

SCORERS – LAOIS: Ross King 0-4 (all frees), Willie Dunphy 2-1, Stephen Bergin 0-1, Aaron Dunphy 0-1, Jack Kelly 0-1, Ciaran McEvoy 0-2, Paddy Purcell 0-1, Enda Rowland 0-1 (one free), James Ryan 0-1, Stephen Bergin 0-1, Eoin Gaughan 0-1 DUBLIN: Oisin O’Rorke 1-7 (six frees, one 65), Donal Burke 0-2, Eamonn Dillon 1-0, Sean Moran 0-3 (two frees), Jake Malone 0-1, David Keogh 1-1, Ronan Hayes 1-0, John Hetherton 0-1, Rian McBride 0-1

LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Liam Senior, Podge Delaney, Diarmuid Conway; Jack Kelly, Ryan Mullaney, Ciaran McEvoy; Donnacha Hartnett, Ruadhri C-Fennell; Aaron Dunphy, Paddy Purcell, James Ryan; Willie Dunphy, Ross King, Stephen Bergin Subs: John Lennon for Mullaney (ht), Ronan Broderick for Senior and Eoin Gaughan for A Dunphy (both 53), James Keyes for Purcell (63 mins).

DUBLIN: Sean Brennan; Paddy Smyth, Eoghan O’Donnell, James Madden; Chris Crummey, Daire Gray, Cian O’Callaghan; Jake Malone, Sean Moran; Donal Burke, Danny Sutcliffe, Ronan Hayes; Mark Schutte, Oisin O’Rorke, Eamon Dillon. Subs: David Keogh for Dillon (14, inj), John Hetherton for Schutte (33, inj), Andrew Dunphy for O’Callaghan (40), Fergal Whiteley for Madden (47), Riain McBride for Sutcliffe (59).`

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source https://www.laoistoday.ie/2020/02/02/slow-start-to-each-half-costs-laois-hurlers-as-dublin-inflict-second-league-loss/