Laois see off Roscommon to reach Celtic Challenge final

Laois will contest the Celtic Challenge William Robinson Cup final after producing an excellent all-round performance to defeat Roscommon 2-23 to 2-11 in a thrilling semi-final clash.

It was the visitors who struck first in this contest, taking advantage of a slow Laois start. Ronan Carr opened the scoring with a free after Conor Hickey was penalised for overcarrying, before Nathan Flynn added another from play to put Roscommon two points up after seven minutes.

Laois 2-23

Roscommon 2-11

However, Laois responded swiftly and impressively. Scott Kelly got them off the mark with a well-taken point before Bobby O’Connor and Tadhg Hughes followed suit, giving Laois a narrow lead by the ninth minute. The opening quarter was tightly contested, and the sides went on to trade the next four points. Carr remained accurate from placed balls for Roscommon, but O’Connor was in scintillating form, striking two superb points from play to maintain Laois’ advantage.

A key turning point came soon after when Laois goalkeeper Shane Carroll pulled off a brilliant one-on-one save to deny David Mannion a goal that would have changed the momentum. Instead, it was Laois who pushed on. O’Connor added another score, and Kelly nailed two frees to push the hosts four points ahead.

Then came the first major breakthrough of the match. Jamie Fitzpatrick pounced on a loose ball inside the Roscommon square and bundled it over the line for the game’s opening goal. Moments later, Dan Bowe added another point, and although Carr responded from another free, Laois weren’t finished.

Killian James made a lung-busting run through the heart of the Roscommon defence before unselfishly laying off to Dan Bowe, who rifled a shot past the goalkeeper for Laois' second goal. At that stage, Laois led by nine points and looked to be in complete control.

Roscommon did manage to cut the gap before the break. When Carr was fouled in the square, he stepped up and buried the penalty to reduce the deficit to six points heading into the interval. Laois led 2-9 to 1-6 at the break, but the contest was still very much alive.

Laois came out for the second half with clear intent. Midfielder Hughes restored the seven-point lead with a point inside 10 seconds of the restart. Carr hit back with yet another free, but Laois continued to find scores with Rory Standish and Fitzpatrick extending the advantage.

Roscommon then had their best spell of the game. Carr continued to lead their charge, scoring a free and then finishing brilliantly for his side’s second goal after latching on to a pinpoint pass from Sean McDonnell. That goal brought Roscommon to within four points and set up what looked to be a dramatic finish.

But Laois quickly shut the door on any hopes of a Roscommon comeback with a devastating scoring burst. They registered eight points without reply during a ten-minute purple patch. Bobby O’Connor and Dan Bowe hit fine scores from play, while Scott Kelly remained unerring from frees. Oisín McRedmond chipped in with a lovely point, and substitute Davey Delaney made an instant impact off the bench, slotting two efforts over the bar with confidence.

Roscommon did rally again through David Mannion and another Carr free, but Delaney grabbed a third from play to cancel out the momentum. Carr hit one final point for the visitors before Kelly responded with another free for Laois. The final word fittingly belonged to Delaney, who slotted over his fourth point in a sensational cameo to complete a dominant second-half showing.

Laois finished 12-point winners on a 2-23 to 2-11 scoreline and will now face the winners of the other semi-final between Mayo and Meath in the final.