Familiar story as bogey team Down end Laois’ Tailteann Cup hopes

The Laois senior footballers’ 2026 Tailteann Cup campaign has come to an end after Down left Portlaoise with a 14-point win on Saturday afternoon.

Down were by far the better team, flying out of the blocks to build a 1-6 to 0-1 lead after just nine minutes. Laois could get no closer than eight points as Down won comfortably to book their place at Croke Park next weekend.

Down got the game’s first score when Odhran Murdock split the posts off his left foot. Laois opened their account through an Evan O’Carroll free after Paddy O’Sullivan was fouled following a one-two with Rob Tyrrell. It looked as though the offence may have occurred inside the square, but a free was awarded instead.

Down took full control over the next few minutes, scoring 1-5 without reply to race into a 1-6 to 0-1 lead by the ninth minute. Eamon Brown opened his account from play before Murdock converted the game’s first two-pointer. Down then found the net when Ryan Magill was played through on goal and saw his shot superbly saved by Matthew Byron. However, Jack Lacey, attempting to intervene as the ball looked to be drifting wide, inadvertently turned it into his own net. Miceál Rooney added two points in quick succession as Down showed they were in no mood to mess around.

Pa Kirwan ended Down’s spell of dominance with his first point after 12 minutes, but the Mourne men responded with three more scores courtesy of a Ronan Burns two-point free and another Brown free. Kirwan then landed a two-pointer for Laois, while O’Carroll added a point from play to leave Down leading 1-9 to 0-5 after 17 minutes. Burns stepped up to slot over his second two-point free before Callum Rogers also pointed to extend the lead to 10.

Laois could only ever manage two scores in succession during the first half as Kirwan and Kevin Swayne curled over points, but Down always had an answer, this time through Brown (free) and Murdock. Swayne registered his second point of the afternoon before O’Carroll added his third soon after. Caolan Mooney scored Down’s 15th point to make it a double-score game before O’Carroll replied with a free. The half ended with Ruairi McCormack pointing just before the hooter to leave Down nine points clear at the break, 1-16 to 0-10.

Down’s lead was stretched to 11 points after the restart as Brown added a two-pointer. Laois’ only goal chance of the game fell to Ciaran Burke after Paul Kingston won the ball back, but the Crettyard clubman’s effort flashed wide of the target. Conor Heffernan got on the scoresheet for Laois before Brown replied at the other end. O’Carroll (free) and Matthew Byron (two-point free) added further scores for Laois, but, as they had done throughout the game, Down responded with three unanswered points from Brown at the Abbeyleix end.

Pat Havern came off the bench to add another point for Down before O’Carroll took his tally to six with his fourth free. The final eight minutes produced just one more score, and it went to Down as Daniel Guinness fired the ball into the top corner of Byron’s net.

The final margin was 14 points as Laois’ 2026 season came to a disappointing end.

FINAL SCORE

DOWN 2-23

LAOIS 0-15

SCORERS- Down: Eamon Brown 0-9 (one two-pointer, 0-2 frees), Ronan Burns (two two-point frees) and Odhran Murdock (one two-pointer) 0-4 each, Miceal Rooney 0-2, Daniel Guinness and Jack Lacey (own goal) 1-0 each, Callum Rogers, Caolan Mooney, Ruairi McCormack and Pat Havern 0-1 each. Laois: Evan O’Carroll 0-6 (0-4 frees), Pa Kirwan 0-4 (one two-pointer), Matthew Byron (two-point free) and Kevin Swayne 0-2 each, Conor Heffernan 0-1.

LAOIS: Matthew Byron (Courtwood); Alex Mohan (Portarlington), Trevor Collins (Graiguecullen), Jack Lacey (St Joseph’s); Paddy O’Sullivan (Portarlington), Simon Fingleton (Park-Ratheniska), Aaron McEvoy (Ballyroan-Abbey); Conor Heffernan (Killeshin), Rob Tyrrell (Courtwood); Kevin Swayne (Portlaoise, Ronan Coffey (Portarlington), Pa Kirwan (Emo); Ciaran Burke (Crettyard), Daragh Galvin (Portarlington), Evan O’Carroll (Crettyard). Subs: Paul Kingston (Arles-Killeen) for Galvin (HT), Niall Corbet (Clonaslee St Manman’s) for Coffey (49 mins), Cian Nolan (Park-Ratheniska) for Burke and Brian Byrne (Graiguecullen) for McEvoy (Both 54 mins), Killian Byrne (Ballyroan-Abbey) for Tyrrell (59 mins)

DOWN: Ronan Burns; Peter Fegan, Pierce Laverty, Patrick Brooks; Callum Rogers, Shane Annett, Ryan Magill; Ryan McEvoy, Odhran Murdock; Daniel Guinness, Ceilum Doherty, Miceál Rooney; Caolan Mooney, Ruairi O’Hare, Eamon Brown. Subs: Ruairi McCormack for Mooney (30 mins), Pat Havern for O’Hare (54 mins), Patrick McCarthy for Brooks (58 mins), Ross Carr for Rogers (59 mins), Finn McElroy for Murdock (62 mins), Tom Close for Magill (63 mins, concussion)

Referee: Kieran Eannetta (Tyrone)