Laois no match for Cavan in Tailteann Cup opener

Tailteann Cup Group 1 Round 1

CAVAN 2-20

LAOIS 1-14

It was a world apart from the team’s harrowing experience in the Leinster championship against Dublin, but Laois added another defeat to their record in 2023 when a powerful third quarter surge from Cavan overwhelmed Billy Sheehan’s troops at Kingspan Breffni this afternoon, rendering their late push moot and increasing the pressure on next Saturday’s eagerly-awaited local derby clash with Offaly in Portlaoise. 

A strong challenge match showing against Longford last weekend suggested that the group had responded well to their horror show against the Dubs, and that they might be poised to defy eye-catchingly large odds for this contest with a Cavan side that has been capable of big performances, but also vulnerable to upsets in recent seasons. 

The medicine that was prescribed by the management was of the simpler variety – get bodies back to make life tough, compete aggressively for ball, and look to exploit the physical presence of players like Evan O’Carroll and Paul Kingston close to the Cavan goal. 

For 20 minutes, the upset seemed to be on. 

There was no mistaking the potency of the Cavan attack at any stage, and while Mickey Graham’s men were guilty of a number of early wides, they also picked off some good scores through James Smith (after just ten seconds), Gerard Smith, and Ryan O’Neill. 

Yet there was a lot to like about what Laois produced as well. Mark Timmons and Trevor Collins controlled the central spots in the middle of the defence very well, James Finn and Cathal Doyle were drafted in to start the game from the team that was named and they added some much-needed power and physicality, and even on a very warm afternoon on a dry pitch, the work rate of the team was nothing short of exemplary, forcing a number of turnovers and poor shots from Cavan. 

The long-ball approach worked well too, with O’Carroll finding the net after a driving run through open country on the left flank of the attack, while Mark Barry picked up on some good layoffs to chip over some excellent points. 

Paul Kingston’s well-struck score from the right wing made it 1-5 to 0-5 just short of the 20 minute mark, and the visceral roar from the Laois players that greeted the score was a fair indicator of their competitive frame of mind. 

Underdogs need luck as well as spirit however, and on 26 minutes, a hotly-contested refereeing call in favour of the Ulster county proved to be a game-changing slice of luck for Cavan. 

Cavan’s Paddy Lynch drove at the Laois goal from the left corner, and while Séamus Lacey wasn’t exactly trying to usher the full-forward through, he didn’t appear to impede the Crosserlough club man in any meaningful way. The ball was shovelled out to Gearóid McKiernan and while Mark Timmons and Damon Larkin appeared to block the ball between them, with both men getting their arms down on the boot of McKiernan, referee Anthony Nolan deemed that an infringement had occurred – presumably either a pull on Lynch or a foot block on McKiernan – and stretched his arms out for a penalty. 

Lynch was in no mood to miss the target out of any sense of justice, and once he found the bottom right corner, Cavan had a lead that they were never going to relinquish. 

Evan O’Carroll’s point just before half-time from close range left just two between the sides, 1-10 to 1-8, so there was still plenty of cause for optimism for Laois supporters at the interval, but the next 20 minutes was one-way traffic, as without ever hitting a really high tempo, Cavan rattled off seven points without reply. 

In every facet of play, Cavan suddenly took control, and Laois simply had no answer. 

The Breffni men took complete control of the two half lines, with Gerard Smith and Tiernán Madden particularly impressive in the two wing forward positions, leaving Laois utterly starved of ball up front. Killian Roche did all he could in goal for the midlanders, popping up with two outstanding saves to deny Paddy Lynch and Oisín Brady, but Laois looked bereft of ideas of energy, and the lead was pushed out to nine, 1-18 to 1-9, before they showed signs of life. 

Four points in the spin from O’Carroll (45), Barry (free), Larkin and a Kingston free which might have been worth a pop at goal from 20 metres out, made it 1-19 to 1-13, but any idea that Laois might at least come away with a relatively unscathed scoring difference was wiped away by a scrambled goal from substitute Jonathan McCabe, rounding off a hugely disappointing second half that further highlighted the gap between these two counties right now.