Close calls story of our lives: Garvan

AS Paddy Christie waxed lyrical on the Lower Hogan Stand, the Laois players lined up below him desperate for it all to be over.

Joe Higgins and Brian McDonald stood rock-still, eyes glued to an indeterminate spot on the floor. Captain Kevin Fitzpatrick sat slumped picking the grass from his studs. Slaps on the back and words of consolation all failed to find a way into his own troubled thoughts.

Aidan Fennelly knew what Fitzpatrick was going through. The pair are clubmates with Portlaoise and yesterday's agonising loss was their third final defeat in Croke Park inside 12 months. Who would have thought a second-half performance that coughed up 11 points would not be enough to avoid defeat?

"It's just the same story as against Offaly (in the quarter-final)," Fennelly said.

"Everyone's legs just seemed tired. Things like getting out-sprinted going for the ball that doesn't normally happen to us. We showed in the second half the way we can play but we're just disgusted with the first half. Disgusted. I'm sick of coming up here and losing finals."

Laois' task now is to go through that first period with a fine toothcomb and come up with the answer to why they were so cold at the starting line.

"We were being beaten to the first ball," said Ross Munnelly.

"Dublin were getting the breaks but that's down to Dublin. It's the same as we did to Kildare when we came out with all guns blazing.

"They did the same to us today and all credit to them for that. They were awesome in that first half and they were getting the rub of the green on top of it, so they deserved the lead at half-time."

After his second-half display that yielded five points, Munnelly will garner more sympathy than most this morning, especially as it was his last-gasp free that missed by a whisker, depriving Laois of the opportunity to come back for a second stab as they did last year.

"It may as well be ten feet as an inch. It doesn't matter. It didn't make it on the day and I suppose I'll have to live with that. It'll be back to the practice field on Tuesday night now in an attempt to put that right."

Midfielder Noel Garvan was another to shrug aside the platitudes of a resurgent second half display. Losing by a point was little consolation to the St Joseph's midfielder who was less than enamoured with some of the refereeing decisions approaching the final whistle.

"Close call? That's the story of our lives. Borderline decisions near the end, no doubt about that, but I suppose it comes down to playing for 70 minutes, doesn't it?

"If you're going to win All-Irelands and these things you can't be complaining about the referee.

The big question now facing Laois is how much appetite they have left for a run at the ultimate honour.

"Last year we didn't make a good stab at the back door. Heads were down and they were down all through the game against Tyrone," said Garvan. "We have to learn now that we're in the All-Ireland championship. It's winnable, there's no doubt about it."

Where most of the Laois players spoke in quiet, almost funereal tones, goalkeeper Fergal Byron projected his voice with a confidence that suggested he, for one, refused to believe this was the last the 2005 championship would see of Laois.

"Had we been beaten well it would have been a lot harder to regroup but we took it to Dublin in the second half and finished very strongly. If we can take that on from there there's not too many teams in the country are going to put up as strong a challenge as Dublin."