‘Fairytale’ seems to be the only word for it

IMMORTALITY? Perhaps but apparently, Laois and Mick O’Dwyer don’t do mushy end-lines.

"I didn't think this team could go all the way. Now I'm not so sure," the GAA's greatest living legend winked in a quiet corner of a tumultuous Leinster final winning dressing-room.

If O'Dwyer says it, you don't want to disagree? "People can't seem to understand that we have a seriously good side this year who can win the All-Ireland," insisted a forthright Colm Parkinson. "We know we have an unbelievable chance, so why blow it? There is no two ways about it. We've beaten Offaly, Dublin, Kildare, Armagh - serious sides, and we've lost one game all year. We're the form team and there are people who won't want to meet us in the quarter final."

So focused was the winning changing area on future peaks, that perhaps they needed to glance backwards at the world they have conquered.

When O'Dwyer won the title with Kildare in 1998, he regretted not throwing the Cup into the boot of his car for a week. Last night, he decided to revel with everyone else in the celebrations heading for Portlaoise. At 67 years and a few months, he recognises a special moment. For once, he didn't head due south for Waterville.

Laois' 2-13 to 1-13 victory before 61,786 transfixed fans at Croke Park yesterday might nominate Dwyer for beatification, but in a broader sense, it has ignited a football championship drifting into the semi-conscious. O'Dwyer didn't do much wrong yesterday but even he struggled afterwards to find the words for a moment. "It's a fairytale, isn't it," he smiled. "I mean, we've come from nowhere."

Captain Ian Fitzgerald became the first Laois man since 1946 to lift the senior provincial championship trophy, but amid the bedlam, he recognised its relevance beyond this campaign.

"Tonight, there will be four and five year olds out kicking football. They'll be doing it all week, all year and Laois will get extra players and new blood because of that. We'll be long gone but this victory will kickstart a whole new cycle within the county. That's important."

One of the newer generation, 19-year-old wing forward Ross Munnelly is too young to lavish yesterday with nostalgia, but his mindset was instructive, nonetheless: "We know this isn't the end of it - there's a long way to September. No matter what we said coming into the match, we were the favourites, and that in itself is hard to deal with.

"But now we can push the cup to one side - yes, it's great to win a provincial title but the All-Ireland is the big thing. The pressure is now gone to some degree, and we don't have to deal with the 'will they or won't they'. We have to move on."

Laois rode bareback to victory and more than once, a feisty Kildare side threatened to buck them. "We chilled out after the second goal because we thought, 'there's a nice little lead to sit on'," admitted Parkinson. "But Kildare kept coming back, even when we were five ahead and thought we had some breathing space. I have to say we were in serious trouble when they got the penalty.

"But we're digging deep this year. Your hearts wouldn't be in it as much in past years. Now everyone seems to be together."

The performance of referee, Seamus McCormack, might easily be overlooked in the excitement, but it merits consideration. Laois might raise their eyebrows at the 29-12 free count against them, but there was no disguising their fury at the Kevin Fitzpatrick straight red card after 18 minutes. No less perplexing was the second yellow for Kildare midfielder Alan Barry in the 4th minute. Certainly, the Meath official will have better days.

O'Dwyer's thoughts were with his wing back, who will miss the All-Ireland quarter final for what was, at worst, a mistimed tackle.

Kildare defender Mick Wright also failed to finish the game. If you weren't watching, it might have sounded like a bloodbath.

O'Dwyer's presence felt everywhere throughout the park

In truth, there was hardly a malicious blow.

With ten minutes remaining, John Doyle converted a Kildare penalty to tee up the ultimate comeback, but once again, O'Dwyer's men drilled the extra fathom for more resolve.

Last week, he told this writer to watch out for an U21 he had drafted onto the panel. Yesterday, Graiguecullen's Barry Brennan crowned an impressive cameo with the final blow from 40 metres.

Said the inspirational centre back Tom Kelly: "Nowadays when our backs are to the wall, we seem to respond. That would never happen before.

"The main thing this year was Micko. Don't worry he'll keep us focused. Everyone looks up to him. From the moment we heard he was coming, we knew it was going to be hard work. Hard but worthwhile."

Though O'Dwyer cosseted himself in an ante-room away from the Laois celebrations, his presence was everywhere.

Said Munnelly: "When I joined the panel, the training seemed like it was at 100 miles per hour. I had never experienced anything like that before. And I noticed that no-one missed training it's hard to describe what he brings but he is like a father figure to a lot of the younger lads. Maybe the players were only looking for an excuse to give this extra commitment."

Parkinson added: "It did take a big name, to be honest, to bring things around. We're hard enough to manage, so unless it was a big GAA personality, we were not going to listen."

The Laois team left Croke Park for the Red Cow Inn in a conventional coach, but it rides like a bandwagon. Few will want to see it coming around the corner in two weeks time.

Colm Parkinson might always have believed, but others are buying into the Waterville gospel as well.

"I never had a doubt in my mind," insisted Parkinson. "I've been to a good few colleges and fellas would be asking 'what's ye're story?' It was embarrassing that we kept messing up with the players we had. Maybe the penny has finally dropped."