New rules add spice to O’Byrne semi-final

Laois 2-10 Kildare 2-9

There might be more strange days ahead before we get a handle on the sin-bin, but it’s stirred this competition into life, with nearly 6,000 spectators in O’Moore Park yesterday.

The reaction of the Laois players to Fergal Byron’s 67th-minute penalty and the celebrations at the end, Pauric Clancy clenching his fist and raising it to the stand as Declan O’Loughlin ran onto the pitch congratulating his players, shows that this year the O’Byrne Cup might mean something. Or maybe it’s just the new rules.