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.

When Byron foot-blocked Eamon Callaghan’s shot near the end of the first half, the sin-bin became the main thing again.

The Laois captain was the first goalie to be sin-binned, and Paul Finnegan, who refereed sensibly throughout, was correct in his decision.

However, it led to confusion. Noel Garvan stood in goals for Ronan Sweeney’s expertly-taken penalty, as the Laois mentors tried desperately to get sub ‘keeper Colm Munnelly onto the pitch.

Byron was the third player sin-binned in a bizarre five minute period. For the first 33 minutes there were no yellow cards, but then John Doyle saw yellow after fouling the outstanding Paul McDonald.

He was followed into the sin-bin a minute later by McDonald, before Byron’s foot-block. Both Doyle and McDonald had been ticked earlier, Byron committing a technical foul and all three decisions were correct, despite what some of the louder spectators might have thought.

Kildare, having got one controversial game with the new rules under their belts, showed they had learned something. Laois were disciplined and tackled more carefully than we are used to seeing from county teams. Mick O’Dwyer felt the game was a testament to what the new rules can do. “Well, people certainly got value for money out there, didn’t they? I thought it was a cracking game of football; the excitement was unbelievable. There is a lot to be said for these new rules if the end result is a game like that,” he said.

Much of this excitement was confined to the second half, during which Laois briefly played with 12 players, as three were in the bin.

The teams might have been distracted by a rooster which remained on the field for the entire first half, checking out this sin-bin lark for himself. He didn’t appear for the second half and missed some exciting football.

When Chris Conway split the posts in the 35th minute, it was to put Laois 0-6 to 0-3 ahead. By that stage, an injury to Willie Heffernan meant Kildare were forced to bring Ronan Sweeney, their only potent attacker, to midfield.

Sweeney still slotted home the penalty that levelled matters at the interval, but that parity didn’t last long. Even though Laois started the second half with only 13 players, the home side built a healthy lead.

This lead was augmented in the 50th minute with a superb team goal, finished off by Mark Dunne. The sin-bin then robbed Laois of Conway’s influence for 10 minutes and Kildare took full advantage.

The sides were level when he reappeared and Kildare stole into the lead when Sweeney rose above the Laois defence to fist John O’Donoghue’s 50 to the net. With 12 minutes left, Kildare led 2-8 to 1-8.

Laois wouldn’t be denied. Byron goaled from a penalty strike and although John Doyle managed his first point from play a moment later, Laois grabbed the glory. Clancy dropped a 50 into a bevy of players and Kelly fisted the ball over the bar.

Cue the celebrations, but Micko has injury worries, with Donal Miller and Ross Munnelly on the treatment table. “I am amazed we are winning matches at all, we are going to be missing Ross next Sunday and a couple of players are heading off to Hong Kong. The O’Byrne Cup has been good to us, but we have been losing players all over the field,” he said.

Scorers: Laois: F Byron (1-0, pen), M Dunne (1-0), R Munnelly (0-3, 1 free), S Cooke (0-2), C Conway (0-2, 1 side-line), S Kelly, P Clancy, G Kavanagh (0-1 each). Kildare: R Sweeney (2-2, 1 pen, 1 free), J O’Donoghue, D McCormack (0-2 each), J Doyle (0-2, 1 free), E Callaghan (0-1)

LAOIS: F Byron; P McDonald, C Begley, T McDonald, K Kelly, D Miller, P McMahon; P Clancy, N Garvan; G Kavanagh, C Conway, R Munnelly, P Lawlor, S Cooke, S Kelly.

Subs: N Donoher for Miller (7 mins), C Munnelly for Kavanagh (39 mins), M Dunne for Lawlor (ht), D Brennan for C Munnelly (44 mins), Kavanagh for R Munnelly (61 mins).

KILDARE: E Murphy; M Wright, D Hendy, A McLoughlin, A Flood, M Foley, K Ennis; K Brennan, W Herrernan; D Lyons, J Doyle, E Callaghan, R Galvin, R Sweeney, J O’Donoghue:

Subs: D McCormack for Heffernan (29 mins), T Archibald for Galvin (51mins), D Flynn for Flood (59 mins), T Fennin for Callaghan (64 mins)

Referee: P Finnegan (Louth).