Gilroy: More to come from O’Gara
The Templeogue/Synge Street man gave a virtuoso performance at the edge of the square, tormenting the Laois back-line with a resounding display of strength not to mention shooting that saw him kick 1-5 from play.
His goal in the final minute of normal time when another excellent performer Diarmuid Connolly put him through was the icing on the cake and brought the O’Moore Park stand, most of which were from Dublin, to their feet.
Gilroy wouldn’t say it was a performance he had been waiting for, but did forecast good days ahead for the teak-tough forward after overcoming injuries.
“We would be very happy with what Eoghan does,” he said. “Eoghan does a lot of unseen things.
“There is loads of football in Eoghan, he just needs to stay free of injury. I think you will see plenty more of that from him.”
O’Gara’s point in the 29th minute was a terrific effort from distance but the fact he had done so well to keep the ball alive twice in the build-up made it all the better.
His bulwark characteristics were illustrated in instigating the first score of the second-half when, despite the attentions of two Laois defenders near the sideline, he retained the ball and won a free, which then led to Connolly pointing.
In a similar vein to their league wins last year, Dublin refused to panic even when Ross Munnelly’s lobbed goal in the 64th minute brought Laois right back into the game.
That Dublin did it without the Brogans, Alan and Bernard, starting made it all the sweeter. Alan did enter the fray and picked up a point while Bernard had to cry off with a knock picked up in training on Thursday night. “It is important that we have a panel,” noted Gilroy.
“We test that during the league and get as much out of fellas. We know we have more resources than we had last summer.
“If we got through the league and hadn’t got fellas games it would be a waste.
“So this is important and it is good we get performances like that because some day maybe the two of them (Alan and Bernard) would be injured and we would have to play without them. So it is no harm at all.”
Even though they didn’t score for almost 30 minutes including the first 19 minutes of the second-half, Laois manager Justin McNulty felt they had an opportunity to win the game.
“The simple turnovers, unforced turnovers killed us. Easy missed opportunities, scoreable from play and from frees and a sucker punch of the goal at a crucial time when too many of our players were following the ball but I can’t fault the effort of the team.
In truth, Laois had committed too many players back when they were supposed to be chasing the game, while there were deep crevasses between their full and half-back lines, which O’Gara and Connolly duly exploited.
For Dublin, James McCarthy is available for Sunday’s game with Armagh after serving his one-match ban following his sending off against Mayo.
Scorers for Laois: R Munnelly 1-3; P Cahillane (1 free), C Kelly (frees) 0-2 each; P Clancy, C Begley 0-1 each.
Scorers for Dublin: E O’Gara 1-5; D Connolly 0-5 (1 free); T Quinn 0-2 (1 free); P Flynn, A Brogan 0-1 each.
Subs for Laois: C Kelly for Clancy (inj 33); S Conroy for Cahillane (inj 47); B Mulligan for Sheehan (64); J Kavanagh for O’Connor (68).
Subs for Dublin: B Cullen for P Brogan (inj 33); A Brogan for McManamon and MD Macauley for McConnell (both 54); P Andrews for Quinn (62); D Nelson for Dias (75).
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
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