Meath unleashed at Tullamore

The second bite at the Laois cherry was the sweetest as Meath enjoyed the taste of victory at O'Connor Park, Tullamore on Saturday evening and set up a Leinster SFC semi-final tie with Dublin at headquarters next Sunday. The sweetness of the win was tempered by the bitter taste of Paddy O'Rourke's 52nd minute dismissal for a reckless kick at Laois captain Padraig McMahon, but Meath showed great character to preserve their advantage and coast to victory. The failings from Croke Park that forced Meath to replay this quarter-final didn't resurface again. When they got their noses in front they stayed there and caused further problems for a mis-firing Laois side that looked a pale shadow of the team that deserved a draw six days earlier. Meath were magnificent, but the quality of the opposition must be factored in. Laois were inept in front of the posts and their lack of hard work last Saturday evening suggested that the Croke Park showing was an aberration. Meath showed a hunger and determination that has been their hallmark down through the years. They were like wild dogs with a prone prey. They refused to ease up, even when reduced to 14 men. To epitomise the desire of the Meath defenders, they didn't concede any scores from play in the second-half and that was despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for 18 minutes. The Laois forwards managed just two points from play, while six of their final tally came from placed balls. Laois were the authors of their own downfall. They were abysmal in front of the posts, shooting seven wides in the first-half , had they gone over it might have asked Meath to answer a few more difficult questions. Much of the credit for the poor Laois poor showing must go down to the excellent defending of Kevin Reilly, Caoimhin King and Chris O'Connor. Although M J Tierney and Donie Kingston did cause a few problems, Meath got to grips with them quickly and quelled that threat. Meath were able to release players to concentrate on winning ball around the middle. Seamus Kenny produced another outstanding performance and was undoubtedly man-of-the-match with a display that saw him pop up in every sector and make vital contributions. Kenny's incessant engine ensured Meath won most of the breaking ball and despite losing Mark Ward early on with an ankle injury, Meath were always on top at midfield where Brian Meade, Joe Sheridan and Graham Reilly picked up breaks to complement the magnificent work of Kenny. Graham Reilly once again enhanced his growing reputation with four superb points while Sheridan capped an excellent all-round performance with 2-2 which demonstrated a maturity and leadership that ensured Meath were always on top. Cian Ward returned to the type of form that saw him impress against Offaly. His general play was excellent and while he didn't figure prominently on the scoreboard, his contribution and creativity created chances. The same applies to Stephen Bray while Shane O'Rourke also worked hard and grabbed crucial scores to knock the wind out of the Laois sails. It was an excellent Meath performance, but confidence should come with a warning - Laois were poor. If Laois had displayed more accuracy it might have been closer, but the best team won. The game hinged on three crucial factors. Laois failed to register points when they had the upper hand and Meath survived a slow start. Sheridan's second goal, four minutes into first-half injury-time, turned a potential two-point interval lead into five. The third crucial factor was how Meath reacted to Paddy O'Rourke's sending-off. The dismissal saw the introduction of Brendan Murphy and he was flawless. Meath also defended superbly to prevent Laois scoring from play, while a couple of excellent points on the counter attack from Shane O'Rourke settled the team back into their winning formula. There was a sense of déjÀ vu inside 30 seconds when Darren Strong gave Laois the lead for what transpired to be the only time. Meath responded perfectly six minutes later when Cian Ward's centre was flicked to the net by Joe Sheridan. The subsequent 90 seconds saw points from Graham Reilly and Shane O'Rourke stretch the advantage to 1-2 to 0-1. MJ Tierney (free) and Cahir Healy responded for Laois, but they were woeful in front of the posts. Meath were denied a second goal when Michael Nolan saved from Cian Ward and 20 seconds later Sheridan hit the upright before the influential Brian Meade made it 1-3 to 0-3 with a fisted point. Tierney caused a few problems for Eoghan Harrington and pointed, but the second-quarter was fractious with injuries to Michael Burke and Mark Ward and a booking for Chris O'Connor disrupting play. Cian Ward and Graham Reilly traded scores with McMahon and Kingston (free), but then Sheridan's decisive second goal following Cian Ward's centre and an Ollie Lewis knock down gave Meath a 2-5 to 0-6 interval cushion. Meath's blistering start to the second-half yielded points from King, Graham Reilly (two) and Sheridan in a five-minute spell to open up a nine-point lead. Kingston (free) and Sheridan traded scores before Paddy O'Rourke's moment of madness threatened to make life difficult for Eamonn O'Brien's side. However, Meath out-scored Laois by four points to three with Shane O'Rourke and Cian Ward (two each) on target to ensure comfortable passage and record Meath's second successive Leinster SFC win for the first time in nine years. SCORERS Meath - J Sheridan 2-2; G Reilly 0-4; C Ward 0-3, one free, one '45'; S O'Rourke 0-3; C King 0-1; B Meade 0-1. Laois - M J Tierney 0-4, three frees; D Kingston 0-2 frees; P O'Leary 0-1 '45'; P McMahon 0-1; C Healy 0-1; D Strong 0-1. THE TEAMS Meath - P O'Rourke; C O'Connor, K Reilly, Eoghan Harrington; M Burke, A Moyles, C King; B Meade, M Ward; S Kenny, J Sheridan, G Reilly; C Ward, S O'Rourke, S Bray. Subs - C Gillespie for M Ward 23 mins, O Lewis for Burke 26m, G O'Brien for Moyles half-time, B Murphy for Bray 53m, C McGuinness for Kenny 66m. Laois - M Nolan; P O'Leary, M Timmons, P McMahon; C Healy , C Ryan, C Begley; B Quigley, K Meaney; J O'Loughlin, D Strong , C Rogers; MJ Tierney, D Kingston, R Munnelly. Subs - D Booth for Begley 10 mins, B Sheehan for Ryan 34m, P Clancy for Strong half-time, P Lawlor for Rogers 50m, D Rooney for Quigley 68m. REFEREE Maurice Condon (Waterford).