Cavan turn up heat after break to put Laois to sword

A dominant third quarter surge from competition favourites Cavan crushed what promised to be a lively challenge from Laois in Saturday evening's Tailteann Cup opener at Kingspan Breffni, with seven unanswered points from the home side putting the midlanders to the sword and wrapping up the win long before a late surge from Billy Sheehan’s men.

Whether the opening 20 minutes was a case of Cavan flushing dirty diesel out of the system after their disappointing Ulster championship showing, or whether it was a case of Laois fired up and determined to prove a point, was hard to tell. Most likely, both factors were at play, as the side that failed to get out of Division 4 of the Allianz League were more than a match for the team that will play in Division 2 in 2024.

There was no mistaking the potency of the Cavan attack at any stage, and while Mickey Graham’s men were guilty of a number of early wides, they also picked off some good scores through James Smith (after just ten seconds), Gerard Smith, and Ryan O’Neill.

Laois went with a very direct approach, looking to exploit the aerial ability and good hands of Paul Kingston and Evan O’Carroll close to goal. That worked well too, with O’Carroll finding the net after a driving run from the left corner, while Mark Barry picked up on some good layoffs to chip over some excellent points.

Paul Kingston’s well-struck score from the right wing made it 1-5 to 0-5 just short of the 20 minute mark, and the visceral roar from the Laois players that greeted the score was a fair indicator of their competitive frame of mind.

Underdogs need luck as well as spirit however and they were rocked back when referee Anthony Nolan deemed that there was a foul as Paddy Lynch drove at the Laois goal after