Mayo choked the life out of Laois as the Connacht champions did enough to warrant a 0-14 to 0-11 win in today's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final replay.
Conor Mortimer (0-05) led the scoring at Croke Park as the sheer work rate of midfielders Ronan McGarrity and Pat Harte helped set up an intriguing semi-final clash between Mayo and Dublin next Sunday.
Laois had to wait 16 minutes before Brian 'Beano' McDonald banged over their first point – they were well off the boil and trailed by 0-07 to 0-04 at half time with Mortimer pointing three times.
The midlanders, who were pegged back by a late Mortimer free in last week’s drawn game, had the gap down to two points by the 52nd-minute.
Ross Munnelly chalked up 0-05 but a much-needed goal eluded Laois – Noel Garvan’s fisted effort in the last-minute was inches wide and it was the closest Mick O’Dwyer’s men came to saving their championship bacon.
Both sides looked nervy during the opening exchanges with Ciaran McDonald and Mortimer posting bad wides for Mayo, and Munnelly equally off-key in front of Hill 16.
Recalled Mayo goalkeeper David Clarke was also fortunate to keep a dropping ball away from his net when he let it slip from his grasp and bounce away off his knee – David Heaney was on hand to scoop up and clear his lines.
The teams exchanged eight wides – four each – inside the first 13 minutes. By that stage, Mayo were 0-02 to no score in front, courtesy of Billy Joe Padden and Ger Brady, who showed great strength and persistence to score.
‘Beano’ opened Laois’ account, scoring from a pass from Brian McCormack, but O’Dwyer’s side never truly settled and were left chasing the game when Alan Dillon (free), Mortimer and Aidan Higgins – the defender swept over his first championship point – all bisected the posts for a 0-05 to 0-01 Mayo lead.
A knockdown from converted full-forward Noel Garvan, who was well marshalled by Heaney, allowed Padraig Clancy kick Laois’ second point. Although Mayo’s knack of dropping shots short of the target came back to haunt them, they kept on track with Mortimer slotting over two frees for a 0-07 to 0-02 advantage.
Garvan had nowhere near the influence he had the last day – his three points from play were sorely missed this afternoon, as were Chris Conway’s frees – the Arles-Kilcruise man nailed only two placed balls against a stubborn Mayo defence this time around.
Laois ran their wides tally up to eight before the break – Mayo were faring little better, dropping three shots into the chest of Fergal Byron, and two late points from ‘Beano’ and Munnelly (free) gave the midlanders hope for the second half.
Mayo playmaker McDonald, curling over from an impossibly tight angle on the left, and Mortimer then sent Mayo five clear at 0-09 to 0-04 with the second half barely four minutes old.
Young Donie Brennan was sent on to rescue his county – he did well, notching a quick point after a Munnelly free as Laois cut the gap again to three points.
Yet there was no lasting dominance for Laois – the long limbs of McGarrity were hoovering up any loose ball and his midfield colleague Harte covered every blade of grass – the westerners were just a step ahead of the beaten Leinster semi-finalists.
Even when two close-range frees were converted by Conway and Munnelly to put a goal between the sides again, with just three minutes remaining, Mayo never looked in any danger.
The gap had been down to two points when Padraig McMahon sallied forward to win a free for Conway to point for 0-10 to 0-08. Nonetheless, Conway turned villain at the Canal end when putting in a late challenge on Mortimer and the latter dusted himself off to fire over the free.
Perhaps Mayo’s best point followed when an attack, started by corner back Dermot Geraghty who came haring out of the defence, ended with an excellent right-footed shot by Aidan Kilcoyne, one of the county’s All-Ireland Under-21 heroes.
Laois made a mess of their first real sight on goal coming up to the hour mark, when both Munnelly and Conway overran possession and were closed down.
A fisted effort from Dillon and a deserved point for McGarrity sandwiched Munnelly’s only point from play soon after, and Mayo’s lead was back to five.
Conway and Munnelly did increase heart rates with their late frees and Garvan went close when attempting to fist home a lobbed ball in from Peter O’Leary, however Mayo had the necessary guile to see out a morale-boosting win. The question now is will a seven-day turnaround allow Mickey Moran's men enough time to prepare for the might of the Dubs?
MAYO – D Clarke; D Geraghty, D Heaney, K Higgins; A Higgins (0-02), J Nallen, P Gardiner; R McGarrity (0-01), P Harte; BJ Padden (0-01), G Brady (0-01), C McDonald (0-01); A Dillon (0-02 (0-01f), C Mortimer (0-05 (0-03f)), M Conroy.
Subs used: P Kelly for Heaney (23-27 mins, 67-70, blood sub), A Kilcoyne (0-01) for Padden (28), K O'Neill for Conroy (29), B Regan for O'Neill (44), A Moran for Brady (57)
LAOIS – F Byron; A Fennelly, D Rooney, J Higgins; P O'Leary, T Kelly, P McMahon; P Clancy (0-01), B Quigley; R Munnelly (0-05 (0-04f)), C Conway (0-02 (0-02f)), B McCormack; B McDonald (0-02), N Garvan, B Sheehan.
Subs used: D Brennan (0-01) for McCormack (27 mins), I Fitzgerald for Quigley (51), G Kavanagh for Sheehan (54), P Lawlor for McDonald (63)
Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan)
