Laois 0-5  Meath 0-15

By Aisling Clery  

Emma Duggan kicked six points as Meath defeated Laois and booked their place in the 2023 TG4 Leinster Championship Final against holders Dublin.  

The provincial heavyweights will lock horns at Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Sunday May 28.   

Laois battled defiantly in the opening half and trailed by just two at the break on home soil at Laois Hire O’Moore Park. However, Meath upped the ante after the break and hit nine second half points to run out comfortable winners.  

The first half began at lightning pace and it took Duggan just three points to put Meath ahead with a score from play. However, their lead didn’t last as Laois levelled through an Erone Fitzpatrick point a minute later. A foul on Shauna Ennis resulted in a point through a Stacey Grimes free to push Meath ahead.  

Grimes added a second free two minutes later, but Laois were rejuvenated from their fixture against Dublin last week and their hard work was rewarded when Orla Hennessy converted a long range kick on ten minutes.  

Laois could, and should, have been further ahead as Mo Nerney’s goal-bound shot was stopped by TG4 All Star goalkeeper Monica McGuirk.  

It was the first of three excellent saves made by McGuirk in the opening half as Laois piled the pressure on the Meath rearguard. McGuirk denied Nerney and Laura-Marie Maher, as the Laois pair both attempted to get past the Meath netminder.  

Duggan converted her first free midway through the half and while Grimes added a point from play two minutes later, Nerney got Laois back to within two points with an excellent free. Duggan got Meath’s six point from a free but Laois finished the first half stronger with Mo Nerney getting the last score of the half to make it a two point game, 0-6 to 0-4 at half time.  

Playing with the wind in the second half, Meath scored seven unanswered scores to take firm control of the fixture. Duggan (3), Megan Thynne, Stacey Grimes and an in-form Aoife Minogue all found their range as Meath pushed themselves into an unassailable lead.  

Nerney scored Laois’ only score of the second half, but Meath added points from Grimes and substitute Olivia Callan to book their place in the Leinster SFC decider.    

SCORERS: Meath: E Duggan 0-6 (2f), S Grimes 0-5 (3f), A Minogue 0-1, M Thynne 0-1, V Wall 0-1, O Callan 0-1.  

Laois: M Nerney 0-3 (1f), O Hennessy 0-1, E Fitzpatrick 0-1.  

MEATH: M McGuirk; Á Sheridan, M.K Lynch, K Newe; N Gallogly, S Ennis (C), A Cleary; M O’Shaughnessy, A Minogue; M Thynne, V Wall, E Duggan; O Lally, S Grimes, N O’Sullivan.  

Subs: S Melia for Cleary (8), C Smyth for Thynne (48), O Gore for Sheridan (48), M Byrne for O’Sullivan (49), A Sherlock for Gallogly (51), A Farrell for Newe (51), O Callan for Duggan (53), A McCabe for O’Shaughnessy (53), R Casserly for Wall (53).  

LAOIS: E Barry; S Farrelly, C Dunne, A Kelly; S Havill, E Healy (C), L Nerney; A Healy, A Moran; E Galvin, O Hennessy, E Fitzpatrick; M Nerney, SA Fitzgerald, L.M Maher.  

Subs: K Donoghue for Moran (45), G Moran for Fitzpatrick (53), A Kirrane for L Nerney (56).   

Ref: Finbarr Shanahan (Dublin).  

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