Dublin 0-12 Laois 0-9
Leinster U-21 Football Championship Final 2009
Nine years ago, a Dublin team manager by Jim Gavin traveled to O’Moore Park for a Leinster final they were not favourites to win.
Laois had won Leinster titles in 2006 and 2007 and bookies made them favourites to collect a third title in four years in their own back yard.
But Dublin, playing with the breeze in the first half, took control early on and ended up leading the game from start to finish.
Dublin held a 0-7 to 0-3 lead at half time and although Donie Kingston and Zach Tuohy tried to bring Laois back into it in the second half, they could never get close enough to really trouble Dublin
And when you look back at it now, it really is amazing to see what members of that Dublin team have gone on to achieve.
Rory O’Carroll, Johnny Cooper, Cian O’Sullivan, Kevin Nolan, Paddy Andrews, Dean Rock and Nicky Devereux all went on to win All-Ireland’s with Dublin at senior level.
While if you look at the Laois team, only John O’Loughlin, Donie Kingston and Brian Glynn are still playing for the senior team – all three were on the field for Laois’s Division 4 win over Carlow last weekend.
Laois never reached another U-21 final and will now not ever do so again as the competition has been scrapped and replaced with a new U-20 championship.
SCORERS – Laois: Donie Kingston 0-5 (four frees), Zach Tuohy 0-2, Simon Shortall and John O’Loughlin 0-1 Dublin: Dean Kelly, Paddy O’Connor (two frees), Dean Rock (two 45s, one free) 0-3 each, Paddy Andrews, Niall Brogan and Barry O’Rourke 0-1 each
LAOIS: Marty Dowling (The Heath); Robbie Kehoe (O’Dempsey’s), John Scully (Annanough), Niall Gorman (Mountmellick); Richie Ryan (Ballylinan), Ger Reddin (Mountmellick), Simon Shortall (Annanough); John O’Loughlin (St Brigid’s), Darragh Meredith (O’Dempsey’s); Brian Glynn (Portlaoise), Zach Tuohy (Portlaoise), Conor Boyle (Portlaoise); James Doyle (St Joseph’s), Donie Kingston (Arles-Killeen), Jason Moore (Portarlington). Subs: Ambrose Doran (Graiguecullen), Joe Mulhare (Arles-Killeen), Kieran Lillis (Portlaoise)
DUBLIN: Dominic McDonnell (St Sylvester’s); Colin Moore (Ballymun Kickhams), Rory O’Carroll (Kilmacud Crokes), Hugh Gill (St. Vincent’s); Johnny Cooper (Na Fianna), Cian O’Sullivan (Kilmacud Crokes), Niall Brogan (Thomas Davis); Colm Murphy (St. Jude’s), Kevin Nolan (Kilmacud Crokes); Paddy O’Connor (Thomas Davis), Luke Sweetman (Erins Isle), Dean Kelly (Trinity Gaels); Barry O’Rorke (Kilmacud Crokes), Paddy Andrews (St. Brigid’s), Dean Rock (Ballymun Kickhams) Subs: Nicky Devereux (Ballinteer St. Johns), John Sheanon (Cuala), Ted Furman (Ballymun Kickhams)
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