Preview: Laois and Down set to battle it out for Tailteann Cup glory

It all comes down to this. 70 minutes of football separates Laois from Tailteann Cup glory and with it a chance to play in the Sam Maguire Cup for 2025.

Laois will go toe-to-toe with Down on Saturday afternoon for the right to be crowned 2024 Tailteann Cup champions and walk up the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift silverware.

Justin McNulty's side got the better of Antrim in the semi-finals on Sunday, June 23 after centre-back Brian Byrne popped up with two crucial goals to seal a five-point victory. Down had a much tougher time in their semi-final as they needed extra-time to get past the challenge of Sligo with an Odhran Murdock penalty in the 84th minute proving to be the decisive score in the end. 

No one in Laois will want to remember the last time the two sides met as Down humiliated Laois in GAA HQ last year in the semi-finals as they raised eight green flags on their way to securing a 22-point victory.

Down are in the final for the second successive year having lost to Meath in last year's final. Down also played in the Division 3 final against Westmeath but lost out to Dessie Dolan's side in their quest to become league champions. 

In terms of Laois' 2024 Tailteann Cup campaign, it got off to a slow start to say the least as they somehow managed to squander a six-point lead in injury time to allow Carlow to sneak a draw in the opening game. A trip to Aughrim was to follow as Laois eked out a narrow victory against Wicklow, 0-11 to 0-10. Goalkeeper Killian Roche's free with 10 minutes to play ended up being the match winner for his side. That set up a top of the table clash with Fermanagh in Pearse Park. Laois were unfortunately on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller which meant they finished second in their group and would play at home in the preliminary quarter-final.

A novel match up was drawn as Laois were set to host New York in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Laois didn't play their best football against New York and were thankful for a Mark Timmons goal to get themselves past The Exiles and into the quarter-finals.

Kildare were next in line for Laois with Tullamore hosting the game as Kildare's home ground of St Conleth's Park is currently undergoing renovations. Kildare  kicked into  a strong breeze in the opening half but truth be told didn't make much of use of it as the sides went into the break level-pegging.

Laois' second-half performance was exemplary as they ended up having five points to spare over Kildare to end a 19-year wait for a Championship win over The Lilywhites. Laois captain Evan O'Carroll scored Laois' second goal on the day and what a goal it was as he caught a kick-pass from Conor Heffernan before running at the Kildare defence and tucking away the ball off his left foot.

Another trip to Croke Park followed for Justin McNulty's side as they travelled to GAA HQ for the second time in as many months to take on Antrim in the Tailteann Cup semi-finals. Once again, Laois needed a superb final quarter performance to get themselves over the line after Antrim had gone three points ahead after 50 minutes having been down by three points at the half-time break.

Laois' second goal was the catalyst for the victory as Eoin Buggie's effort dropped in and around the square with Portlaoise's Kevin Swayne on hand to palm the ball into the Antrim net. Brian Byrne's second goal of the game after 68 minutes and it sealed the deal for Laois to send their strong travelling support into delirium.

Saturday's game will be a battle of attrition with neither side giving much away early on. Laois will be hoping that they have improved since their last meeting with Down and Down will be thinking likewise.

One things for sure that no matter the result on Saturday, the Laois GAA fans will certainly be proud of the team's efforts.

Laois and Down throws-in at 3pm on Saturday, July 13. The game will be shown live on RTÉ 2 and the Leinster Express/ Laois Live will be providing a live blog from the game. For those still without tickets, they can be bought here.