Dublin won’t exactly be rattled by what they saw in Portlaoise on Saturday evening.
Laois handily got by Wicklow in their Leinster Football Championship first round encounter, as most expected them to, but the quality on show won’t be too troubling for the All-Ireland champions.
Wastefulness on Wicklow’s part made all the difference to Laois, whose superiority from scoring positions is reflected by their three-goal haul in a 3-16 to 0-18 victory.
Laois, under the guidance of Mick Lillis, were visibly unreliable in defence though, allowing Wicklow to claw their way back to just a one-point deficit.
Donie Kingston eased all nerves with a late goal that ensured there would be no upset but Dublin will be rather confident of winning impressively when they travel to Kilkenny on June 4.
A meeting of the Leinster Council in November made the decision to take Dublin out of the capital for their Leinster Championship quarter-final.
Nowlan Park is the location for their first Championship game outside of Croke Park in exactly 10 years, when they got through a too-close-for-comfort tie at Pearse Park against Longford.
But Laois will have to be a lot better than they were this weekend if they are to make it as tight an affair for the champions.
