Hyland brings Laois to another level

Laois 0-20 Carlow 0-13: LAOIS GAINED revenge for their 2010 championship defeat at the same venue when they proved far too strong for the home side in the first round of the Leinster championship in Dr Cullen Park on Saturday evening. Willie Hyland scored 13 points over the course of the game and was very much the dominant figure throughout.

He opened the scoring with two pointed frees and, with the rest of the half-forward line raising white flags before the interval, Laois looked in command.

Carlow did threaten. Notably just before the interval when Marty Kavanagh landed two frees and immediately afterward the break when the same player was on target with another placed ball.

Laois still deserved their 0-12 to 0-7 interval lead but who knows what might have happened if Carlow had converted a penalty in the third quarter. Daryl Roberts found Mark Brennan in the big square and as the full forward tried to bundle his way forward he was thrown to the ground.

Carlow goalkeeper Frank Foley came forward to take it but his well-struck shot was blocked. It was a massive disappointment for the home side and Hyland rubbed salt into their wounds when he immediately landed three points in as many minutes.

“We felt a goal at any stage bar the last 15 minutes when there were six or seven points in it would have put us in the driving seat,” said Carlow manager Kevin Ryan afterwards.

Teddy McCarthy, the Laois manager, felt his side would not have lost if Carlow had got any closer. “Listening to people, Laois would have wilted before but that is one thing they didn’t do today. They stuck to their task well. They went from start to finish and I thought their fitness was superb at times,” he said afterwards.

LAOIS:E Reilly (0-2, frees); C Coonan, D Maher, G Burke; C Dunne, M Whelan, M McEvoy; J Walsh (0-1), S Hanlon; S Maher (0-3), B Dunne (0-1), W Hyland (0-13, 0-6 frees); T Fitzgerald, N Foyle, D O'Mahoney. Subs: C Murray for O'Mahoney (48 mins), B Reddin for O'Hanlon (65 mins).

CARLOW: F Foley; A Corcoran, E Nolan, E Coady; J Corcoran, S Kavanagh (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 65), R Coady; J Kavanagh (0-1), A Gaul (0-2); E Byrne, J Kane, C Doyle; M Kavanagh (0-7, frees), M Brennan, D Roberts (0-1). Subs: R Smithers for Kane (half-time), M Clowry for Doyle (55 mins), A McDonald for Roberts (58 mins), K McCabe for R. Coady (65 mins), HP O'Byrne for Gaul (68 mins).

Referee: A Kelly (Galway).