Leinster SFC, Round One: Laois 3-12 Offaly 0-12
Laois secured a Newbridge quarter-final date against Kildare with an impressive win over a very below-par Offaly in a midlands derby on Saturday.
Just over 2,800 spectators in Tullamore saw Laois control the game most of the way – and they never looked like losing.
Laois were the better side by far in the first half and their 2-7 to 0-8 half-time lead was a fair reflection of the way it went.
Their two goals separated the sides, with Kevin Swayne getting one after two minutes and Ciaran Burke punching to the net in the 10th minute. The visitors led by 2-3 to 0-2 after 15 minutes and Offaly began to play after this. Dylan Hyland got a two-point free and Jordan Hayes and Keith O’Neill kicked points as they cut the gap to 2-4 to 0-6 after 26 minutes.
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Laois should have got a third goal before the break, with Offaly goalkeeper Conor Melia making great saves from Swayne and Evan O’Carroll, who kicked four first-half points. Laois were 2-7 to 0-6 ahead in the 32nd minute and points from Keith O’Neill and Cormac Egan kept Offaly in contention at the break.
Laois killed the game off early in the second half with Simon Fingleton’s well taken goal making it 3-8 to 0-8 after 39 minutes.
The winners went 21 minutes without scoring after this, and Offaly had enough play to have got back into it but never played well enough to do so. Hyland (free), Diarmuid Egan and Harry Plunkett brought the gap back to six with points, but Offaly needed to be closer.
Melia kept them alive with two more quality saves, but Laois finally lifted the siege and reopened a nine-point gap with points from Pa Kirwan, Paul Kingston and O’Carroll between the 60th and 62nd minutes.
LAOIS: K Roche; J Lacey, T Collins, A Mohan; P O’Sullivan, S Fingleton (1-0-0), B Byrne; C Burke (1-0-0), C Heffernan; K Swayne (1-0-0), R Coffey (0-0-2), R Murphy (0-0-1); D Galvin, Robert Tyrrell (0-0-1), E O’Carroll (0-0-5). Subs: P Kingston (0-0-2, 1f) for Galvin (h-t), P Kirwan (0-0-1) for Coffey (55 mins), A McEvoy for O’Sullivan, N Corbett for Swayne (both 60), M Dempsey for Tyrrell (61).
OFFALY: C Melia; S O’Toole-Greene, D Dempsey, A Bracken; C Egan (0-0-1), D Egan (0-0-1), Lee Pearson; J McEvoy, J Hayes (0-0-1); D McDaid, K O’Neill (0-0-2), R Egan; D Hyland (0-1-3, 1tpf, 1f), S Tierney, D Flynn. Subs: M Dalton for Bracken (h-t), H Plunkett (0-0-1) for Tierney, J Bryant for Flynn (both 42 mins), K Higgins for McDaid (52), C Dunican for C Egan (67).
Referee: P Faloon (Down).
