Late Purcell goal sees Laois off to a flyer in the Joe McDonagh against Offaly

Laois have gotten their Joe McDonagh campaign off to the best possible start in extraordinary fashion as a late Paddy Purcell goal saw his side past Offaly in Laois Hire O'Moore Park this afternoon.

Willie Maher's side had trailed for the majority of the contest but kept plugging away and got their just reward having trailed by six points on multiple occasions.

Laois 2-21

Offaly 0-24

The game got off to rip-roaring start as both sides had two points on the board after four minutes. Jer Quinlan got the opening point with Brian Duignan replying instantly for Offaly from a free. John Lennon got his name on the score sheet after a great run from Paddy Purcell. Cathal King leveled the game after four minutes as he got the first of four Offaly points without reply.

Eoghan Cahill pointed from a placed ball with Duignan and Charlie Mitchell raising white flags from play. Jer Quinlan and Liam O'Connell replied for Laois but Offaly would yet again hit four scores on the bounce. Sam Bourke, Dan Bourke, Dan Ravenhill and Cahill all split the posts as Offaly led 0-9 to 0-4 with 15 minutes played.

Laois captain Aaron Dunphy got his first of the contest from a free with Laois half-back Tom Cuddy doing likewise. Duignan got Offaly's 10th point before Laois hit three points unaswered to leave one between the sides. Cuddy, Dunphy (free) and Aidan Corby pushing Laois to within one. Dan Bourke and Aidan traded points as Offaly's Adam Screeney came off the bench to point twice in the opening period.

Corby got his third point of the half after 31 minutes but that would Laois' last score of the half as Offaly ended with three points to leave them five ahead at the break. Points from Duignan, Sam Bourke and Screeney (free) gave Offaly a 0-16 to 0-11 lead to take with them into the dressing rooms at half-time.

Killian Sampson increased Offaly's lead to six points after the resumption with Dunphy replying with a free. Adam Screeney hit two scores on the trot for Offaly but Laois would reply with three points on the spin. Points from Aaron Dunphy (2) and Picky Maher left four between the sides. Offaly restored their six-point advantage soon after as Screeney added another two points to his tally. Laois' first goal would follow as Enda Rowland had made a 1-on-1 save on Charlie Mitchell before Laois countered up-field and Paddy Purcell drilled the ball into the Offaly net.

Screeney pointed yet another free for Offaly with Picky Maher replying from a free of his own. Killian Sampson's point in the 57th minute had put Offaly three points up but this is when Laois showed their true credentials. Picky (free) and Purcell pointed with a 65' from Picky leveling the game for the first time since the fourth minute. 

Jer Quinlan's point in the 70th minute looked to have been the match winner until Leon Fox popped up with a score off the bench. That wouldn't be the last of the drama however, a puck-out from Enda Rowland found the hand of Willie Dunphy. The Clough-Ballacolla man played the ball to Mark Dowling, who passed to Purcell and he buried the ball into the net to send the Laois crowd into pandemonium. 

Laois face a trip to Navan next weekend to play Meath in Round 2.