Late King free sees Rathdowney-Errill and Portlaoise end all square in a Laois SHC thriller

Portlaoise and Rathdowney-Errill have played out one of the games of the championship this evening as both sides left the Laois Hire O'Moore Park pitch with a share of the spoils.

Tommy Fitzgerald's side looked to have got over the line when Aaron Bergin pointed a free in the 63rd minute until referee JJ Gorman awarded Rathdowney-Errill a late free and an opportunity to snatch a point.

Portlaoise 3-23

Rathdowney-Errill 2-26

It took three minutes for either side to get their name on the scoreboard as Ross King got Rathdowney-Errill off the mark. Portlaoise also opened the scoring from the next puck-out as James Conroy fired the ball into the back of the net after DJ White put him through on goals with a hand-pass. Eric Killeen pointed from a tight angle for Rathdowney-Errill as Eddie Critchley raised Portlaoise's first white flag.

Padraig Rafter and Brandon McGinley responded with a point each for Rathdowney-Errill. A second Portlaoise goal followed from that man Conroy again as he went around goalkeeper Ben Campion and tapped the ball into an empty net. Tadgh Dowling and Aaron Bergin traded scores with DJ White pointing over his shoulder to give Portlaoise a four-point advantage after nine minutes.

James Ryan opened his account for Rathdowney-Errill before Portlaoise had another goal chance. Bergin's effort was saved by Campion with the ball eventually falling to Ben Brennan and he split the posts. King added two more scores to his tally, one from play and one from a free. Portlaoise were going for goal at every opportunity as Cormac Rigney blasted the ball into the bottom corner.

Bergin got a second point of the half as he scored from his own 65'. King responded with a free for his side but Portlaoise kept tapping over scores as Rigney and Brennan split the posts. Eoin Bourke and Dowling done likewise for Rathdowney-Errill. Portlaoise still held a five-point advantage. Bergin and King (2) both raised white flags from frees. Portlaoise just kept getting scores as Dylan Sheehan and Conroy added to The Town's lead.

McGinley and King (free) got a score each for Rathdowney-Errill with Rigney doing likewise for Portlaoise as The Town led 3-11 to 0-15 at the break.

Rathdowney-Errill's McGinley pointed for the third time on the resumption of the second-half. Bergin slotted over a free and two 65's while King got a score back from a free. Rathdowney-Errill were then gifted a goal as a puck-out from Brochan O'Reilly went straight to Eoin Bourke and he slipped it to Killeen who's shot went through O'Reilly in the Portlaoise net.

Three points separated the sides at this point with 20 minutes to play and Rathdowney-Errill cut that to two points soon after as Dowling pointed from play. The next four scores were traded as Critchley and Bergin scored for Portlaoise while Dylan Carroll and King (free) got the Rathdowney-Errill scores. Rigney pointed for Portlaoise to make it a three point game.

King was immense from dead balls for Rathdowney-Errill as he pointed a 65'. Rathdowney-Errill's second goal was superbly taken as Killeen rattled the Portlaoise net for the second time to give them the lead for the first time since the opening score. King pushed his side ahead with another free before Portlaoise levelled the game through points from DJ White and Bergin (free).

The game was tit for tat late on as McGinley got a fourth point to push them in front. Portlaoise responded and got three points in three minutes to now be ahead by two. Cian Taylor, Frank Flanagan and Bergin (free) getting the scores for The Town. The game was a draw come the 61st minute as King (free) and Paddy Purcell's first point left the score at 2-25 to 3-22. It looked as if Bergin had won the game when he pointed a free in the 63rd minute but referee JJ Gorman awarded Rathdowney-Errill a free in the 65th minute and King pointed it to draw the game.

Both sides are now on three points after their opening round victories. Portlaoise face Camross in the final group game while Rathdowney-Errill face Castletown.