Laois power past Kerry to claim Allianz Hurling League Division 2 title

Laois have been crowned Division 2 Allianz Hurling League champions after they got the better of Kerry in Laois Hire O'Moore Park on Saturday afternoon.

The game was essentially over at half-time as Laois led by nine points, having hurled into the wind blowing from The Town End towards Abbeyleix. Their position got even stronger after the break as they scored a third goal to effectively end the game as a contest.

Both sides came into Saturday's game already promoted, with the small matter of the Division 2 Hurling Cup sitting at the top of the steps in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. It was Kerry who opened the scoring inside a minute as Liam Og O'Connor split the posts before Laois went down the other end and rattled the back of the net. Ryan Mullaney's shot for a point was blocked and fell into the path of Mossy Keyes under the stand on the sideline. Mossy then took off and left Sean McGrath in the dust before batting the ball past Conor Bohane.

Laois were playing into a stiff breeze, and Kerry, with the aid of the wind, scored their second point through Jordan Brick. Three minutes later, Laois raised their second green flag as a Podge Delaney free dropped into the square and Cillian Dunne was quickest to react as he unleashed the ball past Bohane. Laois almost had a third goal a few seconds later, but Aidan Corby drilled the ball wide. Laois hit the front from here and got the next five points without reply. Aaron Dunphy scored three of those, two from frees, while Mossy and James Keyes scored one each. Brick and Jack Kelly traded points as Laois led 2-6 to 0-3 after 21 minutes.

Michael Slattery and Michael Leane added a point each for The Kingdom before the next four points were swapped. Dunphy (free) and Corby pointed for Laois, while Ronan Walsh got both of Kerry's points. Laois scored three points on the trot as full-back Cody Comerford got his name on the scoresheet and Dunphy scored two from play. Walsh pointed a free to end the first half with Laois ahead by nine points, 2-11 to 0-8.

Dunphy extended his tally to seven points with the opening score of the second half, pushing Laois further ahead. Kerry had three opportunities to cut the deficit, but all three efforts went wide. Laois capitalised soon after, grabbing a third goal, albeit in fortunate circumstances, when a shot from Fiachra C Fennell dropped short, and Bohane, attempting to catch it, dropped the ball into his own net.

Four frees followed, two for both sides as Dunphy scored for Laois and O'Connor for Kerry. Dunphy caught the puck-out from his second free and put it straight back over the bar. Kerry's 11th point came from the hurl of Tom Doyle before Laois captain David Dooley scored a point from midfield. Ben Conroy came off the bench to increase Laois' lead before O'Connor (free) and Padraig Boyle pointed for Kerry. 

The game ended with Dunphy scoring his 11th point of the game as Laois won by 14 points. Laois will have a three-week break before they travel to Carlow in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh Cup.

Final Score

Laois 3-18

Kerry 0-13

SCORERS — Laois:Aaron Dunphy 0-11 (0-7 frees), Tomas Keyes 1-2, Cillian Dunne and Fiachra C Fennell 1-0 each, Jack Kelly, Aidan Corby, David Dooley, Cody Comerford, and Ben Conroy 0-1 each. Kerry: Liam Óg O’Connor 0-4 (0-3 frees), Ronan Walsh 0-3 (0-2 frees), Jordan Brick 0-2, Tom Doyle, Michael Slattery, Michael Leane, and Padraig Boyle 0-1 each. 

LAOIS: Cathal Dunne (Clough/Ballacolla); Ian Shanahan (Ballinakill), Lee Cleere (Clough/Ballacolla), Cody Comerford (The Harps); Ciaran McEvoy (Portlaoise), Podge Delaney (The Harps), Fiachra C Fennell (Rosenallis); David Dooley (Rosenallis), Aidan Corby (Clough/Ballacolla); James Keyes (Colt-Shanahoe), Jack Kelly (Rathdowney-Errill), Ryan Mullaney (Castletown); Cillian Dunne (Clough/Ballacolla), Aaron Dunphy (Borris-Kilcotton), Tomas Keyes (Camross). Subs: Ben Conroy (Slieve Bloom) for J Keyes (49 mins), Martin Phelan (Castletown) for Cillian Dunne (50 mins), Gearoid Lynch (Ballinakill) for Kelly (55 mins), Cormac Byrne (Abbeyleix) for Corby (63 mins), Diarmaid Conway (Clough/Ballacolla) for Shanahan (65 mins).

KERRY: Conor Bohane; Eric Leen, Sean McGrath, Kyle O'Connor; James O'Connor, Jason Diggins, Michael Leane; Kevin Goulding, Ronan Walsh; Tom Doyle, Colin Walsh, Jordan Brick; Liam Og O'Connor, Daniel Casey, Michael Slattery. Subs: Adam Segal for Goulding (39 mins), Ivan Conway for R Walsh and Padraig Boyle for Slattery (Both 55 mins), Evan Murphy for Diggins (64 mins), Luke Rochford for Brick (69 mins).

Referee: Niall Malone (Clare)