Laois master Meath in dispiriting one-sided encounter

Slick visitors march to easy victory

Laois...7-29

Meath...1-16

Ouch! For anyone who has even a passing interest in Meath hurling and who was at St Loman's Park today the one-sided nature of this spectacle made for painful viewing.

Sure, a Laois victory was always likely. In fact certain. They have operated at a higher level of Meath hurling for a long time now and they came into this game on the back of a victory over Offaly the previous week - but still.

A 31-point defeat is an outcome that really does qualify as a hammering, a right Royal pasting - and you would have to wonder what it will do for the morale of the team. How do you pick yourself up after this?

The hope among the meagre home support was that Meath would at least make a game of it - and they did for most of the opening half.

Then, they crumbled, the victims of a whirlwind whipped up by their more physically imposing, slicker, quicker opponents.

Meath were in this game until - well sort of at least - the lead up to the interval. They were only five points behind playing against the wind when James Toher committed a foul as a Laois player rampaged through. It looked more a yellow card offence, but the Trim man was shown a black.

Referee Peter Owens also indicated a penalty, deeming perhaps the Laois player had a path to goal. Up stepped Laois goalkeeper Enda Rowland to fire the ball to the net.

Suddenly the visitors looked like world beaters - the home without one of their marquee players for a spell. By the interval it was 2-16 to 1-8. Game over.

Meath needed to keep a tight, unrelenting press when it came to the Laois puck outs. They weren't able to do that. Time and again Rowland picked out a colleague - and his team stayed on the front foot.

Time and again the Meath puck out malfunctioned. Goalkeeper Charlie Ennis would find a colleague but the ball would then be overturned and the pressure back on. That happened for at least two of the Laois goals.

Thirteen Laois players fired over scores with Willie Dunphy helping himself to 1-4, Mark Dowling 1-1, Martin Phelan, 1-2,Tomas Keys 1-2, James Duggan 1-1. And so it went on and on.

Meath also shipped a blow early on when Podge O'Hanrahan had to leave the fray with a hand injury. He was replaced by Mark Horan who did extremely well to fire to the net on 19 minutes. Meath actually led by a point in the opening minutes. A brief respite from the storm.

Nick Potterton was lively and bright throughout and finished with four points, while Sean Quigley caused the visitors some problems.

James Kelly had a fine game back in his normal defensive role after an unhappy time as a forward. Tom Shine, Sean Martin, Simon Ennis and Eamon Og O Donnchadha all garnered fine scores. Highlights in a dark day for Meath hurling.

The final act of the afternoon was when the home side were awarded a penalty but Potterton's well-hit piledriver was saved by Rowland.

But then a goal then couldn't even be considered a consolation.

SCORERS

Laois - Willie Dunphy 1-4; Mark Dowling 2-0; Tomas Keyes 1-2; Martin Phelan 1-2; James Duggan 1-1; Aaron Dunphy 0-5; Patrick Purcell 0-4; Stephen Maher 0-4 one free, one '65'; Enda Rowland 1-0; David Dooley 0-2; Aidan Corby 0-2; Padraig Delaney 0-2; Fiachra C Fennell 0-1.

Meath - Nicky Potterton 0-4 one free, one '65'; Mark Horan 1-0; Sean Quigley 0-3; James Toher 0-2 frees; James Kelly 0-1 '65'; Tom Shine 0-1; Sean Martin 0-1; Domhnall Rogers 0-1; Kris Gorman 0-1; Simon Ennis 0-1; Eamon Og O Donnchadha 0-1.

TEAMS

Laois - Enda Rowland; Ian Shanahan, Ryan Mullaney, Diarmuid Conway; Liam O'Connell, Padraig Delaney, Fiachra C Fennell; David Dooley, Aidan Corby; Stephen Maher, Aaron Dunphy, Patrick Purcell; Tomas Keyes, Mark Dowling, Willie Dunphy. Subs - Lee Cleere for O'Connell 41m, Donnchadh Hartnett for Conway, James Duggan for Dooley both 43m, John Lennon for Purcell 49m.

Meath - Charlie Ennis; Jarlagh Ennis, Sean Geraghty, Daire Shine; Kris Gorman, James Toher, James Kelly; David Murtagh, Niall McLarnon; Tom Shine, Sean Martin, Simon Ennis; Padraig O'Hanrahan, Eamon Og Donnchadha, Nicky Potterton. Subs - Mark Horan for O'Hanrahan 14m Domhnall Rogers for Martin 48m, Sean Quigley for Murtagh 50m, Eoin Donegan for Kelly, Jack Walsh for McLarnon both 58m.

Referee - Peter Owens (Down).