Dublin ran out easy 3-23 to 1-07 winners over Laois in the Leinetsr SHC quarter-final at O'Connor Park, Tullamore this afternoon.
Two superb Liam Rushe goals and a David Treacy strike saw the Dubs build up a commanding lead.
Neil Foyle scrambled a Laois goal, but it was the Dubs who led by 3-14 to 1-1 at half-time.
They went through the motions in the second half, with Paul Ryan completing a tally of nine points.
With All-Ireland champions Kilkenny awaiting, this was scarcely the preparation that manager Anthony Daly would have wished for.
But he was relieved to get his long-term injured players back into action and to have secured a first competitive win of the season.
Rushe blasted home his first goal in the eighth minute, giving Eoin Reilly no chance with a screamer.
Anthony Daly’s men had already gone ahead with early points from Conor McCormack, Rushe and a Ryan ’65, and Laois were in big trouble.
They almost had a goal when Brian Dunne sent Foyle in, but his effort was kept out by Gary Maguire in the Dublin goal.
Foyle did find the net in the 15th minute, scrambling home after the Dubs’s defence had failed to clear a long range free from goalkeeper Reilly.
But that three-pointer represented merely token resistance from the O’Moore men.
They trailed by just three points at the end of the opening quarter, but were rocked by a 2-10 salvo before the break and were unable to muster a single point in response.
Danny Sutcliffe marked his first championship start with an impressive solo score and there were points from Paul Ryan, David Treacy and Conor McCormck.
Rushe set the game alight with another sensational goal in the 24th minute, collecting Keaney’s pass to fire an angled shot to the roof of the net.
Treacy first-timed Ryan’s delivery home for a third goal four minutes later and Laois heads dropped.
Another volley of points late in the half saw midfielders Johnny McCaffrey and Shane Durkin hit the target from distance, and at the break Dublin led by 3-14 to 1-1.
Dublin manager Daly shook things up a bit by throwing in a handful of substitutes. David ‘Dotsy’ O’Callaghan looked particularly lively, getting involved in the action immediately to set up a couple of scores and taking a neat point himself.
Conal Keaney, one of three players making their return from cruciate ligament injuries, went for goal but his rocket fizzed just wide.
The Dubs had done enough, and in the final quarter Laois were able to stage something of a revival.
Substitutes Chris Murray and Willie Dunphy fired over points, and Murray fired in a shot which Maguire did well to keep out.
Matthew Whelan converted a couple of 65s and Willie Hyland steered a sideline cut between the posts to ease the Laois pain.
Dublin contributed little to the closing stages, a Joey Boland point their only score of the final 20 minutes.
Dublin: G Maguire, N Corcoran, P Kelly, T Brady, S Hiney, J Boland (0-1), M Carton, J McCaffrey (0-1), S Durkin (0-2), D Sutcliffe (0-1), L Rushe (2-2), C Keaney (0-2), P Ryan (0-9, 3f, 2 ’65), C McCormack (0-2), D Treacy (0-2).
Subs: D O’Callaghan (0-1) for Rushe (38), S Lambert for Sutcliffe (44), M O’Brien for McCaffrey (49), D Curtin for Keany (56), O Gough for Corcoran (59)
Laois: E Reilly, C Coonan, D Maher, G Burke, C Dunne, M Whelan (0-2, 2 ’65), M McEvoy, J Walshe, S Hanlon, S Maher, B Dunne, W Hyland (0-3, 2f, 1 s/l), T Fitzgerald, N Foyle (1-0), D O’Mahoney.
Subs: C Murray (0-1) for Fitzgerald (24), C Healy for Foyle (h-t), B Smith for Dunne (43), W Dunphy (0-1) for Walsh
Referee: J Owens (Wexford)
