Kerry 2-27 Laois 1-19
Kerry enjoyed a richly deserved win over a Laois side that lost their way and discipline midway through the second half in this Allianz Hurling League Division 1B relegation play-off at Austin Stack Park, Tralee.
Kerry hurled magnificently throughout as they had won two games in the league and did not want to lose to a Laois side that had finished the campaign pointless.
Laois trailed by just six points when they lost wing-forward Willie Dunphy to a second yellow and then six minutes later sub Ross Ring was shown a straight red.
Then with the contest decided, Laois were reduced to 12, when Willie Hyland got a straight red for an altercation with Patrick Kelly.
But it was not a dirty game as both sides went for broke. It was simply the power and excellence of this born-again Kingdom side who are really hurling way above what even their most ardent followers expected.
The first half of this relegation faceoff was feast of attacking hurling with 26 scores and a couple of goal chances being created by both sides.
Kerry were on top after a nervous opening with John Griffin controlling midfield and with the O’Leary brother Michael and Brendan winning crucial ball in the half forward line, Laois were on the back foot.
Kerry conversion rate in the opening half was just over seventy percent as Laois were dependent on Kerry errors and turnovers for scores.
Patrick Purcell fired Laois in front inside a minute but Michael O’Leary replied for Kerry from the puck-out. Cha O’Dwyer and Shane Nolan swapped points before Nolan and PJ Scully converted frees, as the sides were tied on 0-3 apiece after seven minutes.
Kerry were tenacious at the back, with Patrick Kelly, Jason Diggins, Darran Dineen and Keith Carmody on top against their opponents.
However Laois received a boost in the 10th minute when a Kerry mistake around midfield resulted in PJ Scully feeding Stephen Maher, who blasted the ball to the Kerry net.
Kerry responded with new found intensity as they went on a 0-7 to 0-2 run, with points from Michael O’Leary, John Griffin, Brendan O’Leary (2) Shane Nolan (2) and John Egan seeing Kerry move 0-12 to 1-5 clear with Willie Dunphy and Scully replying for Laois.
Cha Dwyer then whipped the ball over the bar when it could have been worse, as Griffin, O’Leary and Nolan hurled like men possessed and Kerry fired over five more points to lead 0-17 to 1-8 at half-time, with Shane Nolan scoring 0-7 in that opening half.
Laois hit the ground running at start of the second half with early points from Enda Rowland ( free) and Willie Hyland but Kerry struck for a crucial goal in the 40th minute, when Darren Dineen broke up a Laois attack and played the ball long, to Jack Goulding who set up John Egan for a superb goal.
Then disaster for Laois as they lost two players in the space of seven minutes when wing forward Willie Dunphy was sent off in the 46th minute and then Ross King got a straight red in the 53rd minute.
Kerry were now leading 1-20 to 1-14 and they assumed complete control, with a succession of points before John Egan pounced for a Kerry goal in the 63rd minute and Kerry cruised to victory in a testy final ten minutes.
So Kerry will see it as justice being done as they stay in Division 1 B next year while Laois have a trap-door game next weekend against Westmeath to stay up.
Scorers - Kerry: S Nolan 1-9 (0-6 frees), J Egan (1-6), M O’Leary 0-3, J Griffin, B O’Leary, M Boyle and J Goulding 0-2 each , C Harty 0-1.
Laois: PJ Scully 0-7 ( 0-3, 0-1 ’65), S Maher 1-1, C Dwyer 0-4, C Healy and W Hyland 0-2 each, E Rowland (0-1 free), P Purcell and W Dunphy 0-1 each
Kerry: Aidan McCabe; Bryan Murphy, Patrick Kelly, Keith Carmody; Jason Diggins, Darren Dineen, Tom Murnane; John Griffin, Daniel Collins; Brendan O’Leary, Michael O’Leary, Shane Nolan; Jordan Conway, Mikey Boyle, John Egan.
Subs: Jack Goulding (0-2) for J Conway ( h/t), Tommy Casey for D Collins (43), Colum Harty (0-1) for B O’Leary (56), Brendan Brosnan for J Diggins (64), James O’Connor for J Egan (64)
Laois: Enda Rowland; Tom Delaney , Darren Maher, Cahir Healy; Leigh Bergin, Matthew Whelan, Ryan Mullaney; Patrick Purcell, Colm Stapleton; Charles Dwyer, Stephen Maher, Willie Dunphy; John Lennon, Willie Hyland, P J Scully.
Subs: Neil Foyle for M Whelan (22), Joe Phelan for T Delaney (44), Ross King for J Lennon (48), Brendan Reddin for l Bergin (66)
Referee: Sean Cleere (Kilkenny)
