Daniel Flynn scored 1-03 to help Kildare claim a convincing victory over Laois in Tullamore and book a place in a Leinster semi-final against neighbours Meath.
Donie Kingston fired Laois into an early lead with a goal inside the opening 60 seconds, but the first half was all Kildare after that as they dominated the exchanges to take a 0-12 to 1-02 lead into the break.
Kildare continued to pile on the misery after the break, with Flynn's goal with 13 minutes remaining putting the sheen on a 14-point triumph.
Cian O’Neill’s side are far from the finished article and there will be plenty that he’ll look to improve upon in advance of another derby clash against Meath on Saturday week.
But their performance in the second quarter of this tie would suggest that if they can muster up that level of play for 70 minutes, they might yet make some sort of stir in a provincial championship that many pundits feel is done and dusted.
The wind that favoured Kildare in the first half was certainly a huge factor in the tie and it left Laois on the back foot, with anything outside the "D" probably beyond scoring range.
However, Peter Creedon’s side still got out to a fantastic start through Kingston, who collected a pass from Evan O’Carroll and then sidestepped two tacklers before placing the ball underneath Mark Donnellan for a goal – their fifth in the space of just 40 minutes of championship football.
Kildare replied brilliantly, however, to take the lead inside nine minutes with four points, including two from play from Cathal McNally.
They slipped into something of a lull then, allowing Laois to stay in touch despite enjoying far more possession and territory.
A scoreline of 0-06 to 1-02 with 24 minutes on the clock will have pleased the Laois management team, but that proximity was short-lived as the Lilywhites went through the gears and started to carry the ball through the Laois defence with ease.
Six fine scores from play were fired over before the break, and while Creedon will have felt that his side was still in with a chance at seven points adrift, a lacklustre start to the second half all but condemned the O'Moore men to defeat.
Kildare added 1-04 in the opening 14 minutes of the second period, with only a Kingston free in reply for Laois.
Flynn fired home their goal after being fed by David Slattery, who really should have been turned over before he got his pass away, while it wasn’t until Alan Farrell slotted over with his right foot in the 50th minute that Laois got their first point from play.
The final 20 minutes of the contest were played at a very moderate pace with the result well in hand and while Gary Walsh offered some resistance with three points for Laois, O’Neill will also be happy with the contributions made by his substitutes as Kildare continued to tack on the points at a steady rate.
Kildare: M Donnellan (0-01, ’45); O Lyons (0-01), M O’Grady, D Hyland; J Byrne (0-01), E Doyle, K Cribbin (0-01); K Feely (0-02, frees), T Moolick (0-01); F Conway, N Kelly (0-03), P Cribbin (0-02); D Slattery (0-01), D Flynn (1-03), C McNally (0-03).
Subs: E Callaghan (0-01) for Conway (53), F Dowling (0-01) for Moolick (57), C Healy for McNally (57), P Kelly for O’Grady (64), E Bolton for D Flynn (64),
Laois: G Brody; D Strong, D Booth, J Kelly; E Buggie, P McMahon, D O’Connor; C Begley, B Quigley; N Donoher, J O’Loughlin, E O’Carroll (0-01); P Kingston, D Kingston(1-02, 0-02 frees), A Farrell (0-01).
Subs: A Doran for Donoher (19), G Walsh (0-03, 0-01 ’45)for O’Carroll (41), R Munnelly for P Kingston (52), K Meaney for Quigley (64), D Conway for Doran (64), J Finn for Kelly (66)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
