Down's wretched start to the Joe McDonagh Cup continued with a 39-point mauling at the hands of a rampant Laois in Ballycran.
Tommy Fitzgerald's side began their championship campaign with an impressive nine-point win over Westmeath last weekend and they were in rampant mood from the get-go Saturday afternoon.
Early goals from Cha Dwyer and Ben Conroy put them into a 2-05 to 0-02 lead after 10 minutes and the visitors never let up in a first-half blitzkrieg.
Laois had nine different scorers in that opening period, with Aidan Corby, Tomás Keyes, Jer Quinlan and Podge Delaney among those to float over points as they ran up a scarcely believable 2-23 to 1-04 lead by the halfway point.
Pearse Óg McCrickard found the net for the hosts, whose form has collapsed since they went unbeaten to win Division 2 in the spring.
Paul Sheehan and Eoghan Sands lobbed over points for Down as they at least kept the scoring rate down in the early stages of the second half, but Conroy proceeded to fire home his second goal with 20 minutes remaining, pushing the margin out to 26 points.
James Duggan and PJ Scully got in on the act with a pair of goals in quick succession with 10 minutes left, as Down's morale lay in tatters.
Daithi Sands landed a brace of points as the clock wound down but there was time for Duggan to find the net again, marking the second time in the space of seven days that Down had shipped six goals.
Laois, who are dropping down to Division 2 of the league for 2026 while Down head the other way, finished with a staggering tally of 6-36, Ryan Mullaney and early goalscorer Dwyer rounding off the scoring.
The midlanders, last winners in 2019, host Kerry next week with a pep in their step, while a shell-shocked Down are away in Westmeath.
