Galway 3-31
Laois 1-11
John Fallon reports from Pearse Stadium
Galway got back to winning ways with a facile win in Salthill.
It was all one-way traffic as Galway bounced back from their loss to Wexford and Laois never looking like building on their win over Offaly.
Galway laid the foundation for victory in the opening half when they led by 0-20 to 0-5 at the break having played with the strong wind.
Eleven different scorers found the range for the Tribesmen in the opening half as they picked off points from all angles.
All six Galway forwards scored by the 13th minute as they took Laois apart with a blitz of scores, having made seven changes to the side which lost last time out at home to Wexford.
Points by Aidan Corby and Patrick Purcell for Laois stemmed the flow, but by half-time Cathal Mannion, Thomas Monaghan and Conor Cooney had scored three points each from play.
The Galway lead would have been greater had Laois goalkeeper Enda Rowland not produced good saves to deny Jason Flynn and Joseph Cooney.
Ross King landed two points for Laois after the restart but Galway took control with Cathal Mannion geting the opening goal of the game after 42 minutes.
Galway outscored Laois by 1-7 to 0-2 in the third quarter despite playing against the wind.
Laois never gave up and sub Stephen Bergin fired home a goal 13 minutes from the end.
But the Galway response was immediate with Joe Canning dispatching a penalty to the net, before Conor Whelan also found the net five minutes from time.
Scorers for Galway: C Mannion 1-5, J Flynn 0-6 (0-4f, 0-1 65), J Canning 1-2 (1-0 pen), P Flaherty 0-5, C Whelan 1-0, C Cooney 0-3, T Monaghan 0-3, J Cooney 0-1, David Burke 0-1, P Mannion 0-1, P Killeen 0-1, A Harte 0-1, Daithi Burke 0-1, J Coen 0-1.
Scorers for Laois: R King 0-6 (0-3f, 0-1 65), S Bergin 1-0, A Corby 0-1, P Purcell 0-1, C Taylor 0-1, B Conroy 0-1, A Dunphy 0-1.
Galway
1. James Skehill (Cappataggle)
2. Paul Killeen (Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry)
3. John Hanbury (Rahoon-Newcastle)
4. Padraic Mannion (Ahascragh-Fohenagh)
5. Aidan Harte (Gort)
6. Daithi Burke (Turloughmore)
7. Sean Loftus (Turloughmore)
8. Johnny Coen (Loughrea)
9. David Burke (St Thomas’)
10. Cathal Mannion (Ahascragh-Fohenagh)
11. Joseph Cooney (Sarsfields)
12. Paul Flaherty (Abbeyknockmoy)
14. Jason Flynn (Tommy Larkins)
13. Thomas Monaghan (Craughwell)
15. Conor Cooney (St Thomas’)
Substitutes:
25. Joe Canning (Portumna) for J Cooney (44)
22. Eanna Burke (St Thomas’) for Killeen (50)
26. Conor Whelan (Kinvara) for C Cooney (53)
23. Greg Lally (Gort) for P Mannion (55)
21. Matthew Keating (Turloughmore) for Monaghan (66).
Laois
1. Enda Rowland (St Lazerian’s Abbeyleix)
2. Cahir Healy (Portlaoise)
3. Leigh Bergin (Shanahoe)
4. Dwane Palmer (Camross)
5. Sean Downey (Ballinakill)
7. Ryan Mullaney (Castletown)
12. Paddy Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
9. Cian Taylor (Portlaoise)
6. Patrick Purcell (Rathdowney Errill)
10. Eanna Lyons (Ballyfin)
17. Aidan Corby (Clough Ballacolla)
13. Ross King (Rathdowney Errill)
15. Willie Dunphy (Clough Ballacolla)
14. Neil Foyle (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
8. Ben Conroy (Slieve Bloom)
Substitutes:
18. Aaron Dunphy (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton) for Lyons (30)
19. Stephen Bergin (Clough Ballacolla) for W Dunphy (51, blood)
24. Jack Kelly (Rathdowney Errill) for Mullaney (62)
20. Eric Killeen (Rathdowney Errill) for Corby (67)
23. Liam O’Connell (Rathdowney Errill) for Palmer (75).
Referee: Paud O’Dwyer (Carlow).
