Dublin 0-30
Laois 1-19
DONAL BURKE HIT a whopping 18 points for Dublin as they got their first win of the Allianz Hurling League campaign against Laois in O’Moore Park this evening.
Having lost to Kilkenny in the opening round, Dublin were keen to pick up a win here to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.
And apart from a spell in the first quarter when Laois started well, Mattie Kenny’s side were in control for most of the game.
Just as he did last October when the sides met in the Leinster championship, Donal Burke was again Laois’s tormentor in chief. The Na Fianna club man finished with 0-18 to his name, 14 of it from frees and one from a 65′.
Early points from Paddy Purcell, Cha Dwyer, PJ Scully and Ciaran Collier helped Laois into an early 0-4 to 0-1 lead with the aid of the breeze.
But the visitors soon settled and with Burke on from from frees and wing-back Daire Grey also getting in on the scoring the sides were level 0-7 apiece at the first water break.
Burke brought his first-half tally to nine points as Dublin brought a 0-13 to 0-11 lead in at half time and with Sean Moran, Conor Burke and corner back Andrew Dunphy pointing Dublin were 0-22 to 0-14 ahead after 50 minutes.
Laois were thrown a lifeline when Cha Dwyer scored a fine goal but they couldn’t close the gap to any less than three points and Dublin hit a flurry of late scores to run out comfortable winners in the end.
Laois are at home to Clare next weekend while Dublin host Antrim.
SCORERS – Dublin: Donal Burke 0-18 (14 frees, one 65′), Andrew Dunphy and Conor Burke 0-2 each, Riain McBride, Eamon Dillon, Daire Gray, Cian Boland, Sean Moran, Paul Crummey, Davy Keogh 0-and Fergal Whitely 0-1 each
SCORERS – Laois: PJ Scully 0-6 (all frees), Ross King 0-6 (four frees), Cha Dywer 1-3 (0-1 sideline cut), Paddy Purcell 0-2, Ciaran Collier and Enda Rowland (free) 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: Alan Nolan; Paddy Smyth, Eoghan O’Donnell, Andrew Dunphy; Daire Gray, Liam Rushe, Sean Moran; Conor Burke, James Madden; Danny Sutcliffe, Chris Crummey, Ronan Hayes; Donal Burke, Eamon Dillon, Cian Boland. Subs: Oisin O’Rorke for Boland and Davy Keogh for Dillon (both 50′), Riain McBride for Madden (54′), Fergal Whitely for Hayes (57′), Jake Malone for Moran (65′), Paul Crummey for C Crummey and John Hetherton for Sutcliffe (both 69′)
LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Diarmaid Conway, Sean Downey, Donnchadh Hartnett; Jack Kelly, Matthew Whelan, Podge Delaney; Fiachra C-Fennell, Paddy Purcell; James Ryan, Cha Dwyer, Ciaran Collier; PJ Scully, Ross King, Aaron Dunphy. Subs: James Keyes for Dunphy (46′), Ciaran Comerford for Ryan and Eoin Gaughan for Scully (both 53′), Colm Stapleton for C-Fennell and Ciaran McEvoy for Delaney (inj) (both 67′)
Referee: Paud O’Dwyer (Carlow).
