Clare 5-32
Laois 0-12

Eoin Brennan reports from Ennis

FOUR GOALS FROM 19 year old Aron Shanagher helped Clare to their biggest ever championship victory in Cusack Park this evening.

In front of an attendance of 5,518, the Banner county bounced back from their Munster championship exit to Waterford four weeks previously to take their frustrations out on Laois who finished the game with only 13 men.

The Wolfe Tones teenager began his unprecedented haul in only the sixth minute to get the hosts into their stride, with Tony Kelly chipping in with five points as they built up a 1-9 to 0-5 advantage.

Having lost two players to injury, Laois’ evening would get dramatically worse once Ben Conroy was dismissed for a second yellow card in the 27th minute as Clare finished the half with an unanswered haul of 1-5 including a second goal for Shanagher on their way to a 2-14 to 0-5 interval lead.

In an effort to salvage something out of the game, Laois dispensed with sweeper Patrick Purcell but couldn’t curb a rampant Clare who tacked on another eight points on the restart to push 23 clear before opting to rest David McInerney, Conor Cleary, Tony Kelly, David Reidy and John Conlon.

A further brace of Shanagher goals in the space of a minute at the turn of the final quarter put a flagging Laois to the sword and it could have been much more only for goalkeeper Enda Rowland to pull off four point blank saves to limit the damage.

Podge Collins would add a fifth goal for Davy Fitzgerald’s side in the 63rd minute before Laois were reduced to 13 following a second yellow for Charles Dwyer.

By then the game was long over though as Clare eased into the second round of the qualifiers next weekend.

Scorers for Clare: Aaron Shanagher 4-1; Tony Kelly 0-10 (0-3f); Padraic Collins 1-3; Cathal O’Connell 0-5 (0-4f); David McInerney, Shane O’Donnell 0-3 each; John Conlon, Colm Galvin, Conor Cleary 0-2 each; Shane Golden 0-1.

Scorers for Laois: Willie Hyland 0-3 (0-3f); Charles Dwyer, Enda Rowland (2f) 0-2 each; PJ Scully (f), Willie Dunphy, Neil Foyle, Mark Kavanagh, Matthew Whelan 0-1 each

Clare

1. Andrew Fahey (Whitegate)

3. Cian Dillon (Crusheen)
4. Patrick O’Connor (Tubber)
2. Oisin O’Brien (Clonlara)

7. Jack Browne (Ballyea)
6. David McInerney (Tulla)
5. Brendan Bugler (Whitegate)

8. Conor Cleary (Kilmaley)
9. David Reidy (Éire Óg)

12. John Conlon (Clonlara)
13. Padraic Collins (Cratloe)
10. Colm Galvin (Clonlara)

11. Tony Kelly (Ballyea)
14. Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
15. Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones)

Subs

19. David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona) for McInerney (42)
18. Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge) for Cleary (42)
24. Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara) for Kelly (48)
21. Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge) for Reidy (51)
22. Colin Ryan (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for Conlon (55)

Laois

1. Enda Rowland (St Lazerian’s Abbeyleix)

4. Cahir Healy (Portlaoise)
7. Ryan Mullaney (Castletown)
2. Dwane Palmer (Camross)

6. Matthew Whelan (Borris in Ossory/Kilcotton)
9. Colm Stapleton (Borris in Ossory/Kilcotton)
8. Patrick Purcell (Rathdowney Errill)

5. Leigh Bergin (Shanahoe)
12. Ben Conroy (Slieve Bloom)

10. Charles Dwyer (Ballinakill)
13. John Lennon (Rosenallis)
14. Willie Hyland (Clough Ballacolla)

18. Willie Dunphy (Clough Ballacolla)
11. Neil Foyle (Borris in Ossory/Kilcotton)
15. PJ Scully (Borris in Ossory/Kilcotton)

Subs

19. Ross King (Rathdowney Errill) for Bergin (10, inj)
20. Podge Lawlor (Ballinakill) for Healy (28, inj)
21. Mark Kavanagh (Rathdowney Errill) for Scully (35)
3. Darren Maher (Clough Ballacolla) for Stapleton (48)
17. Joe Phelan (Camross) for Dunphy (57)

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)

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