Laois struggle to find range

Laois 3-16: D Cuddy 1-5, two frees, one 65; F O'Sullivan 0-5; J Young 1-1; D Culleton 1-0; D Rooney 0-2; D Conroy, N Lacey, J O'Sullivan 0-1 each.

Meath 1-7: N Horan 0-6, all frees; N Reilly 1-0; P Potterton 0-1.

Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

Attendance: 1,500

So how did you enjoy your sunny Bank Holiday Monday? Those of us in Tullamore, about 1,500 lifeless souls, saw Meath and Laois conclude the Leinster preliminary championship with a game of casual hurling, evenly split into two contrasting halves.

In the first, Meath seemed to be keeping their dream alive and stole a lead on their more fancied opposition. In the second, Laois sorted out their problems and scored almost at will. At no time did any tension fill the warm air and the talk on the terraces was almost all about the weather.

Laois won't have learned a whole lot from this game ahead of their championship proper with Dublin on Sunday week. In the latter stages they seemed to be playing against themselves, especially when Nicky Horan - the key to any successful Meath attack - was sent-off after 16 minutes of the second half.

But they won't want a repeat of their first-half display, when they gave an impressive lesson in how to hit wides. They clocked up a dozen in the opening 35 minutes, and extended the total to 18 by the end.

Not surprisingly, it was Horan - who scored 2-15 in their epic win over Kildare last week - who helped construct Meath's short-lived lead. He hit three sweet frees in the opening 10 minutes and then, just before the half hour, the full forward line of Kevin Dowd, Pat Potterton and Neville Reilly combined perfectly for the game's opening goal.

Fives points up and gloating in the sunshine, Meath had their opposition in all sorts of trouble. Along with Horan, John O'Donoghue and Fergus McMahon were roaming the half-forward line with impressive results.

However, as the first half spilled into injury-time, Damien Culleton latched on to a long Paul Cuddy free and thundered the ball into the net. Laois were back to within two points.

"Of course, I gave them a telling off at half-time and it seemed to work," said Laois manager Sean Cuddy. "We had to improve. Obviously I was happier with the second half, but when you drive 12 wides in the first, then you can't be happy."

David Cuddy - playing at midfield - was among the horde of Laois players to step up their game for the second 35 minutes. His third free after just seconds reduced the gap to the minimum. Two minutes later, he put them ahead. Culleton was pulled down during a dangerous run on goal and Cuddy converted the penalty.

Horan managed to sneak in one more free before he was given his second yellow card, but that was a brief stall before the start of the Laois avalanche. Fionan O'Sullivan found room in the corner to hit his first of five second-half points and full forward Darren Rooney found equal space to add two. John O'Sullivan also came up from wing back to have his say.

Meath's wounds became even more gaping just after the hour when substitute James Young cracked home the third goal for Laois. With just two points in the second half, there was never going to be a way back.