Leinster SFC Quarter-Final

** LAOIS 4-13 WESTMEATH 1-12**

By Kevin Egan at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park, Tullamore

Paul Kingston was the hat-trick hero for Laois this evening as the O’Moore County reached the Leinster semi-finals for the first time since 2009, comfortably dispatching a Westmeath side that played their best football in the first 20 minutes but struggled to catch fire from them on.

John Sugrue’s side raised just three white flags when playing into the breeze at the Tullamore venue, but Kingston’s tour de force, added to an exquisite close-range goal from Evan O’Carroll late on, left a disjointed Westmeath side chasing shadows in the latter stages.

Laois played with the aid of a fresh breeze in the first half but it was Westmeath who were first to settle into the game as chose to run the ball from the middle third of the field at the opposition defence, drawing a number of early frees as well as setting up good points from play for Ger Egan and Luke Loughlin.

Laois tried to use the elements by hitting Donie Kingston with long, early ball, but Westmeath full back Sam Duncan proved equal to the challenge in those early stages, enabling Westmeath to hold Laois to just two points in the first 20 minutes.

The 2015 and 2016 Leinster finalists moved 0-5 to 0-2 clear by stage of the contest, but a free from Ross Munnelly was the catalyst for a significant change in momentum. Paul Kingston fired over a stunning point from play from 50 metres out with their first attempt from distance and while Ger Egan replied with his second score of the game, Laois completely dominated the closing stages of the first half.

John O’Loughlin took a number of marks while Kieran Lillis dominated the battle for breaking ball, leaving the Westmeath attack starved of supply and mounting increased pressure on Colin Kelly’s defenders at the other end.

Colm Begley and Kieran Lillis burst forward to kick points, substitute Niall Donoher justified his early introduction with two excellent scores from the left wing, and Westmeath were dealt a further blow when freetaker John Connellan was dispossessed by Gareth Dillon and then dragged the Portlaoise man to the ground as he attempted to undo the damage, drawing a black card from referee Padraig Hughes.

That left Westmeath with a four-point deficit to chase at half time, 0-6 to 0-10, but they struggled to make inroads and by the 45-minute mark, both sides had added just a single point to their half time tally.

With their attack misfiring, Westmeath started to leave gaps in their defence and one such opening enabled Colm Begley to find Paul Kingston in the left corner. The Arles-Killeen man still had a lot of work to do but his finish was sublime, into the top corner and well out of the reach of Stephen Gallagher.

Westmeath responded with a Ger Egan free, but Kingston had the ball in the net a second time four minutes later, putting real distance between the sides.

Finbar Coyne struck two good points off the bench, John Heslin was introduced and then Mark McCallon toe-poked in a goal to suggest that a comeback might be on the cards, but Kingston crushed that optimism with a third, equally outstanding finish from an almost-identical spot to his first.

Evan O’Carroll added a late 1-1 to further emphasis Laois’ dominance, setting up their place in the provincial semi-final line-up against either Kildare or Carlow, while condemning Westmeath to the qualifiers for the first time in four years.

**LAOIS: **Graham Brody; Stephen Attride, Mark Timmons, Gareth Dillon; Trevor Collins, Colm Begley, Finbarr Crowley; John O’Loughlin, Kieran Lillis; Alan Farrell, Paul Kingston, Damien O’Connor; Ross Munnelly, Donie Kingston, Benny Carroll. Subs: Niall Donoher for Farrell (23), Evan O’Carroll for Carroll (59), Darren Strong for O’Connor (59), David Conway for Munnelly (63), Shane Nerney for Timmons (65, blood) Gary Walsh for D Kingston (67), Denis Booth for Attride (70+5)

WESTMEATH: Stephen Gallagher; Jamie Gonoud, Sam Duncan, Mark McCallon; John Egan, Alan Stone, Noel Mulligan; Denis Corroon, Darragh Daly; Kieran Martin, Callum McCormack, Ger Egan; John Connellan, Ronan O’Toole, Luke Loughlin. Subs: Finbar Coyne for Connellan (31, black card), Ronan Wallace for Daly (42), Anthony McGivney for Egan (49), John Heslin for O’Toole (55), Boidu Sayeh for Mulligan (70+1), David Whelan for McCallon (70+1)