Allianz Hurling League Division 1B: Kerry 1-24 Laois 2-14  
By Paul Keane
 
There'll undoubtedly be stiffer battles ahead but Kerry's first outing as a Division 1B team following promotion went exactly to plan with a surprisingly comfortable seven-point win in Portlaoise.

Experienced forward Shane Nolan led the scoring in heavy conditions with 0-8 but it was a strong all around display in their first league outing under Limerick legend Ciarán Carey.

It was also Kerry's first game in the upper tier after their impressive promotion from Division 2A last season and they performed well, leading from Mikey Boyle's 14th minute goal until full-time.

The standard will rise sharply next weekend when Kerry take on Limerick in Tralee while Laois, who lost Charlie Dwyer to a 70th minute red card, play Offaly in a midlands derby in Round 2.

Kerry looked sharp and focused throughout and clearly targeted the tie as a great opportunity to, firstly, build early season morale and, more importantly, score a victory to give them a great chance of staying in Division 1B.

The bottom two teams in the division will contest a relegation play-off later in the campaign so both camps realised that a win here, and one more elsewhere, could be enough to avoid the bottom two.

The visiting Kingdom looked full of motivation and put together the more slick and attacking hurling in the opening half.

Laois played with the aid of the stiff wind and launched over the majority of their points from distance with eye catching scores from Dwyer, Ciaran Collier and Matthew Whelan.

Kerry, in contrast, worked more openings closer to goal and were unlucky not to score more than just one first-half goal.

Boyle scored that in the 14th minute with a shot on the right of goals that sneaked in at the near post.

But Jack Goulding, an All-Ireland minor football medal winner last year, also struck the bar while Nolan threatened with a probing run.

Clare native Patrick Kelly scored two points while free-taker Nolan and Boyle were on the mark to leave Kerry marginally ahead at half-time, 1-11 to 1-10.

Laois manager Séamas Plunkett spoke in his programme notes about the team's inexperience with several retirements and Willie Hyland and Zane Keenan also unavailable.

His worst fears were confirmed as Kerry pulled ominously clear after the restart, firstly scoring three points without reply and then adding a burst of five.

Goulding scored some beauties from either wing while Michael O'Leary, Colum Harty and sub John Griffin all piled the pressure on Laois with scores.

Defender Cahir Healy pulled back a late goal for Laois when he slotted a fine shot to the top right corner from 13 metres out.But it was mere consolation and a bad day for the hosts was compounded by Dwyer's late dismissal.  
 

 
 

Scorers for Kerry: Shane Nolan 0-8 (0-5f, 0-2 65), Mikey Boyle 1-1, John Egan 0-4, Jack Goulding 0-3, Michael O'Leary 0-2, Patrick Kelly 0-2, Colum Harty 0-2, John Griffin 0-1, Jordan Conway 0-1.

Scorers for Laois: J Scully 0-6 (0-4f, 1 65), Charlie Dwyer 0-4, Cahir Healy 1-0, Patrick Purcell 1-0, Ciaran Collier 0-2, Matthew Whelan 0-1, Stephen Maher 0-1.

Kerry: Martin Stockpoole; Keith Carmody, Bryan Murphy, Sean Weir; Daniel Collins, Darren Dineen, Tom Murnane; Patrick Kelly, Tommy Casey; Colum Harty, Michael O'Leary, Shane Nolan; Jack Goulding, Mikey Boyle, John Egan. Subs: John Griffin for Dineen (58), Jordan Conway for Egan (65).

Laois: Enda Rowland; Oisin Carroll, Darren Maher, Cahir Healy; Leigh Bergin, Neil Foyle, Ryan Mullaney; Matthew Whelan, Brendan Reddin; Ciaran Collier, Charlie Dwyer, Dwane Palmer; PJ Scully, Patrick Purcell, Stephen Maher. Subs: Joe Phelan for Reddin (47), John Lennon for Whelan (52), Mark Kavanagh for Palmer (56), Tom Delaney for D Maher (72).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork).