Joe McDonagh Cup

LAOIS 3-23 MEATH 0-14

By Paul Keane at Pairc Tailteann, Navan

Laois saved their best until the final round of the Joe McDonagh Cup, overcoming Meath with ease and, on a day when results elsewhere went their way, securing their status for 2019.

A loss would have relegated Eamonn Kelly's side to the Christy Ring Cup but their big win courtesy of goals from Ben Conroy, Charles Dwyer and Pat Purcell, allied to Antrim's loss to Kerry, meant they avoided both relegation and a relegation play-off.

It was the best possible outcome for a Laois side that finished the campaign on a high and led Meath from the ninth minute until full-time at sun drenched Pairc Tailteann.

Dwyer registered Laois' first goal in the 31st minute to leave seven between the teams and Nick Fitzgerald's hosts with a mountain to climb.

Meath needed goals themselves in the second-half, but couldn't grab any and Laois added two more majors through Purcell in the 65th minute and Conroy in injury-time.

It was a near carbon copy of last year when Laois hit 3-25 in a Leinster SHC qualifier group tie win over Meath at the same venue.

James Kelly and Jack Regan fired a brace of first-half points each for Meath but they were always playing catching up and looked destined throughout for their fifth consecutive defeat.

King shot five first-half points for Laois while Willie Dunphy was also on the mark with 0-2 to ease them 1-13 to 0-7 clear at the interval.

They led 1-19 to 0-13 in the 63rd minute and looked to be playing out the game to its inevitable conclusion when they finally found a second wind to finish with a scoring siege.

They outscored Meath by 2-4 to 0-1 in the closing 10 minutes or so with Conroy scoring 1-2 of his personal tally in injury-time.

**Scorers for Laois: **Ben Conroy 1-5, Charles Dwyer 1-3, Ross King 0-6 (3fs, 265s), Pat Purcell 1-2, Willie Dunphy 0-2, Stephen Maher 0-2 (1f), Neil Foyle 0-1, Ryan Mullaney 0-1, Eanna Lyons 0-1.

**Scorers for Meath: **James Kelly 0-4, Patrick Conneely 0-4 (2fs), Jack Regan 0-3 (1f), James Toher 0-1, Cathal McCabe 0-1, Steven Morris 0-1.

LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Padraig Lawlor, Leigh Bergin, Joe Phelan; James Ryan, Matthew Whelan, Lee Cleere; Ryan Mullaney, Patrick Purcell; Charles Dwyer, Ben Conroy, Stephen Maher; Willie Dunphy, Neil Foyle, Ross King.

Subs: Colm Stapleton for Ryan (25), Mark Kavanagh for King (48), Mark Dowling for Foyle (60), Eanna Lyons for Mullaney (67), Ciaran Comerford for Maher (67).

MEATH: Shane McGann; Steven Morris, Sean Geraghty, David Conneely; Shane Brennan, Darragh Kelly, Keith Keoghan; Cathal McCabe, Adam Gannon; Joe Keena, Damien Healy, James Kelly; Jack Regan, Alan Douglas, Patrick Conneely.

Subs: James Toher for Healy (25), Niall Weir for David Conneely (47), Mark O'Sullivan for McCabe (55), Colm O Mealoid for Brennan (62), Michael O'Grady for Gannon (65).

REFEREE: Peter Burke (Kilkenny).