Clare bounce back in emphatic style as Shanagher leads the rout of Laois
AARON SHANAGHER hit a hat-trick for Clare, who bounced back to winning ways in the qualifiers as they moved on to Round 2 with a huge win over Laois at Cusack Park in Ennis.
Waterford scuppered Clare’s chances in the Munster semi-final, but the reigning league champions had far too much firepower for a side bereft of confidence.
Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett’s team caused Galway problems in Leinster last year but since then they have struggled, and a sub-standard league campaign was followed by defeat to Offaly in the Leinster quarter-final.
Their summer is over early, while the 2013 AllIreland champions will be a tough outing for any of their prospective opponents after Monday’s draw for the next stage.
Clare were 2-14 to 0-5 in front at half-time and added a further 3-19 in the second-half as a sorry Laois outfit capitulated under the pressure of each attack.
Matters were hardly helped when Ben Conroy was sent-off for two yellows in the first-half, and Charles Dwyer followed him late on to compound the misery.
Shanagher scored three of the Clare goals while Shane O’Donnell hit the other two and Tony Kelly scored 10 points.
It was easy as you like for Clare.
Dwyer got the first point of the game, after Laois decided to play with the elements at their back in the opening exchanges. The decision backfired.
Kelly levelled the game and in the sixth minute O’Donnell struck for Clare’s first goal, David Reidy made the run from midfield and his shot was saved by Enda Rowland but O’Donnell followed up to put Clare in front.
Rowland scored a free from distance and PJ Scully sent another over, but Laois couldn’t cope with Clare’s superior firepower, and the intricate movement of Kelly.
He slotted two points as Clare went 1-5 to 0-3 ahead, and David McInerney added two further scores as they turned up the pressure. Laois had no answer, and their discipline failed them, Conroy got a red card, for a second yellow in the 27th minute.
They failed to score from the 25th minute in the half, while Clare reeled off eight without reply. There were seven minutes injury-time played as a result of the stop-start nature of the game, and Clare took full advantage
of it to move well clear. They were 15 points up at half-time, and with seven unanswered points on the resumption Laois were humbled.