Big plus is when wins come with a sense of enjoyment

THE Laois hurlers continued their march to the Joe McDonagh Cup final in June with an emphatic win over a rejuvenated Down side in Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday.

A win is a win as they say and for the moment Laois supporters won’t care how they come about, but a big plus is when the wins come with a sense of enjoyment and that’s exactly what this Laois team is giving their faithful fans at this moment in time.

There was 59 scores in Saturday's game, not too far short of a score a minute in a very entertaining contest, but ultimately it was the ruthlessness of the Laois forwards that set the sides apart when it came down to it.

The lack of goals was a big criticism of Laois in the latter end of their league campaign and that was noted by the management as an area that they wanted to improve and by God have they succeeded in improving it.

Laois have a forward unit packed with pace and skill and they’re using every bit of it to their advantage to punish any leaks at the back for their opponents.

Once the ball gets into the hand of Mossy Keyes or Cillian Dunne there’s an instant sense that a goal chance is coming and that was the case four times in the second half on Saturday, with Keyes finishing he first one and Aaron Dunphy on hand to hammer home the latter three, completing a hat-trick in just 12 minutes.

The Down backs were like rabbits in the headlights when Laois attacked from the front and that was the difference between the sides as the Ulster men fell just one point short of Laois’s points tally of 28 as they showed they were plenty capable of going tit for tat in that regard, but they lacked that bit of magic that Laois had.

When speaking of forwards it would be amiss not to mention the enigmatic Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher etching himself further into the lore of Laois hurling by overtaking James Young as the all-time top scorer for Laois in the championship.

Maher came back into the panel this year straight off the back of a third cruciate injury and has been one of the leading lights on the field, and apparently off it also.

In a winter that saw so much experience leave the Laois forwards in the likes of Paddy Purcell, Cha Dwyer and Willie Dunphy, the return of Picky was vital for the panel while in its current state of turnover with some fresh faces being introduced.

It’s experience like his that Laois will need in June when the game is in the melting pot against Carlow and you’re looking for someone to turn to in the hopes of something special.

That final looks all but set in stone provided Laois don’t take a massive fall at the final fence when they travel to Ruislip for the second time this year to take on London.

A win or a draw will be more than enough to guarantee a spot in the June showcase where they will be out to avenge the opening round loss to Carlow on the big stage.

The improvements we’ve seen since that dark opening round day have been incredible against some good opposition and a big win against London would be the last bit of ideal preparation before going into battle against the Fighting Cocks.