Tipperary too strong as Laois hurling year ends in heavy defeat

The Laois senior hurlers’ 2025 campaign has come to an end at the hands of Tipperary after they had 23 points to spare in Portlaoise on Saturday afternoon.

Slow starts at the start of both halves proved Laois’ downfall as Tipperary began with 1-5 unanswered and scored two goals in 90 seconds within five minutes of the second-half starting.

Tipperary 3-32

Laois 0-18

Tipperary were in no mood to mess around and had a point on the board within 20 seconds as Jason Forde raised the game's first white flag. Further points followed courtesy of Willie Connors and a free from Darragh McCarthy before Jason Forde rattled the back of the net with a superb strike. Connors added another two points as Tipperary led 1-5 to no score after four minutes. 

Paddy Purcell got Laois off the mark in fifth minute just before Cathal Dunne pulled off a superb one-on-one save to deny McCarthy. The Tipperary number 13 fired over the resulting 65'. Purcell raised his and Laois' second white flag of the game after seven minutes. McCarthy (free) and Sam O'Farrell scored a point each for the away side. Laois had a great chance for goal soon after but Mossy Keyes' shot was saved by Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Skelly. Purcell had a shot from there bound, but that was deflected and Tipperary cleared the sliotar.

Podge Delaney pointed for Laois with John McGrath replying for Liam Cahill's side. Laois' fifth point was a well-worked team score as they played a puck-out short and worked the ball from Lee Cleere to James Keyes for the Colt-Shanahoe forward to split the posts. Dunne was in inspired form once again between the Laois sticks as he pulled off a double-save, first from Forde and then from McGrath. McCarthy pointed over a free just after as Forde had been fouled before he struck his shot at goal. Andrew Ormond opened his account from centre-forward with Mossy Keyes pointing two frees to cut the deficit to double scores, 1-11 to 0-7.

McGrath tapped over his second point of the contest with Mossy Keyes (free) and a long-range strike from Donnchadh Hartnett replying for Tommy Fitzgerald's side. Ormond and Mossy Keyes traded points as Tipperary went and scored two more points without reply. Robert Doyle came forward from corner-back to point while McCarthy took his tally to five points with his first from play. Laois added two more points before the break as Mossy Keyes pointed from a free and from play. Connors, Ormond and McCarthy (free) added points for Tipperary as The Premier County went into the dressing rooms with a nine-point lead, 1-18 to 0-12.

Purcell got Laois’ first point of the second period after just five seconds but by the time Laois scored again in the 40th minute, Tipperary had added 2-1. Sam O’Farrell got the first goal with a point from a McCarthy free sandwiched in between a second goal for Jason Forde.

Mossy Keyes added a point from a free but Tipp replied with three points courtesy of McCarthy, Joe Caesar and Connors. McGrath then rattled the crossbar with Cathal Dunne beaten in the Laois goal. Mossy Keyes fired over a splendid point from under the stand for Laois but Tipperary kept adding points to the scoreboard down the other end with four more scores unanswered.

Aaron Dunphy came off the bench to score for Laois while Forde, McGrath and Joe Fogarty all added points for Tipp. Mossy Keyes (free) and Purcell got the last two points for Laois as Tipperary ended with three further scores to win by 23 in the end.