Kildare romped to a 3-22 to 0-7 semi-final victory over Laois at Parnell Park tonight.

Totally dominant at midfield, Kieran McGeeney's charges powered into a 0-11 to 0-5 interval lead, with nine of those scores coming from play.

Captain Evan Costello fired Laois ahead with an excellent first-minute free from close to the left touchline but Kildare's dead-ball specialist Liam McGovern replied from a third-minute free off his left boot.

Costello missed his next free off the outside of an upright, while Padraig Fogarty made no such mistake at the other end, taking a pass from Niall Kelly and slotting the lead point: 0-2 to 0-1. Sean Hurley ran half the length of the field in the tenth minute to double Kildare's advantage. They never looked back...

Set up by Daniel Flynn, Paul Cribbin made it 0-4 to 0-1 before Costello clipped home a Laois free from a central position. Paddy Brophy latched onto the rebounder to point after Kelly's goal effort was blocked - 0-6 to 0-2.

Adam Ryan struck Laois' first point from play and O'Moore custodian Graham Brody then made another save, this time denying Brophy. But Fionn Dowling's free made it double scores after 20 minutes: 0-6 to 0-3. Dowling pointed from play after excellent direct play from Hurley. Brophy split the posts following a trademark dummy: 0-8 to 0-3.

Cribbin made it treble scores with another outstanding point and Dowling was on hand to immediately make it 0-10 to 0-3. Already, after 25 minutes, the match was slipping away from Barney Maher's charges…

Costello pulled back a pointed free and Damien O'Connor added a peach from play before Fogarty's goal attempt for the Lilywhites came back off the butt of the post. Fogarty notched the final score of the first half to leave six between them at the break.

The second half started as the first one had ended with points from Cribbin and Fogarty. When Fergal Conway and Daniel Flynn fired two Kildare goals in as many minutes, this game was well and truly over as a contest: 2-16 to 0-5.

Hugh Mahon from Athy fisted a third Kildare goal six minutes from the end. Costello and Mahon traded late points and Tommy Moolick bagged two second-half points as eleven different Kildare men got on the scoresheet.

Kildare - M Donnellan; M Konstantin, D Hyland, S Higgins; P Cribbin (0-4), F Conway (1-0), J Byrne; T Moolick (0-2), S Hurley (0-3); L McGovern (0-2, 1f), N Kelly (0-1), D Flynn (1-0); P Brophy (0-3), F Dowling (0-3, 1f), P Fogarty (0-2). Subs: H Mahon (1-1) for Dowling, B Egan for Hyland, T Gibbons for Flynn, C Murphy for Kelly, D Grehan (0-1) for Brophy.

Laois - G Brody; A Campion, M O'Halloran, S Attride; W Young, P McEvoy, D Dunne; A Ryan (0-1), D O'Connor (0-1); K McGrath, L McGovern, J Farrell; E O'Carroll, E Costello (0-5f), P Kingston. Subs: S Murphy for Young.

Referee - N Ward. Tweet

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