Clare ... 3-18 Laois ... 1-11 An in-form Niall Gilligan led the rout at Cusack Park, Ennis, on Saturday as Clare easily dismissed the challenge of Laois in their opening league game.

Last year's beaten All-Ireland finalists were never troubled by a Laois outfit that were out of their depth for the most part.

Clare, with only six of their All-Ireland final side, did have their problems, too, hitting 13 wides, 11 of them in the opening half.

Laois got off to a bright start and were two points to the good after four minutes. But once Clare registered their first score, a Gilligan point from a free in the eighth minute, they began to exert pressure with some good deliveries out of their half-back line.

By the time another Gilligan free put them 0-5 to 0-2 in front in the 23rd minute, the home side had taken control.

Leading 0-11 to 0-3 heading towards half-time, a David Hoey free out of defence found Gilligan in a right-corner forward position. The Sixmilebridge man slipped through the Laois defence and goaled from close range. He added a point in injury time and Clare went in with a 12-point advantage at the break.

Two second-half goals by newcomer Daithí O'Connell only cemented Clare's supremacy.

CLARE: G O'Connell; D Hoey, R O'Looney, C Harrison; C Plunkett (0-3, 2 '65s, 1f), D McMahon, G O'Grady; J Reddan (0-1), D Scanlan; T Griffin (0-2), T Carmody, A Markham; N Gilligan (1-8, 4fs), B Murphy (0-1), D O'Connell (2-2). Subs: C Earlie for Scanlan (inj), E Taaffe for Carmody (inj) S McNamara for Gilligan, A Quinn (0-1) for McNamara (inj), D Kennedy for Murphy.

LAOIS: J Lyons; J Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cuddy, T Phelan; C Cuddy, Paul Cuddy, D Rooney (0-1); J Young (0-1), P Mahon; J Phelan, D Cuddy (0-6, 3fs), C Coonan (0-1); D Culleton, L Tynan, F O'Sullivan (0-1). Subs: M Rooney for Fitzpatrick, D Walsh for T Phelan, E Maher (0-1) for Mahon, N Daly for Coonan, T Fitzgerald (1-0) for O'Sullivan.

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary)