O'Loughlin Gaels 2-16 Mount Leinster Rangers 0-13

A third-quarter speed wobble aside, O'Loughlin Gaels were good value for their AIB Leinster club SHC quarter-final victory over Mount Leinster Rangers.

Mark Bergin's eight-point haul and goals from Owen Wall and substitute Luke Hogan all added up to a comprehensive win for the Kilkenny champions who will face Kilcormac-Killoughey of Offaly in the semi-finals on 25 November.

Wall's fifth minute goal helped O'Loughlin Gaels to open up a 1-03 to 0-01 lead and they remained in pole position from there on.

Their nine-point half-time lead was whittled down to just four by a resurgent Mount Leinster in the third quarter though that was as good as it got for the 2013 champions.

Diarmuid Byrne's 53rd minute dismissal for Mount Leinster Rangers was a killer blow for the underdogs who trailed by four points at that stage and they went on to be outscored by 1-04 to 0-02 after that.

Byrne's red card was a controversial one because his first booking earlier in the second-half came for entering the field of play too soon as a substitute.

A giant question mark hung over the Carlow representatives and how they would fare following three months without a competitive game as their county final win over St Mullins was way back on 13 August.

Boss Paul O'Brien said beforehand that he was confident they'd ticked all the boxes in terms of preparation and that they'd played a series of useful challenge games.

But they were powerless to prevent Brian Hogan's Gaels from roaring into a 1-10 to 0-04 half-time lead, virtually killing the contest at that early stage.

In truth, Mount Leinster Rangers weren't so much off the pace as unable to take the scoring opportunities that came their way in that opening half with nine wides in the first 30 minutes undermining their challenge.

All poor Mount Leinster Rangers could manage in the opening half from open play was two points, from Jon and Chris Nolan, with the latter accounting for their other two points from placed balls.

O'Loughlins, in turn, were boosted by that early Wall goal following a clever dribble and there were further scores from the visitors in that opening half in the form of points from Jack Nolan, county defender Mikey Butler, Mark Bergin and Cian Loy.

Mount Leinster Rangers required a big second-half performance and, for a while at least, they looked like they might pull themselves right back into it.

Brothers Chris and Jon Nolan sniped a series of points between them, eight in total, to leave the overall scoreline reading 1-13 to 0-12.

Then came the Byrne dismissal though and O'Loughlin Gaels took full advantage with a strong last 10 minutes or so.

Hogan burst beyond wing-back Jack Murphy before beating the keeper with a low shot from a tight angle on the right for the second Gaels goal in the 56th minute.

Conor Heary and Bergin added further points to seal a nine-point win for the two-time Leinster champions and 2011 All-Ireland finalists.

O'Loughlin Gaels: Stephen Murphy; Mikey Butler (0-01), Huw Lawlor, Anthony Forrestal; David Fogarty, Paddy Deegan, Jordan Molloy; Jack Nolan (0-03), Cian Loy (0-01); Conor Heary (0-02), Mark Bergin (0-08, 0-04f, 0-01 65), Eoin O'Shea; Owen Wall (1-00), Paddy Butler (0-01), Seanie Bolger.

Subs: Luke Hogan (1-00) for O'Shea 38, Jamie Ryan for Loy 45-f/t blood, Conor Kelly for Paddy Butler 51, Kevin Murphy for Jack Nolan 58.

Mount Leinster Rangers: Dean Grennan; Sean Joyce, Jack Murphy, Michael Doyle; Tony Lawlor, Kevin McDonald, Richard Coady; Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Evan Kealy; Ted Joyce, Donagh Murphy, Jon Nolan (0-03); Ciarain Kavanagh, Edward Byrne, Chris Nolan (0-09, 0-06f, 0-01 65).

Subs: Paul Coady for Ted Joyce h/t, Diarmuid Byrne for Lawlor 41, Dean Tobin (0-01) for Edward Byrne 51, Tim Brennan for Kavanagh 57, Michael Malone for Kealy 61.

Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford).