McNaughton on fire today as he nails a long free, but Mossy Keyes replies immediately.

McNaughton at the double and the lead is pushed out to eight. Antrim have been in fine form so far.

Image source, Inpho

A yellow card for Laois midfielder Aidan Corby comes as McNaughton lands another free for Antrim.

Good response from Laois to that Antrim goal with back-to-back points, the second a scorcher from Paddy Purcell which ought to lift them.

Keelan Molloy opens his account and then McNaughton converts his second free of the day.

Aaron Dunphy gets Laois on the board.

A great start for Antrim as Conor Johnston and James McNaughton (free) add to the lead.

Gerard Walsh with another but it comes after a big let-off for Antrim as Mossy Keyes flashes a shot across the face of goal.

Gerard Walsh drills over the opener for Antrim just 13 seconds in.

A blow for Laois just minutes before throw-in as Eanna Lyons pulls up in the warm-up and Willie Dunphy is confirmed as his replacement.

Referee Michael Kennedy throws the ball in and we are underway at a sunny Corrigan Park. Perfect conditions for hurling.

All of the talk in the build-up to this game has surrounded the gastric bug that swept through the Antrim panel in midweek, but it appears to have come and gone, which is good news for manager Davy Fitzgerald.

The Saffrons' boss is without the injured Niall O'Connor for today's game with Conor Boyd coming into the team at wing-back, prompting a different assignment for Conall Bohill today as he partners Gerard Walsh at midfield.

In the Antrim attack, Cormac McKeown has been rewarded with his first start after an impressive impact off the bench during last week's draw in Carlow. The Glenravel man replaces Eoin O'Neill, who drops to the subs where there are further shoots of light as Seaan Elliott and Ryan McGarry are available of required having been battling back from injury.

It is exactly one month since Laois were last in action due to a combination of a bye week and a postponement, so Tommy Fitzgerald's side ought to be refreshed if anything.

However, in the interim, experienced goalkeeper Enda Rowland has opted to take time away from the panel, which leaves a huge void as Cathal Dunne takes over.

Padraig Delaney is a late change in the defence for Cody Comerford, meaning it's the same back six that started against the Déise.

The last time Laois were in Belfast, Aaron Dunphy chipped in with 1-4, and he is named at wing-forward today in place of Willie Dunphy, and in another late change, Tomás Keyes has replaced Mark Dowling.

Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Eoin McFerran, Paddy Burke, Stephen Rooney; Joe Maskey, Eoghan Campbell, Conor Boyd; Conall Bohill, Gerard Walsh; Ryan McCambridge, Keelan Molloy, Nigel Elliott; Cormac McKeown, James McNaughton, Conor Johnston.

Laois: Cathal Dunne; Padraic Dunne, Lee Cleere, Padraig Delaney; Fiachra C Fennell, Donnchadh Hartnett, Jordan Walshe; Aidan Corby, David Dooley; Aaron Dunphy, Cha Dwyer, Eanna Lyons; Jer Quinlan, Paddy Purcell, Tomás Keyes.

Image source, BBC Sport

It's do-or-die territory at Corrigan Park for this afternoon's Allianz Hurling League 1B clash between Antrim and Laois who are both scrapping to beat the drop.

As it stands, the Saffrons are one point above their visitors and sit just inside the safety zone, so a win will give them some breathing space but not confirm their survival as Laois have two games in hand: a rearranged home fixture against Carlow and then finish up with Dublin the visitors to Portlaoise.

Should they come up empty-handed in Belfast, they would need to win both of those games to stay up - extremely tough but not impossible - but win this weekend and they will relegate Antrim, whose league campaign is concluded today.

A draw will also give Antrim a stay of execution, but could mean Laois just need one more point in those last two games to survive. What it all means is that Antrim really do need a win to give themselves the best chance - a task that has become much tougher given the week they've had with a bug ripping through the panel, yet it appears to have passed.

However, this is not a day for excuses from either as they know exactly what is on the line and it ought to translate into a high-intensity affair.

Image source, Inpho