Laois 2017 - NHL and Leinster SHC

[redsetanta]

Laois Senior Hurling manager Eamonn Kelly has announced his starting 15 for Saturday's Allianz Hurling League Division 1B against Offaly in O'Moore Park.


1. Enda Rowland (St Lazerian's Abbeyleix)

2. Dwane Palmer (Camross)

3. Leigh Bergin (Shanahoe)

4. Padraig Lawlor (Ballinakill)

5. Cahir Healy (Portlaoise)

6. Matthew Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)

7. Ryan Mullaney (Castletown)

8. Patrick Purcell (Rathdowney Errill)

9. Ben Conroy (Slieve Bloom)

10. Stephen Maher (Clough Ballacolla)

11. Charles Dwyer (Ballinakill)

12. Paddy Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)

13. Willie Dunphy (Clough Ballacolla)

14. Neil Foyle (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)

15. Ross King (Rathdowney Errill)

[Don Draper]

Seriously competitive half back line. Will need to be.

[honest hurler]

good half back line but i would have great concerns with palmer im my opinion he is too timed and does not take the game by the scruff of the neck he was always a sweeper on cheddars team and forward with camross not up to this position as we saw in kerry it was our inside back line that really let us down sorry for having to be blunt i also think mullaney needs to let that ball off faster this was a factorin kerry hope healy is up for it was not happy coming off field against kerry did not warm down very slow against galway gave away 3 defenite points we can not afford that go to see a good parternaship with conroy at centerfield after all he is one player that has shone out this year and the only one that took on the kerry defence when it mattered conroy is a big asset paudge lawlor is trying well love to see downey in the mix all in all we have enough to beat offally

[Don Draper]

Cahir is a big game player and a leader, he'll have himself right. We're lacking corner backs, so Palmer will have to step up, simple as that. If Healy was pissed off last weekend, he has an ideal chance to prove that Saturday. No better man. I expect a big big one from Cha.

[blueandwhite1]

Seriously competitive half back line. Will need to be.

Winning primary possession has been the number one failing of this team in the last couple of years. The Kerry game showed this again. Cahir is a good addition to the middle 8 but MAJOR improvement is needed from the other 7 in the air and on the ground.

[Don Draper]

Seriously competitive half back line. Will need to be.

Winning primary possession has been the number one failing of this team in the last couple of years. The Kerry game showed this again. Cahir is a good addition to the middle 8 but MAJOR improvement is needed from the other 7 in the air and on the ground.

Yep. I could easily have swapped combatative with competitive. We sorely lack ball winners on either half line. This line should at least compete. Paddy on the half forward line is obviously an attempt to rectify this up there. Picky will need to stick the paw up too.

[blueandwhite1]

And if they are not successful with the paw they should be making damned sure that the guy they are marking doesn't make the catch.....

[Don Draper]

And if they are not successful with the paw they should be making damned sure that the guy they are marking doesn't make the catch.....

Damn right.

[honest hurler]

i agree with putting the paw up only conroy tries his best in the air we miss willie hyland for that now dont get me wrong healy would be my choice all im saying is he has to have men around him not chaps seing cha last week only getting 2 meatre on the line balls and why he was left on them begs belief what are we paying people for when they cant see this and when we are on the subject of trainers do you all know that the manager of the kerry team never hurled in his life so

[Unlaoised]

Full back line is my main worry!

[honest hurler]

could not agree with u more full back line is our main worry

[Ogie]

Full back line one of the poorest I've ever seen,
I'm told it was pre planned that Fleming would hurl against Kerry & Rowland against Offaly but I feel it's very unfair on Fleming he has been outstanding, hasn't put a foot wrong.

[mountrath1]

Obviously none of ye saw the performance which Dwayne Palmer put in for IT Carlow on John McGrath from Tipp. Have Offaly a forward of that quality inside. I doubt it very much

[Keyser Söze]

could not agree with u more full back line is our main worry

It's not so long ago that the likes of Cyril Duggan, Bill Maher and Seamus Dooley were battling it out for places on the full back line. They were serious hurlers at the time. Seems like only a few years ago! Or maybe it's just me getting old!

Obviously none of ye saw the performance which Dwayne Palmer put in for IT Carlow on John McGrath from Tipp. Have Offaly a forward of that quality inside. I doubt it very much

I'd imagine that very few here did see it! Fact remains he was never really trusted or deployed (unsure which) by Cheddar to actually pick somebody up! He doesn't really have any record doing so at intercounty level and has been found wanting on a couple of occasions the last few years!

I don't like being critical of anyone, but I think there are questions around the mobility of Mullaney, Healy, Matthew and Lawlor, for the level we are trying to be competitive at. And there are too many of them playing in the same area of the field.
Compare their mobility to that of Paddy Purcell (who we consider a bit of a freak- but most of the top 6/7 counties are packed with guys of his mobility level).

[Home Boys Home]

Obviously none of ye saw the performance which Dwayne Palmer put in for IT Carlow on John McGrath from Tipp. Have Offaly a forward of that quality inside. I doubt it very much

Palmer is fine against light fast corner forwards. Of all the full back line he is the least of our worries. Full back has been a problem since Brian Campion retired and Darren Maher's absence is a big blow.

He has pace, a nice touch and will sweep up behind his corner men alright but I don't think young Bergin has the all-round game suited to full back, at least not yet.