Laois Senior Hurlers 2021

Started by mcwregor, January 28, 2021, 09:52:00 PM

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mcwregor

Decided to spark a bit of talk and debate about the make up of the laois senior hurling panel in 2021.
I have listed out 59 potential players for laois in 2021. I have divided them in different groups goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, forwards, lads worth having a look at, lads that we could do with but have not committed in recent years and young lads. I have no idea of the make up of Cheddars training panel so im guessing really. Would like to get your opinions on who should be there and maybe what our best starting 15 is. I have guessed the ages of all players, I shouldn't be too far out but forgive me if I am! The average age of the first 32 named below is 25.8yrs old. Also forgive me if I have left anyone obvious or maybe not so obvious out.
Goalkeepers (2)
Enda Rowland (26)
An excellent goalkeeper with a great attitude and a love for the jersey
Paul Simms (25)
A good back up to Rowland but barring injury to Enda hard to see him get in
                               
Defenders (12)
Sean Downey (26)
Not sure is full back his best position and whether he can nullify the best in the game remains to be seen. Got caught for Eamonn Dillons goal against Dublin but other than that did quite well in 2020.
Matthew Whelan (32)
A warrior for laois for almost 15 years at this stage and hardly missed a game in all that time. I don't ever remember Matthew getting a roasting for laois and he has seen some dark days. Not sure if he is soldiering on this year or not as he didn't seem to come into the reckoning in 2020. Owes laois nothing.     
Lee Cleere (22)
Struggled a bit early on against Dublin but Cleere is one Cheddar will be counting on in the coming years. An excellent competitor                                                                 
Donnacha Harnett (25) 
Have been very impressed with Hartnett in the past couple of years, seems comfortable at county level and has done well on some top players                                                   
Jack Kelly (25)
Kelly was one of our top performers in 2019. Strange he didn't start against Dublin last year and taken off early against Clare when playing well.
Ryan Mullaney (25)
Mullaney is another that has performed very well in the past couple of years. I think he is most at home at centre back but could also be used at full back.
Podge Delaney (22)
One of laois best players in 2020 and we will big performances again in 2021
Colm Stapleton (25)
In and out of the team a bit. Got his chance against Clare and did quite well but made a couple of errors also.
Ronan Broderick (25)
Unfortunate injury against Dublin, Hopefully he makes a good/speedy recovery
Eric Killeen (23)
Will be looking for more game time and fight for a place
Ciaran McEvoy (26)
Will be hoping to take his chance
Diarmuid Conway (21)
Looking forward to seeing Conway getting a chance.

Midfielders (4)
John Lennon (25)
An important cog in the wheel. Sorely missed in 2020
Paddy Purcell (28)
Again not starting Paddy against Clare when we were already missing players seemed a strange move to me. However he didn't sulk and got stuck in and played well when introduced. Laois need to be getting the best out of Paddy Purcell.
Fiachra C Fennell (23)
A great engine and pace which suits this laois team. Hopefully he can improve his end product. Has a part to play
Conor Phelan (25)
Has been used as a substitute, will be looking for a chance from the start

Forwards (14)
Picky Maher (28)
One of the best in the business on his day. A couple of superb points against Dublin but we need a bit more overall given his talent
Cha Dwyer (27)
Not bringing Cha back into the panel in Autumn was another funny call by EB. Laois cant afford to be without the likes of cha. He is a leader in this team and we will need him at his best.
Mark Kavanagh (23)
Kavanagh is becoming an important player in this team, his scoring ability makes up for his lack of physique. Hopefully injuries are behind him
Ross King (27)
Roddy carried the can up front for a lot of last year and did as well as he could. A top player for laois and will need more support
Willie Dunphy (29)
After an epic 2019, Dunphy wasn't as influential in 2020 but still remains a very important player for laois
Eanna Lyons (27)
Will be very keen to get back hurling with laois after missing out last year. Has a good attitude and if he could become more of an aerial threat it would serve us well
Aaron Dunphy (23)
A super talent with great speed. After and excellent 2019 campaign, he didn't excel as much in 2020. Made some handling errors that you wouldn't expect.
James Ryan (27)
Ryan played well at times in 2020 and drifted out of games at times also. Will be hoping to add consistency to his game.
James Keyes (21)
Has developed physically in the past year. Took a brilliant goal against Clare. Hopefully he can improve again this year
Stephen Bergin (26)
Dogged by injury in 2020. Can play his part starting or from the bench again this year
Pj Scully (27)
Pj is back in with laois and will be hoping to push for a starting place
Ben Conroy (27)
Injured in 2019 and was in England for a lot of 2020. A top club player in laois be interesting to see if he could make the step up for laois
Eoin Gaughan (22)
Played a bit in 2020 in the absence of others. Will be hoping to make an impact in 2020
Mark Hennessy (20)
Came on for the last couple of minutes against Clare so he must have been impressing in training. Played well for laois under 20's against Carlow. Will develop in the next couple of years
Liam O Connell (24)
This is an interesting one. Ive heard O Connell is part of the panel. Not sure if he has ever even played senior with his club. Was an excellent minor until he was plagued by injury.

In and out/Worth a look (13)
Conor Cosgrove (20)
Frank Flanagan
Cian Taylor (26)
Aaron Bergin (23)
Daniel Comerford (22)
Ciaran Comerford (22)
Liam Senior (21)
Podge Lawlor (28)
Paddy Whelan (28)
Stephen Phelan (23)
Robbie Phelan (23)
Aidan Corby (25)
Stephen Finan (26)

Not available - (7) All listed below have not committed for the past couple of years for whatever reason. It's a real shame as these guys would really drive on the current panel and all could possibly start in the championship. I believe these lads will have some regrets if they don't come back and give it a go as they are all in their prime now and they are missing out on playing at the highest level with their county. Ive no doubt they were in portlaoise or in croke park supporting laois in the summer of 2019. They were incredible days to be a laois person, surley it stroke a chord with them and would have said "god id love to be out there", I have to say I was surprised when none of them were involved in 2020 after the year we had in'19. Cheddar was interviewed recently and when questioned about non committals he played it down so maybe he has got a few of these guys back in. We definitely have had a huge amount of guys that have not committed in recent years and I think I remember Eddie Brennan saying he had 22 guys decline. Id be keen to know the reason behind it and what could be done to encourage more to play with their county. Many of lads would kill for the honour!

Gearoid Burke (27) Was a steady wing back for cheddar during his last term in charge. Would be a great option to have if available this year.
Dwayne Palmer (25) Hasn't been around the past couple of years. Would provide great competition for a corner back spot.
Joe Campion (25) Hasn't committed to the county panel for the past couple of years. Would be a great addition to the laois set up as he has the physique and ability to excel.                               
Leigh Bergin (25) Didn't play any hurling club or county in the past couple of years for whatever reason. It's a pity as he was progressing into a fine hurler prior to that.
Ciaran Collier (25) Hurler of the year in 2018 and unfortunately hasn't committed in recent years. Hasn't had the best club campaigns is '18 but if committed he could find form and be a good addition to laois.
Mark Dowling (23) Camross best player in 2020 and has progressed very well. Didn't seem to get much chance in 2019 under brennan but would definitely feature if he commits in 2021.
Eoin Fleming (26) Undoubtedly the second best goalie in laois for the past few years, probably has become frustrated with lack of opportunity.                                 

Potential/Maybe not ready yet
Dunne is one that is probably ready to make the step up as under study to Rowland and learn his trade with a view to challenging Rowland for the position down the line. Id like to see burke in too as he has a lot of the attributes required for this level and training with the senior team will bring him on leaps and bounds. Dooley is an excellent prospect and considering who his father is hopefully he will choose the small ball over other sports. Maher had an excellent club campaign for rosenallis. The others are young but have potential to push on.
Cathal Dunne (20)
Ciaran Burke (20)
David Dooley (17)
John Maher (20)
Fionain Mahony (18)
Danny Brennan (19)
Tomas Keyes (18)

steven seagal

Liam O'Connell has definitely played senior with his club anyway, he was on the Rathdowney-Errill team that drew with Borris-Kilcotton in that epic game a few years ago. It'd be great if he was back involved, pucks of ability, would need a lot of time to get himself back right but Cheddar would be a good manager for him. Hope he's fit and well

Zooming around

Quote from: mcwregor on January 28, 2021, 09:52:00 PM
Decided to spark a bit of talk and debate about the make up of the laois senior hurling panel in 2021.
I have listed out 59 potential players for laois in 2021. I have divided them in different groups goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, forwards, lads worth having a look at, lads that we could do with but have not committed in recent years and young lads. I have no idea of the make up of Cheddars training panel so im guessing really. Would like to get your opinions on who should be there and maybe what our best starting 15 is. I have guessed the ages of all players, I shouldn't be too far out but forgive me if I am! The average age of the first 32 named below is 25.8yrs old. Also forgive me if I have left anyone obvious or maybe not so obvious out.
Goalkeepers (2)
Enda Rowland (26)
An excellent goalkeeper with a great attitude and a love for the jersey
Paul Simms (25)
A good back up to Rowland but barring injury to Enda hard to see him get in
                               
Defenders (12)
Sean Downey (26)
Not sure is full back his best position and whether he can nullify the best in the game remains to be seen. Got caught for Eamonn Dillons goal against Dublin but other than that did quite well in 2020.
Matthew Whelan (32)
A warrior for laois for almost 15 years at this stage and hardly missed a game in all that time. I don't ever remember Matthew getting a roasting for laois and he has seen some dark days. Not sure if he is soldiering on this year or not as he didn't seem to come into the reckoning in 2020. Owes laois nothing.     
Lee Cleere (22)
Struggled a bit early on against Dublin but Cleere is one Cheddar will be counting on in the coming years. An excellent competitor                                                                 
Donnacha Harnett (25) 
Have been very impressed with Hartnett in the past couple of years, seems comfortable at county level and has done well on some top players                                                   
Jack Kelly (25)
Kelly was one of our top performers in 2019. Strange he didn't start against Dublin last year and taken off early against Clare when playing well.
Ryan Mullaney (25)
Mullaney is another that has performed very well in the past couple of years. I think he is most at home at centre back but could also be used at full back.
Podge Delaney (22)
One of laois best players in 2020 and we will big performances again in 2021
Colm Stapleton (25)
In and out of the team a bit. Got his chance against Clare and did quite well but made a couple of errors also.
Ronan Broderick (25)
Unfortunate injury against Dublin, Hopefully he makes a good/speedy recovery
Eric Killeen (23)
Will be looking for more game time and fight for a place
Ciaran McEvoy (26)
Will be hoping to take his chance
Diarmuid Conway (21)
Looking forward to seeing Conway getting a chance.

Midfielders (4)
John Lennon (25)
An important cog in the wheel. Sorely missed in 2020
Paddy Purcell (28)
Again not starting Paddy against Clare when we were already missing players seemed a strange move to me. However he didn't sulk and got stuck in and played well when introduced. Laois need to be getting the best out of Paddy Purcell.
Fiachra C Fennell (23)
A great engine and pace which suits this laois team. Hopefully he can improve his end product. Has a part to play
Conor Phelan (25)
Has been used as a substitute, will be looking for a chance from the start

Forwards (14)
Picky Maher (28)
One of the best in the business on his day. A couple of superb points against Dublin but we need a bit more overall given his talent
Cha Dwyer (27)
Not bringing Cha back into the panel in Autumn was another funny call by EB. Laois cant afford to be without the likes of cha. He is a leader in this team and we will need him at his best.
Mark Kavanagh (23)
Kavanagh is becoming an important player in this team, his scoring ability makes up for his lack of physique. Hopefully injuries are behind him
Ross King (27)
Roddy carried the can up front for a lot of last year and did as well as he could. A top player for laois and will need more support
Willie Dunphy (29)
After an epic 2019, Dunphy wasn't as influential in 2020 but still remains a very important player for laois
Eanna Lyons (27)
Will be very keen to get back hurling with laois after missing out last year. Has a good attitude and if he could become more of an aerial threat it would serve us well
Aaron Dunphy (23)
A super talent with great speed. After and excellent 2019 campaign, he didn't excel as much in 2020. Made some handling errors that you wouldn't expect.
James Ryan (27)
Ryan played well at times in 2020 and drifted out of games at times also. Will be hoping to add consistency to his game.
James Keyes (21)
Has developed physically in the past year. Took a brilliant goal against Clare. Hopefully he can improve again this year
Stephen Bergin (26)
Dogged by injury in 2020. Can play his part starting or from the bench again this year
Pj Scully (27)
Pj is back in with laois and will be hoping to push for a starting place
Ben Conroy (27)
Injured in 2019 and was in England for a lot of 2020. A top club player in laois be interesting to see if he could make the step up for laois
Eoin Gaughan (22)
Played a bit in 2020 in the absence of others. Will be hoping to make an impact in 2020
Mark Hennessy (20)
Came on for the last couple of minutes against Clare so he must have been impressing in training. Played well for laois under 20's against Carlow. Will develop in the next couple of years
Liam O Connell (24)
This is an interesting one. Ive heard O Connell is part of the panel. Not sure if he has ever even played senior with his club. Was an excellent minor until he was plagued by injury.

In and out/Worth a look (13)
Conor Cosgrove (20)
Frank Flanagan
Cian Taylor (26)
Aaron Bergin (23)
Daniel Comerford (22)
Ciaran Comerford (22)
Liam Senior (21)
Podge Lawlor (28)
Paddy Whelan (28)
Stephen Phelan (23)
Robbie Phelan (23)
Aidan Corby (25)
Stephen Finan (26)

Not available - (7) All listed below have not committed for the past couple of years for whatever reason. It's a real shame as these guys would really drive on the current panel and all could possibly start in the championship. I believe these lads will have some regrets if they don't come back and give it a go as they are all in their prime now and they are missing out on playing at the highest level with their county. Ive no doubt they were in portlaoise or in croke park supporting laois in the summer of 2019. They were incredible days to be a laois person, surley it stroke a chord with them and would have said "god id love to be out there", I have to say I was surprised when none of them were involved in 2020 after the year we had in'19. Cheddar was interviewed recently and when questioned about non committals he played it down so maybe he has got a few of these guys back in. We definitely have had a huge amount of guys that have not committed in recent years and I think I remember Eddie Brennan saying he had 22 guys decline. Id be keen to know the reason behind it and what could be done to encourage more to play with their county. Many of lads would kill for the honour!

Gearoid Burke (27) Was a steady wing back for cheddar during his last term in charge. Would be a great option to have if available this year.
Dwayne Palmer (25) Hasn't been around the past couple of years. Would provide great competition for a corner back spot.
Joe Campion (25) Hasn't committed to the county panel for the past couple of years. Would be a great addition to the laois set up as he has the physique and ability to excel.                               
Leigh Bergin (25) Didn't play any hurling club or county in the past couple of years for whatever reason. It's a pity as he was progressing into a fine hurler prior to that.
Ciaran Collier (25) Hurler of the year in 2018 and unfortunately hasn't committed in recent years. Hasn't had the best club campaigns is '18 but if committed he could find form and be a good addition to laois.
Mark Dowling (23) Camross best player in 2020 and has progressed very well. Didn't seem to get much chance in 2019 under brennan but would definitely feature if he commits in 2021.
Eoin Fleming (26) Undoubtedly the second best goalie in laois for the past few years, probably has become frustrated with lack of opportunity.                                 

Potential/Maybe not ready yet
Dunne is one that is probably ready to make the step up as under study to Rowland and learn his trade with a view to challenging Rowland for the position down the line. Id like to see burke in too as he has a lot of the attributes required for this level and training with the senior team will bring him on leaps and bounds. Dooley is an excellent prospect and considering who his father is hopefully he will choose the small ball over other sports. Maher had an excellent club campaign for rosenallis. The others are young but have potential to push on.
Cathal Dunne (20)
Ciaran Burke (20)
David Dooley (17)
John Maher (20)
Fionain Mahony (18)
Danny Brennan (19)
Tomas Keyes (18)


Great research there.

What really impresses me is the exciting, high scoring forward line we could potentially have on the pitch.
Aaron Dunphy
Mark Kavanagh
PJ Scully
Willie Dunphy
Cha
Roddy

with Keyes, Picky, Ben, Lyons etc to come on with 20/25 to go. Oh what I'd give to have Joe Campion available.

I wonder could we get the following team on the pitch? We'd give anyone a run.

Enda Rowland
Donnchadh Hartnett
Matthew Whelan
Lee Cleere
Jack Kelly
Ryan Mullaney
Podge Delaney
Joe Campion
Paddy Purcell
Aaron Dunphy
Mark Kavanagh
PJ Scully
Willie Dunphy
Cha Dwyer
Ross King



Ogie

Be great to have Joe Campion back involved, could make a huge difference to that team,
Mark Dowling definitely deserves a chance, was Camross best forward, Jordan Walsh & Stephen Dunphy also played brilliantly for their clubs last year also, could easily fit into the modern game.

Matthew has committed for 2021, some commitment to Laois

burdizzo

Is there any sign of Joe Campion getting involved? How many years is it since he was w/ Laois? I had it in my head that he said he was never going back in w/ the county that time, and he's been true to his word thus far, anyway.

Not sure Burke has the temperament, and Collier has gone right off the boil since he stepped away from Laois. Leigh Bergin is a shame all right, but maybe he's just had enough of it all/ some sort of an epiphany that doesn't include hurling? Who knows.

Young Maher would be a good prospect, but would he have the size for senior intercounty?

Anyway, good list there, mcwregor!

Helix.

The Laois Gaa Senior Hurling Management Team for 2021 has been confirmed.  Laois Gaa sends its best wishes to the team and management for the 2021 season.

Manager: Cheddar
Hurling coach: Donach O'Donnell
Hurling analyst: Francis Forde
S&C: Leo Tiernan and David Matthews
Nutrition: Arthur Dunne
Physio: John Sugrue and Conor Bolton
Dr: JP Campion

Hopefully a successful appointment and best wishes to all involved whenever return to sport happens!
;D

Keyser Söze

Looks impressive. Only to be expected with Cheddar I suppose, but we shouldn't take these things for granted!
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled.......

Spiritof1915

Young, vibrant and enthusiastic management team. hopefully all players will commit. Exactly what was needed after brennan left

marty34

Small enough of a backroom, as per modern times.

Less is more and all that!

Ogie

Anyone hazard a guess or work out when Laois will be hurling league  / Championship and when Club championships will take off this year ??

clonadmad

Quote from: Ogie on April 08, 2021, 01:56:43 PM
Anyone hazard a guess or work out when Laois will be hurling league  / Championship and when Club championships will take off this year ??

League to start 8/9th May

County championship can start once the Inter county team is knocked out

The PRO

Big blow losing Mark Kavanagh for the full year if it's true.

town1980

How did he get seriously hurt ??? Collective sessions going on ??

Behindthefence

From my limited understanding cartilage damage is normally a wear and tear injury.

Zooming around

Wexford first, then Kilkenny. Two good games to look forward to.