Laois Senior Football Championship 2016

Unlaoised · July 26, 2016, 03:47:23 PM

Not playing in the league will harm Ballyfin and I believe they have a long long list of injuries added to be some chap breaking his hand in the hurling game against Colt last weekend.

Is their any slieve Bloom players going to make the team?

SCFC · July 27, 2016, 06:58:46 PM

Stradbally v Clonaslee isn't a very attractive opening fixture tomorrow night.
Can only see this game going one way with Clonaslee reportedly down a number of players from last year while Strad have Begley back and Gary Comerford committing to GAA for the first time in many years.

Uisce · July 28, 2016, 10:37:32 PM

First game went as many expected. Hard for Clonaslee with the lads they are missing, a club like theirs with so many dual players will struggle when missing a few. Stradbally are improved on previous years but probably won't trouble any of the big guns!

Junior Ex Laoistalk · July 29, 2016, 01:17:29 AM

Quote from: Uisce on July 28, 2016, 10:37:32 PM
First game went as many expected. Hard for Clonaslee with the lads they are missing, a club like theirs with so many dual players will struggle when missing a few. Stradbally are improved on previous years but probably won't trouble any of the big guns!

Result:

Clonaslee St Manmans: 1-05
Stradbally: 2-19

portlaoisekid · July 29, 2016, 10:48:50 AM

Great to see championship football back.. we need a seriously competitive senior championship to aid the county..

Huge match for the Heath Saturday ...if they don't beat Portlaoise this time they will never get a better chance . Portlaoise haven't been going well in challenge matches but they have played some good teams , I wouldn't rule out Portlaoise just yet.

Arles Killeen still best placed to take Portlaoises title.

Junior Ex Laoistalk · July 29, 2016, 01:18:39 PM

Killeen not going well in challenge games either, Baltinglass hammered them recently..

Junior Ex Laoistalk · July 30, 2016, 02:28:24 AM

Ballylinan beat Graiguecullen tonight 3-10 to 2-10 and just about deserved it. Graiguecullen had a nightmare first half and went in at half time 5 points behind after kicking about 10 balls wide and a few goal chances saved by the keeper. A lot of 50-50 calls by Mr. Deegan went the way of Ballylinan and a penalty for a foot block resulted in a goal for Gary Walsh and really put them in the driving seat.
Graiguecullen came out for the second half meaning business and were unlucky not to have a goal or two in the net in the first few minutes. Then Ballylinan played some of their best football and scored two brilliant goals in two minutes and Graiguecullen looked a beaten ticket . To their credit they fought back and played some brilliant football in the last 20 minutes and brought the score back to three points with two goals being scored by substitute Danny Doogue who last played senior football about 12 years ago. He even had another goal chance with the last kick of the game but hit it straight at the keeper who saved it.

The one gripe I had about the ref was his use of the advantage rule. Near the end of the game when Graiguecullen were coming back strongly Aaron Forbes, who had a great game at full forward, won a high ball around the 21 meter line and was swung out of by two players but managed to shake them off and headed towards goal with only the keeper to beat. He was gone about 10 meters from where he was fouled and just about to shoot when Mr. Deegan blew the whistle and called him back for a 21 meter free. If ever there was a case for advantage to be played this was it but one of the top referees in the country saw fit to overrule the advantage law and gave the benefit to the fouling team. Is it any wonder players are disillusioned by referees...

It was a good, exciting game to watch and Ballylinan were the better team for two thirds of the game and deserved their win but Graiguecullen looked very good when they brought on the subs and played like they had nothing to lose. A draw would probably have been a fair result and maybe that would have been the outcome with a different ref. Not Maurice's best day at the office, I'm afraid..

steven seagal · July 30, 2016, 08:55:23 AM

QuoteBallylinan were the better team for two thirds of the game and deserved their win but Graiguecullen looked very good when they brought on the subs and played like they had nothing to lose. A draw would probably have been a fair result

I think you're contradicting yourself a bit there Junior

SCFC · July 30, 2016, 09:23:15 AM

Great result for Ballylinan. No flirting with relegation for them this year!

oneflewoverthecuckoonest · July 30, 2016, 12:39:58 PM

it was a good game to watch as a neutral and ballylinan on the overall run of the 60 odd minutes deserved to win.

I think our friends in graigue are entitled to feel a little aggrieved about some decisions.

one would have to question the wisdom of appointing a referee to this fixture when one of his fellow clubmen was managing/coaching one of the teams. I thought that was a general no-no.

another game should bring graigue on a bit.

Junior Ex Laoistalk · July 30, 2016, 05:45:31 PM

Quote from: oneflewoverthecuckoonest on July 30, 2016, 12:39:58 PM
it was a good game to watch as a neutral and ballylinan on the overall run of the 60 odd minutes deserved to win.

I think our friends in graigue are entitled to feel a little aggrieved about some decisions.

one would have to question the wisdom of appointing a referee to this fixture when one of his fellow clubmen was managing/coaching one of the teams. I thought that was a general no-no.

another game should bring graigue on a bit.

Didn't like to bring that up as I thought one of the top referees in the country would be above that carry-on but obviously not. There were also at least two penalty appeals that could have gone against Ballylinan but that was never going to happen.

Don't think I contradicted myself in my post above "steven seagal", I said " A draw would probably have been a fair result", fair being the important word there...

redsetanta · July 30, 2016, 07:04:05 PM

You can't take too much from 1st round games. Teams who win can forget about the fear of relegation which means there mightn't be the same level of intesity the next day. The best games to see are the second round losers matches as lose that and you're in trouble.

If Graigue and Ballylinan meet at the knock out stage my money would be on Graigue!

BallyroanAbu · July 30, 2016, 08:47:37 PM

My money would be on Ballylinan, What have Graigue done to be rated highly? Back a few years ago Graigue fluked a win against Portlaoise in the 1st round they certaintly thought alot of it then.

redsetanta · July 30, 2016, 09:04:37 PM

They've consistantly been a better team than Ballylinan. They couldn't get the better of Kilcruise over the last few years when they played them but would be a step up from Ballylinan.
Ballylinan have won first round games before maybe upsetting the odds but didn't build on it.

BallyroanAbu · July 30, 2016, 09:54:09 PM

Consistently What? they get knocked out most years in the quarter. Would not have taken a whole heap of improvement for Ballylinan to get by Graigue. Which is what has happened. Ballylinan beat Josephs two years ago went mad partying after it, also they had the beating of Emo last year. They were improved this year, Graigue no great shakes i.e not a massive improvement