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So much despair and negativity to add to all the other despair and negativity in the world!!

My read on the league was more positive but I do believe we are in for a very tough championship. Some thoughts:

- We played the league with a significant number of our starting team from 2019 either injured or missing (Lee Cleere, Ryan Mullaney 50%, Jack Kelly in and out, Matthew just back, Mark Kavanagh, Aaron Dunphy in and out and then our long term injuries and absentees Cha, Eanna Lyons and retiree Joe Phelan). We have beaten Carlow which was a massive result and blooded a load of new players who are contributing (Liam Senior, Fiachra C Fennell, James Keyes, Ciarán McEvoy, Frank Flanagan) as well as giving game time to players who are returning (James Ryan and Cian Taylor).
- We didn't get hammered by anyone really. Yes, this might be a low bar but given how many were missing and the standard of opposition you would have to be happy enough with that.

I would say that Dublin again are the most realistic shot we have at taking a scalp this year. We won't be afraid of them. The other teams will probably beat us easily on dry summer sod. We simply don't have enough of the 'hurling athletes' that the likes of Wexford, Galway and Kilkenny have. Given the size of our hurling pick, the relatively young profile of our players and our underage performance compared to these teams it will be no surprise. We are not in the same league. You need a panel of 25 seriously good hurlers for the round robin as it is attritional which won't suit us. Therefore I am always satisfied when we give everything we have and play with pride and to our potential as we did last year and in spots this year so far. At least teams will have to dig deep to beat us. Not being defeatist, just saying it as I see it.

It will also be controversial to suggest this but I think it was potentially a bad decision to allow the Leinster championship to increase by one team in 2021. I really enjoy the matches against Westmeath, Kerry, Carlow, Offaly and Antrim. Nice to get a shot at playing the big teams but until you are truly at the level of the top teams it would be great if you could have a bit of both - a chance to play against teams of your own level in competitive matches and a shot at a couple of Liam McCarthy teams if you are successful. That is why last year was so enjoyable. A two tier round robin where you are hoping to beat the upcoming McDonagh winners and then getting well beaten by all of the 'permanant' Liam McCarthy teams isn't particularly appealing.

Completely agree with you as regards our championship prospects

To be anyway even competitive

We needed absolutely everyone on board

This hasn't happened and we've won the one match I said we would win all year.

Dublin will be gunning for us this year and there won't be any surprises

The other 3 won't be letting up,given how Galway messed up on scoring difference when they played Carlow last year.

So much wishful thinking on this post

Brennan will be gone after this year

And we won't sink anyone next year never mind this year

At least my wishful thinking cancels out your constant negativity. Anyone listening to you would think the best thing to do is to rip up Brennan's contract, use the money saved to send Roddy and the boys on a summer long session and encourage all the young lads in Laois to celebrate July the 12th by creating a bonfire out of every hurl in the county.

I just hope that you are not let within an asses roar of managing any juvenile team in Clonad or further a field. You'd suck the life out any ambition they'd have. It's because of attitudes like yours that we historically have been under achievers. Probably the same attitude permeates many of those players that won't hurl for the county. Negativity begets negativity. Black cat - black kitten: be wiser with your words.

Tell you what

Go and tell a few Hurling people from outside the county about Laois running up their best total since 1975 against Kk

And watch them breaking their holes laughing at you.

What did we beat Carlow by again?

We are a lot closer to carlow than we are to Kk at this moment in time

Grasping the highest tally since 1972 straw is laughable,We were bet and well bet.

How did Carlow fare against Kilkenny on their home soil - you know that same Kilkenny team without their Ballyhale contingent?

We're not bet out the gates by any stretch of the imagination today. There was 5 scores between us (2-03). Laois are improving under Brennan, the days of twenty point hammerings are thankfully rarer and rarer.

We do though have a bad habit of performing poorer against lower ranked teams and a good habit lately of competing with higher ranked ones. With continued improvements we'll eventually sink another big gun or two within a season.

So much wishful thinking on this post

Brennan will be gone after this year

And we won't sink anyone next year never mind this year

Is that the level of our ambitions?

Considering that it is the highest tally we put up against them since 1972 in either League or Championship that team deserves to be applauded for not dropping the heads after being unlucky to find themselves 11pts down at half time.

Making excuses for Kilkenny not having the Ballyhale contingent is a deflection. We were down a good few through injury aswell.

The attitude of this team deserves all the platitudes paid their way. If they continue to progress as they have been they will make the other Leinster counties work damn hard to get a "big score win" over us. We are not Carlow.

What did we beat Carlow last weekend,by again?

We are a lot closer to carlow than we are to Kk at this moment in time

Grasping the highest tally since 1972 straw is laughable,We were well bet.

Is that the level of our ambitions?

Considering that it is the highest tally we put up against them since 1972 in either League or Championship that team deserves to be applauded for not dropping the heads after being unlucky to find themselves 11pts down at half time.

Making excuses for Kilkenny not having the Ballyhale contingent is a deflection. We were down a good few through injury aswell.

The attitude of this team deserves all the platitudes paid their way. If they continue to progress as they have been they will make the other Leinster counties work damn hard to get a "big score win" over us. We are not Carlow.

What did we beat Carlow by again?

We are a lot closer to carlow than we are to Kk at this moment in time

Grasping the highest tally since 1972 straw is laughable,We were bet and well bet.

Is that the level of our ambitions?

Running up a decent score against a team who are probably 3rd or 4th in the country when they have  the ballyhale crowd and Murphy on board,which they didn't have today.

We are a mile behind behind Kilkenny and I fear what they,Wexford and Galway will do to us in the Leinster championship when the ground is hard and they need to boost their scoring differences.

Is the combined colleges hurling team still in operation?

No it's not

Pity. It was a good idea, especially at the younger age group

Definitely had merit,in allowing lads to hurl in Leinster A

Is the combined colleges hurling team still in operation?

No it's not

CBS game changed to CoE for 4:30 today

There's a relegation final also between bottom of 1a and 1b to decide which team goes down

Kilkenny on Sunday at 2pm in O'Moore Park (if the pitch recovers this week). With the win over Carlow and two points on the board, the lads will be happy enough knowing we should be safe for another season of Division 1 hurling. (barring Carlow do the unthinkable and beat Wexford by a cricket score in Wx Park).

I've seen most of our games this league campaign and I think we are coming along and developing nicely as a unit. We are lacking a bit in attack and without Cha our deficiencies there are rather obvious. There will be a bit of interest in this game on Sunday as a novelty with Teacher Cody facing Student Brennan! I hope we can keep it more respectable than the 3-21 to 0-09 they ran out against Carlow.

The lads should be wanting to measure themselves against the de facto benchmark team in the land - Kilkenny have certainly set the standards that are there for teams to reach and while Laois are a bit back in the hunting pack, hopefully the lads can hurl well with the shackles off. Best of luck to them on Sunday.

Kk aren't the de facto benchmark team in the land,

Tipp are the all ireland champions and bet Kk handy in the all ireland final,we gave them more of a game in the quarter final than kk did in the final.

Wexford and Limerick are the 2 form teams in league at the minute

All this deference to KK gets my goat.

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2020/02/06/two-neighbouring-gaa-clubs-join-forces-to-form-new-underage-amalgamation/

In theory I'm 100% on your side clonadmad. But don't let the irony be lost on you. Eddie wouldn't drive down the road to train Laois for free. If he did, then his jumping up and down would be all the more meaningful.

How much is Brennan getting paid then?

I don't like seeing any of our teams under strength, but I could understand lads not wanting to go in. There's very little incentive to keep going back year after year. To those that do it, we are of course grateful, but I can think of many reasons why it wouldn't make much appeal. I would say that everything needs to be as close to perfect in your life to facilitate a long career in the GAA. We forget far too easily that the soccer players we look at every week get paid thousands and millions, and yet the lads we question on here get zilch. That doesn't sit easily with me, and I don't think amateur players deserve criticism for looking after the things in their life that are more meaningful to them

You suggesting pay for play?

Good luck with that because the minute you do that players are subject to employment law and can go to the highest bidder.

There's as much chance of the Laois lads winning an all ireland  this year as Patrick Horgan,it doesn't diminish his level of commitment.

The lads that are on current panel are bursting themselves to stay competitive,those that didn't commit have left them in the lurch,that's the bottom line.

The mentality amongst many in this county is weak and soft.

Pay for play or incentives to play already exist on a scale well beyond our means or comprehension.

Nobody has been left in the lurch. To say that is to suggest that lads are duty bound to be in there. They are not.

It is not weak or soft to look after the things in life that mean the most to you. That can be family, job or health, or many other things for that matter. Unless there's a panel member on here, which I doubt, I don't think we are the right people to question commitment from behind a keyboard.

We might as well give up then

Break all the hurleys and tell the kids not to bother

Eddie Brennan is a born winner and he has brought the attitude of a winner and last year he transformed the county and lads wouldn't commit.

You'd think this year some of them would want want to get on board but no.

My heart goes out to the lads bursting their bollocks every week for Laois,but they are on fools errand without everyone on board

Lads, how is the county boards fault that so many strong hurlers won't commit? It is not as if the set up or funding isn't there. Surely the blame for the fact that almost nobody from Camross wants to hurl with Laois lies with Camross? Then when you look at the long list of Leigh Bergin, PJ Scully, Joe Campion, Cha Dwyer etc. etc. I would bet that what is most galling to Eddie is the number of capable players that don't want to play senior hurling. Simply can't be competitive in a small county unless everyone is in pushing for places.

I'm no fan of the county board but sometimes they are used (a bit like the government) to hide where the real accountability lies - with the clubs and the players themselves.

Completely agree with you,nail on the head

I don't think anyone that's anyway informed on what's going is blaming the CB

They have done their very  best in relation to the set up

Eddie Brennan and his management also can't be blamed for the year ahead.

The lads that don't want to commit and their clubs in certain circumstances are where the blame resides

Are the CB not the reason why he was going to walk? A demand not met?

It's nothing to do with the CB,he's pulling his hair out at the attitude amongst those who won't commit.

I wouldn't blame him if he walked

No outsider manager of consequence or substance  would ever touch laois again.

We will be back to chasing the likes of Eamon Kelly and every other mercenary journey man manager all over again