Laois Junior Football Championship
O'Dempsey's v The Heath
Rosenallis v Stradbally
Portlaoise v Barrowhouse
Ballyroan Abbey v The Rock
Mountmellick v Portarlington
Graiguecullen v St Joseph's
Ballylinan v The Harps
Seven games down for decision this week in the opening round of the JFC – should be a pretty open championship.
Park/Ratheniska are already through after last year's beaten finalists Slieve Bloom/Castletown pulled the plug on the football this year.
P/R will be favourites to bounce straight back up. I also think Rosenallis have a good chance – beaten by Courtwood in the last two semi-finals, they have plenty of good young players. Josephs are fairly strong at this grade too although they could finish the championship with a lot weaker team than they start with if their seniors need to delve into the junior panel.
Barrowhouse are dark horses – the word is they have Emmett Malone and Joe Murphy back to lend experience to those good young minors they have. Would be great to see them winning a championship.
Of the others – Portlaoise's third team could be anything, very hard to read them. O'Dempsey's will be decent but have a tough game against The Heath who are also not too bad. Stradbally will struggle I think. Mountmellick, Port, Ballyroan, The Rock, Harps, Ballylinan and Graigue are all rank outsiders.
I'd say Portarlington could do OK in this. Lot of good young lads who won't be on their senior team.
Interesting championship, no real obvious potential winner but plenty of contenders. Park coming down from intermediate would be the most likely but no guarantees with them. They are a bit inconsistent, some good results in Division 2 followed by some very bad results. Any of the senior teams second team can't be written off, will obviously depend on how many are plucked for senior championship. Always find it a bit unfair that some teams can potentially get weaker as the championship progresses but no realistic way to get around that.
A few results tonight.
Heath 10 O'D's 8
Barrowhouse 14 P'Laoise 11
Rosenallis 2-11 Strad 1-5 (thereabouts anyway!)
Ballyroan beat The Rock last night by 12/13 pts
Saw the second half of Rosenallis v Stradbally last night.
Very impressed with Rosenallis number 13, think his name is Colm Poole.
Portlaoise didn't take loosing too well last night I hear there was a few sendings off and the ref got a lot of stick form the Town supporters.
In fairness they're not use to losing much in the town ;D is it the same format as senior championship with a "winners" side and a "losers" side for the next round?
Port beat Mountmellick handy enough tonight. And Ballylinan beat The Harps.
Joseph's 2-14 Graigue 2-5
Laois Shopping Centre JFC draw: Winners side: Barrowhouse v Rosenallis; St Joseph's v Park/Rath; B'roan Abbey v Port; The Heath v Ballylinan Losers side: O'Dempseys (Bye); Mountmellick v Portlaoise; The Rock v Graiguecullen; The Harps v Stradbally
Very good win for Barrowhouse over Rosenallis last night.
Anyone know the 3rd round draw? Nothing on Laois GAA, twitter, Facebook!
Rosenallis v Graiguecullen on Sunday 9 Aug venue tbc 6:00pm
Park Ratheniska v Portlaoise on Sunday in colt 6.00
Ballylinan v Odempseys on Tuesday 11 Aug in Annanough 7.15
Portarlington v Stradbally on Tuesday in Emo
Can anyone explain why the junior championship starts before the senior/intermediate championship in football? My own club is more of a hurling club and our football team came up against two teams who would have had a few senior players involved. We lost both in fairly close games and are out now, but I know the players feel a bit p****d off that there wasn't a round of senior games played before ours.
It is unfair on the harps i presume as the senior clubs will be putting out a lot weaker teams from next weekend on. The county board have it this way, Having the first round of senior championship starting this late surely has to be looked at.. On the junior Barrowhouse have surely gone up in the ranking thinking between themselves & the heath & depending on who joes loose to senior team.
It's a crap lousy system. No second team should play championship prior to their first team playing. Nor should a third team play before a second team has.
Its something that I've been saying for years. totally unfair system. We have it completely backwards. We have the Junior C and B football starting first, followed by Junior A and Intermediate and last is the senior. Thats just plain wrong and only benefits the bigger clubs.
I'd have to agree with the above posts. Our football team (The Harps) was made up primarily of lads who only play football, with a few hurlers thrown in. We played two championship matches in six days and are now out of it. We typically get stronger as the year goes on, while the two teams that beat us will lose their 3/4 best players and get weaker. It makes absolutely no sense and leaves clubs like mine who are struggling to keep football going fairly disillusioned.
The perennial complaint about the lower championships goes on. Laois County Board could deal with this easily and change the face of the intermediate and junior championships simply by running the higher ones first. It's not rocket science.
Entertaining game the other night in Emo between Port and Stradbally. Strad finished strong to win 3-11 to 3-10.
Kinda surprised as I thought Port might go OK in this.
O'Dempseys won the other game handy enough against Ballylinan.
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on July 25, 2015, 10:35:44 PM
Laois Shopping Centre JFC draw: Winners side: Barrowhouse v Rosenallis; St Joseph's v Park/Rath; B'roan Abbey v Port; The Heath v Ballylinan Losers side: O'Dempseys (Bye); Mountmellick v Portlaoise; The Rock v Graiguecullen; The Harps v Stradbally
Is this a Bye I see?
In the 2nd Round is it?
Am I missing something?! ;D
Quote from: Keyser Söze on August 20, 2015, 11:35:13 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on July 25, 2015, 10:35:44 PM
Laois Shopping Centre JFC draw: Winners side: Barrowhouse v Rosenallis; St Joseph's v Park/Rath; B'roan Abbey v Port; The Heath v Ballylinan Losers side: O'Dempseys (Bye); Mountmellick v Portlaoise; The Rock v Graiguecullen; The Harps v Stradbally
Is this a Bye I see?
In the 2nd Round is it?
Am I missing something?! ;D
:) Castletown Slieve Bloom pulled out causing that bye. It's more a walkover technically!
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on August 21, 2015, 02:22:05 PM
:) Castletown Slieve Bloom pulled out causing that bye. It's more a walkover technically!
Slieve Bloom Castletown technically! :D ;D
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on August 21, 2015, 02:22:05 PM
:) Castletown Slieve Bloom pulled out causing that bye. It's more a walkover technically!
Phew!
Quote from: Keyser Söze on August 21, 2015, 02:36:17 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on August 21, 2015, 02:22:05 PM
:) Castletown Slieve Bloom pulled out causing that bye. It's more a walkover technically!
Slieve Bloom Castletown technically! :D ;D
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on August 21, 2015, 02:22:05 PM
:) Castletown Slieve Bloom pulled out causing that bye. It's more a walkover technically!
Phew!
Oops, got to get things in the right order. I should know. Emo-Courtwood or Courtwood-Emo is very important!
The Heath v Rosenallis is the stand out quarter final. Think the winners of it will be favourites to win it out.
Barrowhouse should beat Stradbally, think Joes will edge Odempseys and Park will hammer Ballyroan Abbey.
Quote from: SCFC on August 26, 2015, 08:39:30 PM
The Heath v Rosenallis is the stand out quarter final. Think the winners of it will be favourites to win it out.
Barrowhouse should beat Stradbally, think Joes will edge Odempseys and Park will hammer Ballyroan Abbey.
I doubt the Joe's will get passed ODs. More then half of their junior team have played senior since last round.The heath lost none. So i see it between Barrowhouse and the Heath
Joes should have enough firepower to beat O'D, seemily a huge pic and even though lost a few wouldnt be suprised to see them win
Quote from: The Monument Road on August 26, 2015, 11:50:29 PM
Quote from: SCFC on August 26, 2015, 08:39:30 PM
The Heath v Rosenallis is the stand out quarter final. Think the winners of it will be favourites to win it out.
Barrowhouse should beat Stradbally, think Joes will edge Odempseys and Park will hammer Ballyroan Abbey.
I doubt the Joe's will get passed ODs. More then half of their junior team have played senior since last round.The heath lost none. So i see it between Barrowhouse and the Heath
O'D's have lost half their original junior team too. Be nice to see Barrowhouse getting up a grade.
Quote from: Keyser Söze on August 20, 2015, 11:35:13 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on July 25, 2015, 10:35:44 PM
Laois Shopping Centre JFC draw: Winners side: Barrowhouse v Rosenallis; St Joseph's v Park/Rath; B'roan Abbey v Port; The Heath v Ballylinan Losers side: O'Dempseys (Bye); Mountmellick v Portlaoise; The Rock v Graiguecullen; The Harps v Stradbally
Is this a Bye I see?
In the 2nd Round is it?
Am I missing something?! ;D
Shur, twould be no problem anyway. The County Board would only have to cancel relegation. Easy fix....especially if a certain team is involved.
The Heath beat Rosenallis 1.11 to 7 points tonight. Down 5.3 at HT. Good win hopefully push on and finish the job.
Quote from: Helix on September 02, 2015, 09:48:53 PM
The Heath beat Rosenallis 1.11 to 7 points tonight. Down 5.3 at HT. Good win hopefully push on and finish the job.
Saw most of it. Heath are strong for a second team. But has to be said that Rosenallis were woeful. Very poor skill levels from them. It's hard trying to be decent at both hurling and football.
Barrowhouse had a big win tonight in another quarter final. Good to see them going well.
Park/Ratheniska must be favourites though.
With Park in the Intermediate hurling semi final also it will be hard for them to do a double. Can't see it happening anyways.
Semi final draw;
Park v B'house
Heath v Joes or O'D's
barrowhouse to beat the heath in final.. park isnt far off either, but for the fact there going well in the hurling think they'll take there eye off the football.
Barrowhouse will win this now...They are by far the best team left and the Heath will loose one or more players before the final!
Winners of the Barrowhouse v P/R semi final are guaranteed a place in Leinster Junior Club now.
I think Park's intermediate experience will edge that game.
Joes and O'D's drew the other night in the last quarter final.
Kinda surprised at that, thought Joes would be stronger after O'D's lost a good few to the seniors.
Think The Heath will beat the winners anyway.
First semi between Park and Barrowhouse tomorrow. Could be a good game, Barrowhouse are supposed to be going well under John Larkin. Park are trying to juggle hurling and football but have some very good players and might edge it.
Heath 2.12
O dempseys 0.03
It was 1.7 to 3 points at ht.
Should be a great final!
Congrats to Barrowhouse who won tonight 12 pts to 6.
Brutal first half, 2 pts apiece. But Barrowhouse dominated the second half and deserved it. Great display by county minor Daly.
Well done to Barrowhouse disappointing end of year for the heath. Always hard to watch on the field the opposition lifting the trophy. Young brian daly played really well I'd say they'll push on and stay intermediate for few years to come.
First title in 41 odd years is great going, a club on the up and facilities out there improving significantly. Hopefully they can give a good account of themselves in Leinster.
It's not 41 yrs since Barrowhouse won a title.
Were they not senior in the 1990s? Maybe I'm wrong.
You're correct sorry i read comment on Laois Twitter page
I predicted they would win it after seeing them beat Stradbally in the quaters and I was proved right.
Some fine footballers in Daly,the malones and the baldwin twins.
Not sure why they all wear white ankle socks instead of traditional O'Neills black football socks...
Must be a trend down that part seen a lot of the Killeshin lads at it as well....
#coolkids
Best of luck in Leinster lads!