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Think it's rotated as Tipp played Offaly last year

I guess the flip side is if we did manage to somehow get past Cork we play the losers of Kilkenny v Dublin instead of the losers of Limerick v Clare.

[Saturday 15 / Sunday 16 June]

Overall I think management have also done very well and will have the lads ready for the final.
The only downside I see is Offaly in Croke Park, a place where we haven't fared so well against them in the past and tradition and mentality will play a big part.
Looking forward to what should be a cracking game of hurling.

I think you summed it up pretty well - we travel in hope more than confidence.
Let's hope for a repeat of the great clashes with Offaly in the early 1980s with us coming out on top for a change.

From Hoganstand:
Saturday 15 / Sunday 16 June
All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals
Joe McDonagh Cup winner v 3rd placed Munster team, TBC, TBC
Joe McDonagh Cup runner-up v 3rd placed Leinster team, TBC, TBC

The winner of the Joe McDonagh Cup draws the short straw - a probable date with Cork 

So the winners of Joe McD get to face Cork while the runners up play Wexford. A bit harsh on the winners. How is it decided? Is it rotated each year?

Almost certain RTE TV will cover this game ahead of the Leinster Final on June 8th. It'll probably be a 3.30pm or 4pm Irish time throw in with the Leinster Final to follow at 6pm.

I don't know if RTE matches are geo-blocked outside of Ireland Mossy, if you can go to https://www.rte.ie/player/onnow on Sunday from around 2pm Irish time and see if you can watch whatever game is on live.

If it doesn't work for you, then you'll need to look at getting some VPN software which allows you to cloak your location and set it to Ireland. There are plenty of free VPN software to be had at the end of a google search!

GAA Go might do it too for non Ireland?

RTÉ is geo-blocked, here in the States. A few years back, I tried watching a match on RTÉ via a VPN but RTÉ could detect it and I was still blocked (clever bastards). I do have a better VPN service, now, so I might try again.

I do have a GAAGO account so that's going to be first choice.

I'm REALLY looking forward to this match. It's going to be a brutal fight.

Yeah I bought Nord VPN a couple of years ago, you could get most things like Netflix US version but Rte player would not work. If like me you have GAA Go account you are sorted anyway as it will be on there for sure.

The bookies cant separate them anyway, 5/6 for either to win. Offaly with u-20s success have a feel good factor but Laois know they can beat them. It will be a proper championship game with both sides getting a crack at the AI championship. This is the format hurling and football take, forget the provincials and run off the 2nd tier comp and the winners get a go at the big one as well as promotion for next season.

In a group with Fermanagh, Wicklow and Carlow. Decent draw but can take nothing for granted.

A bad beating for sure and a realisation of where we are in the pecking order. Offaly, a team who lost 4 of their 7 games in Division 3, tore us apart basically.

I would hope McNulty uses the TC to try and blood some new players. It is never a good sign to have a player like Timmons in such a crucial position, I get its more a reflection of the quality of alternatives rather than Timmons himself as is a great servant to the county but there needs to be some future planning in place.

Really need to be beating Offaly at home. Wouldn't fancy going to Westmeath needing the win to get to the final.

The extra game against Carlow is welcome and there should be an air of optimism heading into the the Offaly game.

I would have thought Offaly will be hot favourites to beat us based on the league where they played Waterford, Wexford, Clare, Kilkenny & Cork. Apart from the Cork game Offaly were reasonably competitive against top tier opponents including both finalists Kilkenny and Clare. All the while Laois play the likes of Carlow, Kildare & Meath.

If you were a betting man you would have to go for Offaly all day long.

Any potentially good senior players in the making from either u-20s or minor panels?

No point getting too excited, Laois won first few games last year also, but it does seem like there is a proper buy in from all to what new management team want from them and a plan in place.
Get promoted, beat Offaly, give the Dubs a reasonable rattle and get to Taitleann cup final seems like goals that are within reach this year. 

1st goal done with the bonus of a trophy. Based on what we have seen in the league Offaly will be a tough task but if we play to our best we can win. After that its a freehit against the Dubs, but no doubt McNulty will have a game plan if we get there and (bar a miracle) then give it all for the Tailteann Cup.

Full game

Great to look forward to the championship with some positivity. Offaly will rightly be slight favourites but we are well able for them if we are at 100%.

Get through that and it bonus territory

Looks like some talent coming through the schools system which is nice to See, Knockbeg, Portlaoise CBS and Mountmellick did well this year.

I would say its a positive improvement but the reality is that Portlaoise CBS with the attachment area and numbers available to them should be able to do what Naas are now achieving. Obviously it would take a lot of time, dedication and effort and plenty of support from Laois GAA to get Portlaoise CBS to that standard as they have fallen back massively in the last decade. . 

Knockbeg are a strong Leinster A standard side without ever getting making a final. They are always just that rung below the team that eventually wins it (Naas CBS for the last 5-6 years). I think it was 2007 and the team of Donie Kingston that they last appeared in a final.

In the last ten years, three different Westmeath schools, two Offaly schools and two Wexford schools have all managed to make finals. Laois GAA should really start putting more work into supporting our GAA schools-it is having a very positive impact in both Westmeath and Offaly at underage level and now at senior level as well (U20 All-Ireland success for Offaly and a very good Leinster championship run in 2023 and Westmeath making very good progress over the last couple of years with Tailteann Cup success, excellent league campaigns and were hugely competitive in last year's All-Ireland series). Players are filtering through the system with a confidence and a winning mentality and doing well at schools level all plays an important part in this. 

Wexford is a different case in that many of those players who lead the schools team are hurling first and football second players. However, there is talent in Wexford if they can get the buy in. With a little more luck (Leitrim game) they would be well in the running to join Laois in promotion from division 4 this year.
 

Good post LR. I agree its an obvious place to out resources into as you can get a team for schools training and playing to a high standard which should in turn help raise standards of club championships when those players play. So instead of sending coaches to all the clubs, help all the schools.

I remember Laois minors winning their All Ireland's in the 90s and schools such as Portlaoise, Knockbeg and Ballyfin were all very competitive. Both feed each other.

Looks like some talent coming through the schools system which is nice to See, Knockbeg, Portlaoise CBS and Mountmellick did well this year.

Has the team been named?

Laois team for the weekend

No point getting too excited, Laois won first few games last year also, but it does seem like there is a proper buy in from all to what new management team want from them and a plan in place.
Get promoted, beat Offaly, give the Dubs a reasonable rattle and get to Taitleann cup final seems like goals that are within reach this year.