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Some of the observations I would agree with Laoisabu but the same comments regarding underage structures and s&c have now been on this forum for a number of years without much enthusiasm to alter the path but I always think its unfair to discuss underage football and then bringing in Dublin or in your post Dublin and Offaly. All football comes done to money and numbers, its irrelevant that the minors lost to Dublin and Offay. They beat Louth, Carlow and Westmeath. The also lost to Wexford but were down injuries. Laois rely upon a golden crop at any stage to compete. In 2021 Laois minors were well beaten by a much stronger Louth Team , massive strength and it was men against boys. This year the minors beat Louth, surely Louth had also gone through the same rigorous S&C programme .

The difference is that was a good crop for Louth in 2021 and not so good in 2022. Offaly this year at Minor and Hurling and football was their golden crop. Some of the same Laois  lads who played minor football also played minor hurling and the training and S&C assisted them or maybe it was a good crop. Sligo will be strong and at Minor level over the last few years they have won Connaught and competed with Mayo and Galway, they just cant bring it into the senior squad.

Kilmacud Crokes probably within their club have about the same number of people playing as all the Laois clubs combined. They have excellent facilities at their own grounds unlike all other Laois senior clubs and the underage S&C training also takes place both within the clubs and at secondary school level, as a number of the clubs would have pupils who attend fee paying schools that play rugby, so core strength and S&C goes in tandem. Kids can also either walk or jump on a bus to a range of sports facilities and grounds without relying upon daddy or mammy taxi.       

Kids and teenagers and adults want success, they want to feel ,they can achieve it and they want to experience it. Can you see that being the case currently. Its all historical success and that's not attractive to the player or punter   

Underage at school levels in Laois  is usually based on an all inclusive participation as opposed to focusing on  core strength and stability and also most schools in Laois would be mixed schools at primary level due to numbers as opposed to larger urban areas in Dublin which may lead to more sports driven focused PE.

Anyway the post is getting off the point, the O'Byrne Cup is a trial period to see who can cut the mustard and the team will change over the coming weeks and they will get beaten by the rest of Leinster but if there wasn't new players coming in , there would be several posts bemoaning the management sticking with tried and tired players.

                   

Well who knows with that logic , it looks like Courtwood were parachuted into the semi-final which is an outrage . Imagine getting to a semi-final without winning a match . Disgraceful. Surely the other clubs would be up in arms about this .

Who knows The Heath might beat Courtwood and they will find out next year . Park rathineska came up last year and didn't beat Courtwood. So let's see what happens next year . Good negativity Laois Abu . Who knows with those other great life mysteries , would The Hulk beat Batman or captain America beat Spider-Man . Pointless observation. 4 teams regardless of today's performance deserved to be there based on results . We are we're we are .

Well done to The Heath on their win and to O'Dempseys and Port for getting through to a local derby
Final.

It was free in when they played Carlow in Netwatch Park.

Wexford seem to be promoting the endeavours of their team but only laois today highlighting the match.

Nothing as of yet on Laois website or Facebook, does not bode well for the Tailteann cup for second tier competitions.

 

 

I wonder how many of the comments above following last nights result were at the match.

It appears a lot of the time any result in the negative is a an opportunity to have a go at the County Board.  Any minor team now is as a result of previous administratons and although some faces are familiar on the County Board ,the current County Board have to be given an opportunity to anylise and address the current issues especially just after 5/6 months being at their roles  Who the f**k wants to be on any county board or club administration, I would not say there is a queue going from telfords down to O'Moore park when the meetings and voting takes place with new and attractive candidates. I hope all those who make comments above are working hard in their clubs in coaching and looking after juvenile preparation and strength and conditioning.

Last night was a poor performance by 16 and 17 year old's who tried their best against a better team, they got off to a bad start against a breeze , lost and never  regained confidence and struggled in the retention of the ball, won little or no kickouts, struggled in transition play from defence to forwards,made poor decisions in some plays, forwards were starved of ball and Offaly swept them away as a cohesive mobile unit, hunted in packs , took most if not all their chances,  very little wides, strong midfield and outstanding forward play as they had the ball.

They play Carlow next week in the Seamus Heaney and its a 50;50 shout but that's where these young 16/17 years old's are, again they are 16/17 years old so they beat Louth and Westmeath and Lost to Dublin and Offaly. Its all experience for these lads who are only 16/17 not 18 and they are still developing.  If they win next week they will have beaten three teams in leinster, bottom half of the overall league and that's where we are currently. Said it before the most important team is the under 10-14 age range and transition from Primary to secondary and at each club. My recommendation to resolve most of the ills  is get involved in your local club and get your own standards right in all clubs as opposed to requiring The County Board to fix it or manage it.                                   

Its a massive task to get out of the current cycle, and not one that can be resolved within a 24month period. its not something that can be fixed by a task force or another off the shelf report on the future of football, Its a bit like sticking the finger in the dam and another leak appearing elsewhere. Its not the current players fault or commitment level, they are the best bunch of lads who are committed to laois end of. You can get hung up on club player versus county, club player versus manager. club player versus county board but it will not get you very far.

Only issues I would see at senior level would be the give back to the clubs at juvenile level, how many of the current crop of players or players over the last 10 years are involved in coaching juveniles. Some players would have obtained coaching at a high level for 10-12 years with no trickledown to the community or clubs.   

I know its a massive score put up against laois but its still a massive score that Laois put up against Wicklow. The art of defence is a major problem at all levels and very few county teams excel in defence or at club level, just look at the weekly scores at all levels to see the problems out there. Midfield is also a very challenging issue throughout clubs and at county level. Over the last 4 years both minors and under 20's have been relativley sucessful as in getting into semi -finals etc but there is no pathway into the next level. This could be player apathy or natural reluctance to advance through the county levels but something that should be addressed. I don't know how.

Its all a number game, population size, massive numbers playing at juvenile level up to age 14 and then opting out , major problem at age 14-17 of player participation, Poor senior championship with too many teams, poor coaching as most juvenile coaching is carried out by willing parents as opposed to qualified coaches, Strength and conditioning at younger levels.

over 350 players were initially on the Dublin Minor Panel , Laois probably had 60. Having said that as a comparison Meath lost all their Minor matches this year. Scoring is not an issue Laois Minors have scored 3-7 against Westmeath and 4-19 against Louth and the under 20's scored 3-11 against Kildare. Laois will only ever get a once in a generation squad or team that will push them into the next level and unfortunately no county board or manager will be able to resolve that in the short term,  if that's what people are relying upon. Probably the most important teams in Laois now are the under 8s-12s, teach them to kick with both feet, be able to block, be confident to do the adventerous in pocession of the ball, have pride in their club and county, be respectful of coaches and referees, enjoy, enjoy,enjoy, ignore the mad parents / supporters on the side line from home and away teams,

This is not the draw a line in the sand or watershed moment as there is probably another 3-4 years of poor results to come,                             



               

I think if you look at the forum you could cut and paste the same replies from every year for the last three year. Poor player engagement, poor manager, we are going to be relegated.
I get the commitment argument for young and old players as work and college commitments in order to cement future earnings, mortgage commitments, heating expenses, family and lifestyle commitments and general living expenses on the rise. Young lads wishing to spread their wings after 18 months of lockdown and potential to earn cash overseas. This is not unusual in all sports and especially in a county which is in decline on the field. This is the same not just in the county scene but in a lot of clubs with reduction in players training and playing and you can probably see the result in the playing numbers and overall success in Portlaoise. Young lads prefer Gyms and looking the part mostly as opposed to playing on the field and getting battered, that's just the way it is. Billy will have to deal with the bunch he gets and staying in Division 2 is probably not an option. Take it as Division 3 and anything above that will be a success. Have 20-30 commited lads who wish to pull on a jersey not based on a trip to Spain or Portugal but on a genuine wish to pick their wits against more succesful teams. You are on the same lines as the Irish soccer team I am afraid , results will be poor, rankings will drop and players will drop out. You gotta put the finance into juvenile and underage development. Properly costed s&C development and gear and equipment the whole way down in the various panels. I would rather see a young lad kitted out with a laois training top and shorts and socks than some lad on a beach in spain sipping sangria on a training camp at the age of 35 showing his passion for Laois.                         

considering 1027 post i can confirm no free passes, no free entry and not member of county board.

Ditch hurling has served the county so well for so long, but hey its good to talk

 

[I was in at u16 Divisional training and matches and the first night everything was laid on with programmes printed proper jerseys warmup areas etc. There was almost 90 lads named. The first match was 15 on 15 with both having subs and the second match had one team toggled and the manager of the second looking at around 10 lads out of 23 or 24 lads and trying to cobble a team together. This group of players have S+C twice a week and football training once a week with matches every second Monday. However I heard last Monday that the first group had only 12 or 13 lads training and group 2 around 20. So out of 90 possible players for next year's minors around 30 odd turned up for training and a path to a Co panel. The U16 hurling was pulled altogether due to low interest. Now I'm not here to defend the Co board but you can hardly blame them for the apathy of players and clubs towards sending lads in for a Co teamReport to moderator Logged]

I was in at u16 Divisional training and matches and the first night everything was laid on  with programmes printed proper jerseys warmup areas etc. There was almost 90 lads named. The first match was 15 on 15 with both having subs and the second match had one team toggled and the manager of the second looking at around 10 lads out of 23 or 24 lads and trying to cobble a team together. This group of players have S+C twice a week and football training once a week with matches every second Monday. However I heard last Monday that the first group had only 12 or 13 lads training and group 2 around 20. So out of 90 possible players for next year's minors around 30 odd turned up for training and a path to a Co panel. The U16 hurling was pulled altogether due to low interest. Now I'm not here to defend the Co board but you can hardly blame them for the apathy of players and clubs towards sending lads in for a Co team
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Just in response to the above, I was also at the divisional training, but note that the first night the numbers were significantly higher which is a result of clubs sending in high numbers which also includes players who would not be in a position to play at the required level from observation. I understand that, and some clubs only send in between 6-8 , some clubs 1 or 2 (even from the stronger clubs),  there are other clubs who send in 10 plus from average to good. Of the 90 named about 70- turned up from observation. The first game had subs and the second game had the bare minimum but it was till 15 a side. Its hard for anyone organising this if chosen players decide not to play or turn up so no reflection on the organisers.

Again from observation this week , there were two times allotted for the training, the earlier one had 12/13 lads training but also had 4/5 lads carrying injuries or not togged out. The later time may have suited a larger percentage than the earlier times with schools and commutes etc. Maybe they are dividing out the teams from team a and team b. Maybe some lads were not called back from the initial night. There are also some lads to return from Injury who were on the Minors last year and will be entitled to play this year.

So from having a go at the set up lets break it down.

(1) an initial group of 90 players had the option to try out for s&c training and divisional matches 70 turned up.

(2) There has been weekly s&c training mid week and at the weekend in heywood and omp

(3) They have secured a sponsor of enva for the divisional championships set up.

(4) I counted 6 coaches at the last training  session and talking to some of the players they found it a tough focused training session.

(5) Its October and its a long way off Minor championships,  but understand that this is were the building blocks start.

(6) There are more players to return who will be in the mix for the Minor set up

(7) Under 15's who will turn 16 next year will also be added into the mix

( No Minor manager or coaches have been picked to facilitate a minor squad.

So the random number of 30 which has been suggested will be the core of the minors is way off , but hey its low hanging fruit and it an easy reply to show the county board set up. maybe armed with a bit of knowledge we can all make informed decisions,Or we can set up a divisional begrudgers team with hurlers on the ditches versus were fecked. I am sure we may get a greater attendance than some of the county championship matches.       




       

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We all need a good kick up the h*le in order to create an appetite for change. The forum and local papers in effect act in the same manner as the CB in expressing opinions dabbling with ideas and different computations about the next manager or a manager and what hero will ride in on a white horse and save Laois Football. Ultimately the manager will not make a significant impact unless there is radical change from juvenile all the way up to senior level at all clubs. If they had changed the captain on the Titanic as it was heading for the ice berg the result would be the same. i see a lot of fine names being bandied about as possible game changers but then, that might not go down well with one code etc. Surely both codes should be aggressive enough to stand up for their own sport in the best interest of pride and ambition.

Any county which has one team winning a number of championships in a row creates a problem and should have been seized upon years ago, the same chatter about Dublin winning too much lets split them up , so in Portlaoise its lets have another club or maybe two. So its look at them, its unfair instead of trying to reach the standard  that they achieved in order to win lets drag everyone down to the same level to make it fair. Other clubs are catching up and teh move out of t eh Town has not helped Portlaoise but teh writing has been on teh wall for teh club championship scene now for a number of years

Have a look at the way Offaly beat Dublin in the under 20's, it shouldnt have happend but it did why. Believe, agressive football, executed plan, fitness, good decision making process, outstanding individual performences, determination and trust between players. See article with interview with Under 20 manager as a blue print in how to foster a good included environment from under 16 up to senior. https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40349624.html

The game has moved on througout the country and at all levels from under 16 up to senior we play containment football, play on the break and get the ball as quick as you can up to 2/3 marquee forwards who currently on average have a poor success rate. When is the last tie at county level have you seen a corner back making a shooting run on the shoulder of another half back or midfielder , why just in case they get caught out. The senior team would be better to enter a one hop one solo go games championship. There are talented players but doing the same stuff year in year out must be demoralising for some of these talented players who wither don't reflect their ability in a laois jersey or are not allowed too. Currently the only team I see with a number of players playing of each others shoulder is Portarlington and I see that at every level of their juveline teams coming up , even though they may be struggling this year with numbers at Minor level.. 

1. Scrap the current senior championship for a trial period of 2-3 years.  Its a numbers game and so amalgimations do work, see it in Juvenile championships over the last 10 year's . It does create a problem for smaller clubs and then clubs want to be downgraded to the B Division championships but the greater the numbers at training and at squad level should create an improved team. A lot of senior teams have no real chance of winning the senior championship and want to avoid relegation but if there is a new format it should improve the standard. Shared facilities coaching and higher quality players has to improve standard. Its a numbers game.   

2. rewrite the go games at juvenile level, maybe 3 hops 2 solos. I get the idea of trying to dumb down everyone to the same level and some sports physicologist probably got paid big bucks for it but other sports don't do 1 dribble or 1 pass. There must be a better way to reward skill and not punish it. Maybe alternative feet with the solo etc.

3. GDA overload everywhere, clubs ,schools primary and post primary

4. Increase squad sizes on emerging talent programmes and have GDA's promote and improve standard at all other clubs for players who don't make the emerging talent programmes.

5. greater senior player involvement at juvenile football from under 12 up . come on lads you got a lot of jersey's and gear over the last 20 years try and give it back to the county

6. Have a football tsar or panel of 3-4 accountable with clear set out goals and plans in improving football at all levels. take a espionage trip to somwehere where they have the answers. CB should look after the admin side and arrange the finance but be part of the solution as opposed to being perceived as the problem. Its still an amateur game.   

7. Centre of excellence is there , use it and allow clubs use gym facilities etc, I am sure the clubs have paid something towards it.

8. Football manager should be able to manage the expectations of a pretty downtrodden gaa community and be able to show significant youth injections into the squad. Dont parachute it a big name for 2-3 years to pay for their pension.

Anyway rant over, good luck to all in the decision making process                   

             
   

 
 

         

What I am seeing from a number of previous threads is that , we need a local manager who can inspire a lot of lads over 28 years of age , as there is no youth system in place for the last 15 years so the best option is trot out the same lads for the next 4 -5 years in the hope that other counties,  also become equally as bad and therefore we might survive in Division 3. If we then get relegated sure the only way is up and the fortunes of Laois Football will be saved as any new manager will be able to quote from  that wise old sage d-ream things can only get better.

The county now has an underutlised COE but is probably that way due to the ability to open as a result of COVID, this should alter or change in the next few months and every time you drive past it in the future it should be full with underage development or regional squads at all age levels where you have a proper strength and conditioning regime. The problem with a lot of this is the dependence on volunteers and parents and GDA's to ring fence the time to allow this and also support the local clubs.

If you look at any minor or under 20's squad against other counties in Leinster or beyond, the physical strength and fitness of other counties far exceeds that of Laois and this has to be addressed.

I don't believe that after having Minors in the last 3 semi finals and also challenging at under 20 level that there is no talent coming through, what I would see is a disconnect between clubs and county with the underutilisation of existing players on the squad and the over reliance of players in the later part of their career. How could you could commit to the County with all the sacrifice  that it entails and then see someone be picked ahead as a result of legacy. That's not the players fault but management.

A vision has to be given by any future management team on how realistically they can steady the ship and introduce younger players into the squad , they should review some of the previous radical plans on structural reform to the senior and intermediate championships and team/Club amalgimations. The CB should admit the previous failings and have an open and transparent forum where clubs or any member of the public can submit their constructive thoughts in a non-judgemental fashion.





           

                           

I think comparing the state of Laois football and comparing it or benchmarking against Dublin is fundimentally flawed. The issue of the great under 20 teams and then suggesting that as they were beaten by a Dublin Team in the Final somehow relegates  them to being a poor team is disingenious. Certainly in last year's club Championship a lot of the current Laois senior players were the stand out players week in week out but last year's championship was a rushed campaign and these players would have built up experience and fitness levels to see them through most of the campaign.

The current senior club semi final teams show 4 Portarlington players and 1 Graiguecullen player in the starting line up and 1 Emo Player in the Subs panel so players are being played on legacy as opposed to club performance.

As a county , Laois are currently playing catch up,  with the regards the center of excellence having been completed in the last few years , strength and fitness conditioning and also players want to be valued and feel that the necessary pathway is there with quality coaching, recognition of sacrifice and an opportunity to play at the highest level. If the suggestion is that these Under 20's have had no impact , you only have to look at the 4 clubs challenging the club championship to disspell the myth. Al four clubs have added serious youthful players which has reaped their rewards.

I certainly would feel agrieved as a young player if i say that there was no real opportunity to break into a senior panel due to the current reluctance to change or invest in youth and its easier to walk away from County back to Club. Division 3/4 is the current level of this Dual Playing County and unfortunatlely it will remain at this level unless there is a proper vision of a standard which is achievable as opposed to a fanciful idea of competing in the top two divisions.

Coaching and underage development is mostly completed by volunteers at club level and this relies heavily upon honest and hard working club members who you see week in week out at all grounds around the county. How much is given back by the current crop of players on the current senior squad locally to club or at county level. I understand the work of GDA's and close relationship at school level as the nursery to the clubs which is very important but a lot of the development it would appear is concentrated on a summer of cul camps and then back to club.

There is an element of tiredness about certain elements of underage football and I have also witnessed significant improvement in the standard of juvenile football over the last 10 years so all hope is not lost , there is some work to do but recognising that there is a problem and addressing it is teh first step on teh road to recovery 

               
                           

I note your comments, the issue is in a lot of cases you cant legislate for injuries and the squad had two significant  injures prior to last night
and possibly another injured player from last nights game. The Laois squad would not have the depth of players that are available in other larger counties. Dublin could have a full squad of 17 year olds up to 60-80 in number prior to any championship run and can slot players in and rotate when required.

I would be delighted to see any County copying Laois success in the future if that was to happen and understand that great work is happening in some other underage teams but this could be a few years away and some of the other underage teams will battle against other sports like soccer and rugby when their child is more developed physically. This is not as relevant in Dublin where a lot of players choose to play football in isolation as opposed to a number of sports. I have seen a number of clubs having fantastic juvenile teams and then struggle at older age groups with player burnout fatigue and players just giving up or chosing to play another sport .

Maybe credit should be given to Carlow as they should have won the game and they have a few exceptional players, we will see after the remaining matches to accurately reflect on the state of Laois football. I still prefer a glass to be half full.         

Yet again lets all go with the negatives first. Did they play well no, could they play better yes.

They could have been gone at half time with Carlow missing a few opportunities to score a couple of goals and put the game beyond us. They seemed very nervous which is understandable as they are under 17 and some only 16 years of age. They played away from home on a narrow pitch,(the same for both teams I know) but its still home advantage to Carlow.

The ref was pretty poor towards Laois and gave them some very soft frees which led to scores. Certainly in the build up in the friendly matches they played better so possibly its first match nerves. They have also lost a couple of big players through Injury. It takes a lot to come back from 3 points down with 5 minutes left but I don't see that in any threads above.

Can you also please stop comparing Laois to Dublin, Kildare and Meath, Population numbers and player participation is completely different. This comparison may have been relevant a number of years ago. Its so negative bemoaning the gulf between the counties. You have to set realistic targets which I am sure the management and the County board are doing.   

Its interesting that people can suggest a lack of fitness . The squad have been involved in the preparation since last September/October and finished Stronger than Carlow with the last three points. It seems to be the default of posters. Knockbeg college have done well recently so those lads would also be well drilled fit and well prepared. Some said last year that the team seemed a bit burnout for the campaign so again no one has all the answers.       

Success would be getting out of the group and possibly a semi-final berth and with a bit of momentum who knows. The next match is the biggie and with home advantage and some good  support this may give them an extra 10%  The naysayers and serial moaners can stand in the stands with hurls and do the usual.     

Unfortunately they lost by 4 points.

They were down 11 points at half time. There was a blinding sun and stiff breeze n the first half which Laois played into
of course in the second half the sun went in and the wind died down. That's the way it works out.

Offaly broke through very easy through midfield in the first half and played the better football and have some very talented individual players.
Laois had the opportunity in the second half to pull closer if not go in front but a number of wides and also with some cynical fouling by Offaly
in the later stages of the game prevented goal opportunities. From a positive point of view they played much better in the second half  and if they
had matched that in the First half the result would have been different. It was a good opportunity to look at various players at various positions
in a tournament environment so whats not to find encouraging about that.


       

I agree , they are only young lads starting out on there merry way and need support.

Its good to see that building confidence starts at an early age in the various forums
and the good news is that the lads can look forward to years of abuse and ridicule
and support from here on in. Perhaps the best way to advance is to tear down the
Laois Centre of excellence and put up large stautues of the previous succesful minor and
county teams. I am sure we could buy old cheap Stalin, Gadafi and Lenin ones
and paint them Blue and White .   
     
They don't have to be world beaters they just need to be able to beat similar teams
around them with a similar population and size. I was at the match and similar to the minors this year
the emphasis seems to be on pumping the ball up the forwards as quickly as possible
and cut out Midfield. Other counties seem to use the hand pass more regularly and
perhaps Laois are getting ahead of other counties by reducing this mode of transport.

Anyway best of luck to the team and management for Saturday in Longford and
if they loose we can try and get Donald Trump to build a ring of steel to prevent them from
re-entering the county