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Paul Julian was ratified for a third term in Ballylinan last week, I was talking to him at an U21 practice game last Sunday.

This is off topic I know but when you see below it is hard to see how Football in our county can improve.

·         Féíle na nOg (Fri 7 April / Sat 8 April)

"A" – 5 Teams – Ballyroan Abbey, Portarlington, Portlaoise, St Pauls, St Joseph's;

     "B" – 19 Teams - Ballyfin, Ballylinan, Clonaslee St Manman's, Graiguecullen, Kilcavan, Killeshin Crettyard, Mountmellick, Na Fianna Og, O'Dempsey's, Park Ratheniska Spink, Rathdowney Errill, Rosenallis, StradballyParish Gaels, The Harps, The Heath, Camross, Castletown Slieve Bloom, St Fintans Mountrath, The Rock.

Ross owes Laois nothing as just shows the passion he has for Laois that he still wants to play and feels he can still offer something. He'd make a great development officer for Laois as there's no one as commited as him.

Based on what I say during the club championship he's still in the top 10 forwards in the county so it's up to the younger lads to step up

I don't think Ross knows anything about greyhounds and I don't think he would play for Stradbally so a job as a Laois Development Officer would be out

I still think Crettyard are the only parish team in Laois on the football side. St Josephs have Barrowhouse, an intermediate Club, in their parish. Ballyroan Abbey have Abbeyleix Hurling Club but not all Ballyroan hurlers play with Abbeyleix but I do suppose all the footballers in the parish play with the one club.
I agree fully with what Ballyroan Abbey said, what makes the GAA so special is our club set up, you are born into your club, it chooses you, you don't choose it, it is pride of place and of who you are. A lot of posters here fail to understand that, they look at the GAA through English Premiership Sky Sports eyes where you can jump from Billy to Jack, wipe out a hundred years of tradition just to make a better spectacle for themselves.

I'd imagine all contributors from the football side of the county are from clubs that aren't a whole parish club with the exception of Crettyard but I'm open to correction on that one.

As regards Kilcruise and Killeen and looking in from the outside over a long number of years I don't see it as a case of two halves of the one club. If you look at both their senior teams you would have to say that the vast majority of the Kilcruise players can trace their football pedigree to the original Arles Club and you could say the same of their members and officials. You can't say that for Killeen as most of their players can trace their football pedigree to Ballylinan or Graigue/Killeshin or Barrowhouse, the majority of their team mentors seem to be former Ballylinan footballers rather than former Arles footballers.

To me Kilcruise and Killeen are two separate parts that don't actually fit together and Kilcruise are Arles while Killeen are a gathering of disaffected GAA people.

Crettyard 0-10 Timahoe 0-04
Ballylinan 0-14 Emo 0-11

I'm hearing that St Josephs members have rejected a proposal to play Senior football with Barrowhouse. They've had a fruitful relationship at underage and Barrowhouse could certainly make a decent contribution in my opinion. An opportunity lost if it's true. Josephs have a nice crop of talent coming through, but they haven't got enough of it. I think that decision will come back to haunt them.

To add an extra twist to this i now hear (rumour mill) Kileen have approached Barrowhouse to play with them....the irony of that...

In relation to both of the above- I don't see how Barrowhouse could join up and play Senior with either club. AFAIK under rule junior or intermediate clubs can combine to play as a Divisional Senior team, but Senior teams cannot?
Unless of course the proposal was to actually amalgamate the clubs in some way?
There is a big difference between a club amalgamation and a divisional/group team.

Yes they could, See Rule 3.19 (m) (i) and (ii) of the Official Guide Part 1, 2015

From what I've heard there was strong support for this Group Team within St Josephs but the fact that a decision had to be made in a hurry members voted for the status quo rather than the unknown.

Regarding Barrowhouse I think the question is can they afford not to get into bed with Killeen (And we all know Killeen will bed anybody to try win a championship) if the offer is there despite the past. They have some very good footballers that may leave for good if the door is closed on them to play Senior football.

On the face of it it looks like the Senior Club makes all the sacrifices as they change their name and forgo the chance to play in Leinster but will a Junior club survive when maybe having small numbers training will be compounded by not having your better players most of the time because of the demands a senior club will put on those better players. 

Lads some facts need to be stated here before you go any further with this topic.
Rule 3.19 (m) (i) and (ii) of the Official Guide Part 1, 2015

3.19 (m) (i) To allow Junior and Intermediate players of Clubs, including players of Clubs unable to field Junior and/or Intermediate teams, to play for Divisional or Group Senior teams

(ii)To allow Junior and Intermediate players of Clubs, including players of Clubs unable to field Junior and Intermediate teams, to play for Group Intermediate teams.
Arrangements shall be subject to annual review by the County Committee.
Players by so playing in these Divisional or Group teams shall not lose their Championship status.

As you can see from the above a player from a Junior or Intermediate club can play with a Senior club (inside or outside their parish) making that Senior team a group or divisional team which will require a name change (such as Gaels etc) and that team would be unable to play in Leinster if they were to win the championship.