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Messages - Laois Rising

#1
GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 3 2025
February 05, 2025, 11:40:26 AM
Offaly bossed Laois on Sunday. Were a lot sharper. Having not played the week before did contribute to Laois' poor start and poor execution of shooting and decision making. Laois are lightweight in attack with 2/3 of the best forwards in the county either injured or not committing for the year so it is hard to gauge where a team like Offaly is really at.

Laois will struggle as the old rules probably helped them a lot as McNulty is excellent at getting a team set up defensively and putting a structure in place to limit the opposition's attacking threat. This was the main reason why Laois made the Tailteann Cup Final. It might take McNulty a number of games to develop a new way of playing that doesn't leave Laois to exposed defensively- hopefully last Sunday will be the last time we see a goalkeeper being giving the space to run into pretty much unopposed and score a goal into the Laois net.     
#2
Laois / Re: 2025 National Hurling League
February 04, 2025, 01:04:12 PM
Performance is to be expected considering it was our first day our and Offaly had an opportunity to blow out some cobwebs the week before. Everyone who is tuned into where Laois hurling is at the moment knew that the opening few rounds of the league were going to be a real challenge for Laois. Tommy is not long in the role, players still to come back in and we are realistically a number of weeks behind some of the other teams. We saw that in the challenge games prior to the commencement of the league. Expect things to level out by the last couple of rounds of the league. Hopefully we will be in with a shout of staying in the division come last day of the league. When everyone is available we should have a decent squad that will go well in the Joe McDonagh.

Hopefully the likes of Quinlan and Keyes can progress under Tommy this year. They were both good in some games last year but when it came to the final against Offaly on a big pitch in perfect conditions for hurling (which should suit them) they struggled to make an input and were physically outgunned. This year I think is a big year for both players and fingers crossed they can step up another level. We need more scoring threats in our forward line and these two players do show plenty of skill and potential. On Sunday, once Offaly found their rhythm they were miles ahead of us in terms of winning primary possession and taking scoring chances when they presented themselves. In a ten minute period early in the second half they blew us out of it and the game was done after that. 
   
#3
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Footballers 2025
January 23, 2025, 01:41:57 PM
Laois are in a similar boat to a lot of mid to lower rank teams. Plenty of players come in and out of the squad on a rotational basis year on year (I don't blame the players mind-huge commitment required and they have other things in their life they would have to d0). I remember being at a coaching workshop where James Horan was speaking and he said that you need to have players in with the county set up for three full seasons to get them anywhere near the levels and physical pitch of playing intercounty football at a competitive level. You'd love for McNulty to get that consistency of years with the players he has identified to really drive things on. Losing 4/5 players that can make a positive contribution (either through injury or travels) will really hamper a smaller county like Laois making any significant progress.   
#4
Laois / Re: 2025 National Hurling League
January 20, 2025, 11:28:01 AM
I think we've beaten that path many times with what you state in your post LaoisforSam. To have any success you have to put the correct bottom up structures in place. Look at Dublin's na Fianna's success-it was created with a serious drive to get hurling going within the club in the early 00s. Twenty year's later they are the top dogs in the country. If the potential of Portlaoise was harnessed correctly at club and schools level alone it would make a massive different to underage county teams and then players feeding into the senior county team. A strong, vibrant Portlaoise generally correlates with a strong county team as well aka Laois in the 1980s hurling and football and early 00s Laois football team with the likes of Fennelly, FitzPatrick and Fitzgerald. The Leinster winning panel of 2003 had 7 Portlaoise players involved.

Portlaoise has the population size and tradition to replicate the success Na Fianna achieved yesterday. Are there enough people in the club with the time, appetite and commitment to implement a long term plan that would see Portlaoise return as a dominant force in Laois GAA. If the last five-ten years has showed anything the answer is sadly no.         
#5
GAA Discussion / Re: NFL Division 3 2025
January 15, 2025, 06:25:16 PM
Laois made some great strides under McNulty last year. Unfortunately, down a couple of key players through injury and travel for 2025. Squad is limited and division three is realistically our standard. However, McNulty has shown that he can get teams very organised and if they can adapt to the new rules quicker than other teams they might claim a notable scalp or two. Lot of focus on Clare and Sligo as possibly the two teams with most momentum and confidence starting out this league campaign. I'm not sure of Kildare-they were so poor last year and newer players brought into panel will need time. It is not an overnight rebuild job there. Might need a second year to escape the division.
#6
Laois / Re: Laois SHC 2024
December 15, 2024, 04:12:41 PM
The reality is the Harps were about 5/6 points off any of the serious contenders for the county championship this year. That feels about right with the team at their disposal at the moment. They will need two/three players of higher quality to what is there now to step into that team to drive it onto the next level over the next year couple of years. Having a surplus of good young players won't bring them on hugely if the majority of them are no better to what is there already. However, saying that, I do think that there are a couple of players of real quality coming through from the u20 sides of this year and last and it does feel like there is real potential there in the next few years for the Harps to mount a proper title challenge.
#7
Laois / Re: Laois SHC 2024
December 13, 2024, 04:48:53 PM
Quote from: Galtee1 on December 13, 2024, 11:37:47 AMHarps dominance of the underage scene surely has to come to fruition at senior level eventually or is it too early yet?
3 u20 titles in a row. Its an interesting move to opt for an outside man in Andy Kearns in an attempt to get this current crop to title contenders.



This point has been made before- the answer to the question lies in whether the Harps are winning these titles because they are strong in numbers and have better depth in talent to other teams or whether they are winning these titles because they have 4 or 5 really standout players driving the team to success. If the answer is the former then there is no guarantee that the Harps will go on to win one let alone a number of county titles. Strong in depth at underage does not transfer to improving a senior side.

If it is the latter though, then mixing these players with the a number of established players likes of Podge Delaney they could very well go on to be a serious force in Laois hurling in the next number of years. Castletown winning the minor title this year have a couple of standout minors Tom Og Phelan and Kyron Cuddy who have serious potential. These lads will be a great addition to the senior set-up when they are ready to step up in a couple of years time.       
#8
GAA Discussion / Re: Munster Club Football 2024
November 28, 2024, 04:52:27 PM
The inequalities of the Munster Junior and Intermediate Championship are always fun to see play out. With kerry's system their 9th best club side enter into the Munster Intermediate Championship against sides that are 17th and 33rd strongest in other Munster counties. It's a great incentive for sides that win Junior and Intermediate titles in Kerry-they both have serious prospects of reaching an All-Ireland Final in Croke Park. Munster is normally foregone conclusion and then only have to win one game to reach the final.
#9
Laois / Re: Laois SHC 2024
November 21, 2024, 02:23:50 PM
The Combined Schools will need time to bed in and having players properly coached and trained from 1st year right through to 5th and 6th year. Designated coaches, coaching time and proper player development and team building over an established number of years. If this is implemented, it is only then that we will see the positive results of having a combined team and the positive impact on the county underage set ups. If it ends up only being a thing where lads are pulled together for some splash and dash coaching and throwing a team together for games then its not going to achieve a huge amount. If anything it could have a negative impact if our combined teams start taking bad beatings.   
#10
Laois / Re: Laois Junior Football Championship
November 18, 2024, 05:18:21 PM
Won a county championship they were expected to win. Junior championship in Leinster is a lottery as Dublin champions are about 49th best club side in the county so it leaves it very much open to everyone else. Cop out to call it bonus territory. Prepare properly and show proper ambition. Chance to play in Croke Park is there. Might only ever get one crack at it as a club so prepare properly and put pressure on the players to give the effort required to compete for a Leinster title.   
#11
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Football Championship 2024
November 07, 2024, 04:25:47 PM
Did it playing for Leinster in the interprovincial. It's a bad loss for Crettyard as they also down Ciaran Burke. They had a team with those two playing capable of winning a Leinster title.

As for Port, you cannot judge them off that performance. Everyone was singing their praises after the county final and local papers/media were making it out that Pat Roe was terribly unlucky never to have managed Laois. Some posters questioning why more Port players weren't in with Laois etc. Port didn't look too pushed about giving Leinster a crack and that showed in their performance. They had a stronger team back a few years ago and they came up well short of the mark. I would say the players themselves knew they were a weaker side entering into the Leinster championships and that definitely was evident in the performance against a weak Tinahely side.

#12
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Football Championship 2024
October 16, 2024, 05:17:09 PM
On a separate point, I'm surprised more hasn't been made of Ballylinan and their abysmal showing this year in the championship. I cannot remember a worse senior team in Laois championship football and I've been attending and watching games since the 1980s. Not in one of their games did they put up any sort of fight. Sad to hear after the excitement of last year and first championship success in 50 years. Another example of why we need to reduce senior championship to twelve teams.       
#13
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Hurling Championship
October 11, 2024, 04:01:34 PM
Based on what you have seen Ottoman from the championship who else do you think might add to the Laois starting 15 next year. I felt while we gave Offaly a really good rattle in the Joe McD final I do think we are a couple of quality players light if we were in Leinster this year. We have yet to replace Kavanagh and Cha in an attacking sense (granted Quinlan, Keyes and Duggan still have plenty of scope for further improvement to reach those levels) and defensively, while solid, it currently won't be enough to compete with the top level sides. Wexford hit us for 32 points easing up in the prelim this year. Cleere is an excellent club hurler but you could argue for the merits of O'Connell and Cuddy who were given the starting wing back positions ahead of him. Cuddy is a player of huge potential and O'Connell has done well in the wing back position the last few years for club and county. Cleere does bring a scoring threat and perhaps that is something Gleeson will look to when thinking what way to set up in 2025. If Cb could get a run in Leinster and Cleere continues to perform it would be hard to dismiss his claims for more gametime.   
#14
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Hurling Championship
October 09, 2024, 12:03:38 PM
The Harps will be reeling from losing the minor final. Would have been quietly confidence with the panel of players that they had this year. The marquee players of Castletown really stood up in the final though. The Harps will look to atone for that loss by winning the U20 championship. That had an excellent minor team last year that went goal crazy against Abbeyleix (who themselves might think they have an outside chance this year) in the county final. If those players can make the step up and add to what is already a strong team they should be the team to beat this year. Clough Ballacolla won the minor title two years ago and they cannot be ruled out of consideration either as they were a decent team if memory serves me correctly.
#15
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Hurling Championship
October 07, 2024, 01:19:59 PM
Good call Ottoman. Where CB and Camross have shared out county titles over the last ten years RE have only landed the two (2014, 2019). I remember that 2014 final well and RE blew Camross out of the water with young players at the time like Liam O'Connell, Paddy and John Purcell, Ross King and a very young and gifted Mark Kavanagh really standing out as top class hurlers. I think most people thought, like myself, that RE were capable of winning up to numerous titles over the next decade. To only win one more title with that team was disappointing for the club. I do think though had Mark Kavanagh not had those the terrible injuries that RE might have won much more. Nice to see Michael Verney in the Irish Independent do a write up with him in the lead up to the final. Only for injuries he would be in the prime of his career now and probably operating out of centre forward for club and county with great success. Any club side to lose such a marquee player would struggle to reach the same heights as before.