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Messages - Laois Rising

#1
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Footballers 2025
Today at 03:35:29 PM
Job well done. Barry stepping up, especially in the absence of Carroll. McNulty deserves great praise with how he has set this team up to play to the new rules. Might be showing our hand a small bit and teams will figure out how to counteract how Laois set up but for now it is going to keep us in Division 3 for next season and plenty to build upon.

Kildare steamrolling through games at present. They showed mercy to Leitrim in the second half. It could easily have been 15 points more a beating. Be great if Laois were to stop them in their tracks next day out.
#2
Laois / Re: 2025 National Hurling League
Today at 03:28:32 PM
Let's be realistic as to where Westmeath are at presently- they have a smaller pool of players to Laois and don't have the same strength in depth. Davy Glennon and Niall O'Brien only came on as subs and a long way off being properly match fit. Jogger Doyle and Killian Doyle weren't playing either. Westmeath minus a few of their stalwarts should not be beating Laois and that proved the case.

Another game and another improvement in performance. League is going as expected for Laois and I do think they will step it up again for the challenge of Carlow. Regardless of the result against Carlow it looks most likely the Antrim v Laois game will be a straight relegation play-off match and unfortunately that is an away game for Laois. Davy Fitz is astute enough and will target (as he must) that game.

Perhaps come the last game and if Dublin already promoted we might still have a shot with staying up but I wouldn't be banking on that game. Need to win our next two games and then let the game against Dublin be a hit to nothing.

 
#3
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Footballers 2025
February 13, 2025, 02:04:40 PM
Sligo is a proper test of this team. Sligo need the points as well as another loss for them puts them in the relegation battle.  It would be nice to see Laois coming out on top in home games again when facing competitive teams. Our last appearance in Division we were relegated on our home form. Lost to Limerick, Westmeath and Longford and drew with Antrim in O'Moore Park. Started poorly at home in the league again the first day out. I'm not sure why we struggle so badly at home but it would be nice going to O'Moore Park and seeing a Laois team perform and beat a team of similar or higher rank.
#4
Laois / Re: Laois Senior Footballers 2025
February 10, 2025, 11:30:11 AM
I think games against Leitrim can be written off as they are going to lose every game in this division by double digits. The vast majority of the panel are young lads straight out of the u20s. Leitrim did brilliantly last year in division 4 and had that little luck as well against Wexford to get them up. However, the team they have this year would struggle to finish even mid table in division 4 and that is the reality of the situation.

What was great to see was they set plays and player positioning that McNulty implemented. Laois created numerous scoring opportunities in the opening half through very clever movement of the ball and clever positioning of players before making their runs. Leitrim were at sea trying to defend it. How it fares against better opposition will be interesting and I'm sure teams will do their homework on that Laois performance to find ways to negate it.

 
#5
Laois / Re: 2025 National Hurling League
February 10, 2025, 11:21:01 AM
Is it Rowland's fault or simply our outfield players do not win enough of the 50/50 battles. Rowland is only doing what he is being asked to do with puck outs. A very frustrating performance in a match that was there to be won. You can see how Carlow beat this Waterford team-they gave us enough opportunities in both frees and in opportunities in play to shoot for a score and time and time we did not take those opportunities.

Had we been efficient that 10 point loss could easily have been a 3/4 point victory. Again, its early days in the league and Laois are not where some of the other teams are at at present. Tommy got a desired response effort wise from last week. Few more games, improved fitness and better match sharpness we should have enough to stay in this division. Need to win two of three games against Westmeath, Carlow and Antrim. I think the Dubs might be motoring too well for us at present to take their scalp.

The target for next couple of months is simply to stay in the division and have the players primed for championship. Looking at the games in the next division down we really do not want to end up there as it will do very little for developing the team playing the likes of Tyrone, Derry and Donegal.   
#6
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.     
#7
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. 
   
#8
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.   
#9
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.         
#10
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.
#11
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.
#12
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.       
#13
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.
#14
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.   
#15
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.