Laois Senior Hurlers 2023

[redsetanta]

What do you think of the starting team for tomorrow against Tipp?

Paddy Purcell on the bench. Is he carrying a knock?

[Giovanni]

Good team and a very strong bench. If lads can put in a big shift for 50 minutes the oncoming subs won't weaken the team in any way. I'd be very happy with that. I'd be happier to see Podge in the half back line but I can understand why he's back there. Looking forward to it.

[burdizzo]

Paddy Purcell on the bench. Is he carrying a knock?

Heard he was on holidays?

[G@@]

Paddy Purcell on the bench. Is he carrying a knock?

Heard he was on holidays?

Maybe he was and is just back - a well deserved one if he was and I hope the county board gave him a few bob too.

[Laois man]

Nice to see a few new faces starting. Martin Phelan and Duggan had a good walsh Cup run.

[on the hop]

with westmeath getting a trimming as well today and antrim trying hard but ultimately failing at home, this league already is a farce. they would be nearly better reverting back to the old system of 8 teams in each division, at least teams could play teams at there own level without getting trimmed in every game.

[burdizzo]

Agree completely. But I think it's set up that way so the big teams need never worry about being relegated.

[Spiritof86]

What’s even more bewildering is chatting to Laois folk in the Thurles last night and believing we could get one over Tipp !!
Absolute rubbish . Does anyone actually know what’s going on behind the scenes in Laois Gaa ? Complete farce . Our players deserve better .

[Giovanni]

Don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes but I don’t think that affected the outcome of the game on Saturday night. The level of athleticism in that Tipperary team was just incredible. I was one of those who thought we’d give them a game, thinking that Tipp were in transition. I don’t know whether they can improve their conditioning further but if they can and sharpen their shooting a bit, they must be serious contenders for the All Ireland this year. Our lads actually didn’t play too badly but the task was just too much this time. For us, I thought Rowlands puckouts were really excellent, Podge, Jack Kelly and Hartnett were good in the backs. The two Keyes did well and PJ Scully had some good moments but otherwise the forwards were completely choked.

[County Man]

Laois v Waterford will be live today on tg4 at 5pm.

[LaoisAbu20]

Laois v Waterford will be live today on tg4 at 5pm.

Looks like Waterford are using all their big guns today with Gleeson on the bench. Our lads are in for a tough day but I'm hoping that they can improve upon last week's performance. From what I've heard there's some interestingly changes at play. The half back line still seems to be the root of our problems, it's great that the lads want to play in an attacking style but they don't track back or mark their players enough. In the first half of last week's match against Tipp, one of Tipps half forwards had 36 possessions in the first half, that's insane and shows that it's not worth one of our half backs getting a decent point if his player is going to have free roam to shoot at will.

I'm hoping the forwards give Rowland more options and space  for the puck outs as it was difficult for him last weekend. Hope Murt Phelan gets a chance to build back up his confidence and I am looking forward to seeing someone else stepping up and taking the frees.Looking forward to seeing how our full back line holds up against the likes of Hutchinson.

[Keyser Söze]

The half back line issue mentioned above is 100% spot on.

It has crept in over last few years.

Extra men back so 5-7 should attack in possession.
Okay in theory.
In reality, nobody accepts responsibility for 10-12.
They go to town.
Some of the match reports over the last 2 years that laud those playing 5-7 for getting a few points are totally misguided.
It’s the kind of stuff that Mr B Cody would spot & call out in 5 minutes.

Nail on the head LaoisAbu

[mcwregor]

"Laois played well for 50 mins"
"We'll take the learnings and improve"
"We are working towards something"

Different management, same thing we have to listen to. Its almost like we are happy with how we are going, its acceptable.
For me, its pathetic. We are actually gradually getting worse every year. The gap is widening all the time.
I dont blame the players or management. They are lambs to the slaughter, someone to blame in an utterly shambolic set up from top to bottom.

 

[LaoisAbu20]

"Laois played well for 50 mins"
"We'll take the learnings and improve"
"We are working towards something"

Different management, same thing we have to listen to. Its almost like we are happy with how we are going, its acceptable.
For me, its pathetic. We are actually gradually getting worse every year. The gap is widening all the time.
I dont blame the players or management. They are lambs to the slaughter, someone to blame in an utterly shambolic set up from top to bottom.

Would have to strongly disagree. Change doesn't happen overnight, especially after years of under funding and under development and especially in a County where hurling is treated as a secondary interest of the county board. As highlighted by other posts on this forum, the development of hurling at underage and within the schools has been severely neglected. Whilst, the last two years in particular showed a significant regression in Laois senior inter county hurling. It's understandable to be frustrated, to question whether it's worth it for us to play against top tier teams. But even after some of the worst beatings we have ever had , if you asked the lads on the team would they prefer to play at a lower level the answer would be no. Our lads want to play against the best, it might not be pretty but they need to play against the best to improve. It's difficult to watch at the best of times but it's what it takes to improve.

I've seen the dedication it takes to play at senior level, the gym sessions, the winter slog, the journeys from college to training. Staying off the drink, eating right and committing yourself, knowing that at best you'll be contesting to stay up. The commitment these lads put in is unreal. We have the luxury of giving our opinions on this forum but the lads actually do the work. All I know is the lads are in a better headspace then they were under the last management, new faces are getting a chance and there's commitment to the new management.

Take this evening for example. Ryan Mullaney was repurposed as a centre forward and cleaned up. The half back line was tidied up and the lads started to pull together more as a team. There were plenty of mistakes and we definitely need a game plan for when we have an extra man and a game plan for when we are down to 14 men. To be honest we could do with a tactician. Either way there an improvement. Going forward we can build on this and lads can overcome their need to play as individuals and play as a cohesive unit.

[burdizzo]

Yeah, mcgwregor's assessment is a bit harsh. Ultimately, Laois were beaten by 12 points tonight, but it was a harsh reflection for the work they put it. I must say, I think this set-up is better than previous years. Lads who opted out are back, and are getting their chances. It's hard to be too upbeat after such a defeat, but I'd be reasonably confident they'd avoid relegation this year. Not a high bar, I know, but I think they were steeped to avoid it in the league last year. We do need a few big lads, though. Waterford made a lot of ours look very small.