Newspaper Items

[Don Draper]

We can't stand on both sides of the fence. We can't argue that we need more money to be successful because Dublin got more, while at the same time denying that counties that got less than us are more successful.
I'm not looking to blame anyone individually, but it would seem our county development model is not working. I have had some experience of the hurling development squads over the last five or six years and I have to say hand on heart it hasn't been great. Similarly our Setanta programme has been poor in terms of the coaching delivered. Some of our intercounty players have been involved and while I thank them for their effort, their coaching skills leave a lot to be desired. It takes years to become an effective coach and some of the greatest hurlers make the worst coaches.
Development squads can only be as good as the players coming from the clubs and as anyone involved in underage coaching will tell you, that is a very mixed bag.
Forget about the development squads, put more resources into up-skilling club coaches and you will see better county teams.

On the topic of development squads,some of the underage hurling squads aren't bothering with running trials this year.

Whoever was on last years squad will do for this year.

Disgraceful

[Dave like the tv channel]

We can't stand on both sides of the fence. We can't argue that we need more money to be successful because Dublin got more, while at the same time denying that counties that got less than us are more successful.
I'm not looking to blame anyone individually, but it would seem our county development model is not working. I have had some experience of the hurling development squads over the last five or six years and I have to say hand on heart it hasn't been great. Similarly our Setanta programme has been poor in terms of the coaching delivered. Some of our intercounty players have been involved and while I thank them for their effort, their coaching skills leave a lot to be desired. It takes years to become an effective coach and some of the greatest hurlers make the worst coaches.
Development squads can only be as good as the players coming from the clubs and as anyone involved in underage coaching will tell you, that is a very mixed bag.
Forget about the development squads, put more resources into up-skilling club coaches and you will see better county teams.

There's a lot to play with. Dublin would have been successful, simply with the money. That this f**king "plan" is there as well, is either a smoke & mirrors job, but producing some good or is actually working and

The financial doping of Dublin has and is continuing to be a disgraceful blight on the GAA. If the CP plan was to make them successful, then the tap should have been turned off after 2011. If the Dublin plan was to completely dominate football, then they want the tap to keep flowing.

One journalist made a good point, in that he said that the Dubs are getting money based on potential numbers, but spending it on much smaller, current numbers.

The money without the plan would have worked. The plan without the money would never have worked. Therefore, the money is the key and thus we have financial doping.

Re Laois, I think that we have (at least) four issues:

(1) We're too small. We've a population that puts us in the bottom 10 in the country and it tells.
(2) We're a dual county. We have divided the county 1/3rd hurling, 2/3rds football. That leaves both our hurling county (c.28,000) and our football county (c.56,000) even further down the pecking order. It's also reduces focus, even within the 'other' area.
Ideally, we pick one sport and drive our way forward with that.
(3) Our structures are not good. Our CB has lacked leadership for years and permitted such debacles as the 2014? SFC to happen, when they should have faced down the clubs and stuck to the agreement, that EVERY club agreed to for that championship. We have had problems with clubs sidling into B & C competitions, just to win shitty titles, instead of aiming for the top division as much as possible. It should be an honour to hurl or kick ball in the A and B or C should be entered into, when you've really no choice.
We have 48 clubs in 26 parishes (or so), which is retarded and lazy. Galway, in the 1960s, FORCED clubs within parishes to amalgamate. We could still have as many leagues & teams, just amongst fewer clubs. We'd also have a richer, more competitive pool of players in our top divisions. Of course, that would mean less money for the CB.
(4) Generally, we're a poor county. If we had fewer clubs to run and more people per club, we could manage to start financing our clubs to better standards.

Do we have the leadership to restructure the club setup, impose rules on clubs, implement a county-wide plan and use the funding wisely? Just not sure that we do.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/newsireland/my-heart-goes-out-to-all-his-friends-and-family-laois-footballer-daniel-oreilly-suffers-serious-head-injuries-in-late-night-assault/ar-AAvoTe4

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

NFL top scorers: Walsh by the skin of his teeth

http://hoganstand.com/Laois/article/index/283431?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Unlaoised]

Well done Gary walsh I think the last time we had a top scorer in all of ireland in the leagues was when James Young was hurling I'm open to correction on that however!

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Great achievement especially having missed out on the last game..

[redsetanta]

And no Antrim game so it was from 6 games.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Great News


Long road to recovery' ahead as O'Reilly comes home from hospital

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/08/long-road-to-recovery-ahead-as-oreilly-comes-home-from-hospital/

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Good news for Laois..
https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/16/breaking-laois-gaa-announce-new-sponsor-for-centre-of-excellence/

[The Monument Road]

I want to compliment Laois Today on their excellent reporting on all things Laois including the sport reports. Reporting is almost instant after matches and great for ex pats like myself. I was able to access most match results on Saturday evening and yesterday. The result from the Kileen/mountmellick intrigued me. Kileen including the Kingstons were hammered by Intermediate outfit Mountmellick. Are the wheels falling off the Kileen wagon...

[SCFC]

I want to compliment Laois Today on their excellent reporting on all things Laois including the sport reports. Reporting is almost instant after matches and great for ex pats like myself. I was able to access most match results on Saturday evening and yesterday. The result from the Kileen/mountmellick intrigued me. Kileen including the Kingstons were hammered by Intermediate outfit Mountmellick. Are the wheels falling off the Kileen wagon...

Killeen had 14 men for most of the game. Might have been a factor. But long term Killeen are going backwards.

[clonadmad]

Good news for Laois..
https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/16/breaking-laois-gaa-announce-new-sponsor-for-centre-of-excellence/

€15k over 3 years

Break out the port and cigars

[SCFC]

Good news for Laois..
https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/16/breaking-laois-gaa-announce-new-sponsor-for-centre-of-excellence/

€15k over 3 years

Break out the port and cigars

I thought that too. 5 grand a year isn't a lot.

[Don Draper]

Good news for Laois..
https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/16/breaking-laois-gaa-announce-new-sponsor-for-centre-of-excellence/

€15k over 3 years

Break out the port and cigars

I thought that too. 5 grand a year isn't a lot.

Whats the going rate for sponsorship of a COE?

[SCFC]

Good news for Laois..
https://www.laoistoday.ie/2018/04/16/breaking-laois-gaa-announce-new-sponsor-for-centre-of-excellence/

€15k over 3 years

Break out the port and cigars

I thought that too. 5 grand a year isn't a lot.

Whats the going rate for sponsorship of a COE?

No clue. Maybe it's a good deal but it seems a fairly small figure to me. I could be a million miles out.