Senior Hurlers 2022

[Zooming around]

I'm baffled sometimes about the constant harrowing on about Eddie Brennan and his tactics . We scraped by the Westmeath in the Joe McDonagh final and then a Great one off performance against Dublin that hasn't been replicated since .

In his second year we lost all our league matches apart from one . Failed to win any championship matches  .. the euphoria of that Dublin match needs to be put to bed . A lot of lads living off there reputation from that day .
Brennan isn't all that and that has been clearly proven in his recent spell with Cuala that ended less than harmonious .

Yesterday was difficult to watch . Cheddar will do the right thing now but that man owes Laois nothing.

Are you serious? We hammered them that day with a great performance. Last Saturday night was a 29 point turnaround on that game.

[Laois man]

I hope our County board are meeting this week to put plans in place for next year and be looking for a new senior manager with Laois selectors fairly soon.

[Laois Rising]

We have a group of talented minors and U20s from the last couple of years coming through. Blended in with the likes of Podge Delaney, Ross King, Paddy Purcell etc. Laois have the potential to put together a competitive team over the next couple of years. I would suggest the Joe McDonagh might be a good placement for the team next year. Young players winning games breeds confidence and some of the younger lads coming through would benefit from not facing into 20 plus point championship hammerings as they develop as senior intercounty hurlers. Going back into Joe McDonagh hasn't dampened Antrim's progress and they seem set to rejoin the Leinster championship next year (once they overcome Kerry) in good stead. Hopefully, we can do the same. A new face as manager might serve the team well.   

[Spiritof86]

I'm baffled sometimes about the constant harrowing on about Eddie Brennan and his tactics . We scraped by the Westmeath in the Joe McDonagh final and then a Great one off performance against Dublin that hasn't been replicated since .

In his second year we lost all our league matches apart from one . Failed to win any championship matches  .. the euphoria of that Dublin match needs to be put to bed . A lot of lads living off there reputation from that day .
Brennan isn't all that and that has been clearly proven in his recent spell with Cuala that ended less than harmonious .

Yesterday was difficult to watch . Cheddar will do the right thing now but that man owes Laois nothing.

Are you serious? We hammered them that day with a great performance. Last Saturday night was a 29 point turnaround on that game.

As I've said I made a mistake regarding the McDonagh final . For the last time I meant the league match that year .

I'm not one for eulogising Brennan, but some of what you say is wrong. We didn't lose all our second year league matches except for one - we got to a quarter final, I'm pretty sure? Against Limerick. Our final game of the Brennan years was in Nowlan Park, and we very nearly beat Clare in it.


We won one game against Offaly by a point and drew against  Carlow . That format that year allowed on into a league quarter final  and
Limerick beat us comprehensively .
My point is anyway we won one match that year under Brennan .

Can't see any new appointment in the near future. No competitive inter-county hurling now for nearly 8 months . Time to re-group and some soul searching .

[LaoisAbu20]

I'm baffled by the constant begrudgery towards Brennan. That match you are referring to against Westmeath, was where Brennan reserved the first team and gave new players a chance. As regards the championship in 2020, which took place during the height of the pandemic, resulted in a 1-point loss to Clare, which we honestly should have won.

By no means was Eddie's time with Laois perfect. He had injuries to contend with and he had plenty of players who opted out of the panel. However, with the panel he had, he brought Laois its first bit of success in a long time. He brought intensity. Trainings were dogged and the players bought into that and there was a competitive ethos instilled in the players and more importantly competition for spaces. He gave the players confidence and for the first time in a long while, Laois played as a team and not just a group of individuals.

Going back to the Joe McDonagh seems like a fitting punishment after a dismal 2 years. I can see where people are coming from in saying that it would be a more suitable level for us and would allow us to rebuild. However, look at Carlow, they've been stuck in the Joe McDonagh for a few years and it hasn't done them any favors at all, they wanted to rebuild like us and now they are stagnating.

I know we have decent players. However, the current team has had their confidence decimated and it truly showed in the match against Westmeath. Our first touch, our basic passes, and our ability to read the game and play as a cohesive team have just evaporated. Imagine what it feels like going out to be annihilated every week. Imagine having to face a dressing room at halftime where your manager is breaking tables and has clearly lost the confidence and respect of his players. Facing into lackluster training, where more time is spent on meetings than actual hurling. Imagine that in this day and age the Laois set-up has no basic video analysis available after each match. In Brennan's time, the players used an app to watch video analysis prior to training and this hasn't been used at all with the current management. GPS monitoring and statistics haven't been used at all under the current management. We have one of the smallest backroom teams in the country and it has created a vacuum of silence, where no one is held accountable and no one is encouraged to actively improve their performance by using basic stats or video analysis feedback.

Definitely think it is worthwhile to get outside management and build a backroom team that incorporates modern thinking and uses the basic video analysis and stats available to the team. Would also like to see an opportunity for the players to air their grievances to the county board independent of management.

As I've said before, Cheddar has been a massive servant to Laois hurling and we all recognize the time and effort he has given to the county. The last 2 years have been a sorry end to a lifetime of dedication to hurling.

[Lost soul 2]

Great insight in last post,talking to players it was very disheartening with meeting after meeting.i think we need a fresh modern manager will plenty of laois selectors.we have plenty of talent that need to be refocused.hopefully the county board are getting it in order

[mcwregor]

We can talk all we like about our senior team but until we put proper structures and effort into underage we are not going to improve. We cant dismiss our senior team but to make tangible progress in hurling "we need to invest hugely in underage". As long as i am following laois GAA these words have been mentioned so many times "invest in underage"!! Nothing has ever been donein this regard in hurling or football.
We need a change of approach some joined up progressive thinking. We need to ask ourselves "where ill we be in 10 or 20 years" and where do we want to be. After that...how are we going to get there. Put together an ambitious  PLAN with realistic and achievable targets and put in a huge effort to ensure we get there. Ive said it so many times before we need to look at the bigger picture, think outside the box and stop doing the same things that are failing all the time.
I heard Michael Duignan speaking after the minor leinster final. I was impressed. They realize where they are at senior level so they have gone back to the drawing board and are working to a strategic plan. He spoke about where their finances were and where they are now and he spoke about the initiatives they have put in place at all levels of Offaly GAA to drive things on with particular focus on underage. They are already starting to see rewards for their work and its stronger they will get.
WE HAVE NO PLAN BUT WE REALLY NEED ONE!
There are some good things going on in laois the COE is seriously impressive and credit must go to the co board for that but otherwise the co board must ask themselves what are they actually doing for the development of games in the county. IF we dont wake up soon other counties like kildare will overtake us in hurling.
Laois gaels and the setanta programme are positive but they are driven by people that are not involved in the co board. They are groups of people that have got off of their arse to do something off their own bat. Fair play to them and their are plenty of people out their that would do the same with some encouagement. Perhaps if we had a plan worth investing time into??
FFinally there is huge apetite for hurling in Laois. !6 or 17 thousand at a minor game on a

[blueandwhite1]

I agree. I think our minor and U20 setups have been pretty good in recent years and needs to continue. However, I am not convinced the skills coaching from U10-U14 are where they need to be in the clubs.our basics are off, even with the teams that are doing relatively well. When the game gets fast we don't seem to be able to execute the skills.

[G@@]

Down to Joe McDonagh for 2023. Kerry almost did the greatest of comebacks. That pointed free from a non tackle surely cost them.

[Joeythelips]

Get hurling coaches into the schools and clubs, get the basic skills into players at a young age, this will develop competitive underage club teams. The best players can be picked for county development squads where the standard of training and matches goes to a higher level. The more our minor teams get exposed to high standard games like they have this season the better.

Some people on here having a pop at Brennan, but he was part of a set up that the group brought into. With some decent underage players coming through and a mix of experienced players already there, Laois are in a good place to win JMcD cup if they get a good management team in place.

[Laois man]

Wonder who would be a good manager to get in.?

[Keyser Söze]

Hard to see Diarmuid Mullins being tempted?

[clonadmad]

Get hurling coaches into the schools and clubs, get the basic skills into players at a young age, this will develop competitive underage club teams. The best players can be picked for county development squads where the standard of training and matches goes to a higher level. The more our minor teams get exposed to high standard games like they have this season the better.

Some people on here having a pop at Brennan, but he was part of a set up that the group brought into. With some decent underage players coming through and a mix of experienced players already there, Laois are in a good place to win JMcD cup if they get a good management team in place.

And who are the hurling coaches that can be sent into clubs and schools?

Is there some hidden reservoir of experienced and committed hurling coaches in the county that the rest of us don't know about

The reality is that while we had a good crop of minors relative to other years they were lacking inthe skills speed and execution when it came to the likes of Offaly and Clare

We won't have another group like them for god knows how long however

The Celtic Challenge v Wicklow game finished in a draw yesterday,there's a few decent lads on it but yet again we don't have the execution speed that comes with continuous proper coaching from an early age

The u15 set up is shambolic even by our standards

The u14 manager wasn't appointed till the middle of May,they picked a panel,trained once and then sent them out to get an absolute pasting off both Offaly and Waterford

[Laois man]

County board should have all these development squads sorted with good coaches.

[Zooming around]

Get hurling coaches into the schools and clubs, get the basic skills into players at a young age, this will develop competitive underage club teams. The best players can be picked for county development squads where the standard of training and matches goes to a higher level. The more our minor teams get exposed to high standard games like they have this season the better.

Some people on here having a pop at Brennan, but he was part of a set up that the group brought into. With some decent underage players coming through and a mix of experienced players already there, Laois are in a good place to win JMcD cup if they get a good management team in place.

And who are the hurling coaches that can be sent into clubs and schools?

Is there some hidden reservoir of experienced and committed hurling coaches in the county that the rest of us don't know about

The reality is that while we had a good crop of minors relative to other years they were lacking inthe skills speed and execution when it came to the likes of Offaly and Clare

We won't have another group like them for god knows how long however

The Celtic Challenge v Wicklow game finished in a draw yesterday,there's a few decent lads on it but yet again we don't have the execution speed that comes with continuous proper coaching from an early age

The u15 set up is shambolic even by our standards

The u14 manager wasn't appointed till the middle of May,they picked a panel,trained once and then sent them out to get an absolute pasting off both Offaly and Waterford

What's going on with the u14s and 15s?