Laois Senior Football Championship 2021

[SCFC]

Starts next Thursday night with Portlaoise v Courtwood. Hard to see anything other than a Portlaoise win in that.
Expect Port to easily account for Ballyfin.
Emo v O'Dempseys could be a cracker.

[Silkyskillssunshinee]

Emo have a couple of decent young lads who weren't eligible to play in 2020 semi-final but can play now. I think they'll beat O'Dempsey's and be there or thereabouts again.

I doubt Courtwood will actually beat Portlaoise but they will be competitive with them. Eddie Kinsella will have them fit and they should have no fear of them.

I'm interested to see how Ballyroan Abbey go this year. Might be a year or two too early for them but some very exciting talent there. Regardless, it will of course be Portarlington's championship to lose. I think Jason Moore is gone and will be a loss if so but they have the depth there to cover that.

[town1980]

The predictions will be interesting as there is alot of close games in the mix

[The PRO]

Portlaoise will beat Courtwood by around 7
Emo should beat O'Dempseys. O'Dempseys haven't built on getting to the final three years ago at all.
Think Graigue will beat The Heath and expect Josephs and Port to beat Clonaslee and Ballyfin comfortably.
Stradbally v Killeen could be one of the closer games - neither of them are great but I think Strad could edge it.
Ballyroan Abbey v Killeshin is an interesting one. Two of the better clubs in recent years in developing young players. I think Ballyroan Abbey might have enough.
Ballylinan v Rosenallis is a hard one to call. Ballylinan would traditionally win this but without Gary Walsh, Ballylinan might be vulnerable and it's a great chance for Rosenallis to avoid getting dragged into the relegation end of things.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Portlaoise will beat Courtwood by around 7
Emo should beat O'Dempseys. O'Dempseys haven't built on getting to the final three years ago at all.
Think Graigue will beat The Heath and expect Josephs and Port to beat Clonaslee and Ballyfin comfortably.
Stradbally v Killeen could be one of the closer games - neither of them are great but I think Strad could edge it.
Ballyroan Abbey v Killeshin is an interesting one. Two of the better clubs in recent years in developing young players. I think Ballyroan Abbey might have enough.
Ballylinan v Rosenallis is a hard one to call. Ballylinan would traditionally win this but without Gary Walsh, Ballylinan might be vulnerable and it's a great chance for Rosenallis to avoid getting dragged into the relegation end of things.

Where is Gary Walsh

[The PRO]

Portlaoise will beat Courtwood by around 7
Emo should beat O'Dempseys. O'Dempseys haven't built on getting to the final three years ago at all.
Think Graigue will beat The Heath and expect Josephs and Port to beat Clonaslee and Ballyfin comfortably.
Stradbally v Killeen could be one of the closer games - neither of them are great but I think Strad could edge it.
Ballyroan Abbey v Killeshin is an interesting one. Two of the better clubs in recent years in developing young players. I think Ballyroan Abbey might have enough.
Ballylinan v Rosenallis is a hard one to call. Ballylinan would traditionally win this but without Gary Walsh, Ballylinan might be vulnerable and it's a great chance for Rosenallis to avoid getting dragged into the relegation end of things.

Where is Gary Walsh

I believe he's suspended for the first round game.

[town1980]

Portlaoise to win comfortably
Graigcullen to ease past by 4
O Dempseys after a ding dong battle ill go for o Dempseys to pull through
Kileshin to win by 4/5 i dont believe there injury list at all so after a tight 50 mins i think there ahead of BAbbey
Stradbally to win by curtailing the two kingstons and strads younger legs to pull through
Portarlington by a cricket score no james finn
St joesphs by a cricket score also
Roseanalis to maybe scrape through only because of the loss of garry through suspension

I will probably be wrong on a good few enjoy the weekends games 

[Laois Rising]

Looking the the strength and depth of players some of those clubs have just highlights again the madness of a 16 team senior championship in Laois. Half the clubs in the championship sole ambition is to remain senior. The intermediate championship has been a farce last couple of years with teams regularly on the end of 20 plus point drubbings with some below strength second teams propping it up. If you were to ship 4/6 teams back intermediate from the senior ranks you would have an excellent and competitive senior and intermediate club championship with a lot more clubs having a realistic chance of targeting championship success.

In Limerick, they managed to revert their senior hurling championship about 5 years ago from a 16 to 12 team championship in one year. Championship played off with four groups of four with clubs seeded accordingly. Bottom team in each group after the group games relegated. For one year only the intermediate champions do not get promoted. Alternatively if you want the intermediate champions promoted to senior then you have the clubs who finished third in their groups go into semi final relegation play-offs.

Perhaps I'm being extreme but after watching Park's game with Timahoe during week and watching Timahoe in last year's intermediate championship being massacred by other clubs strongly feel something needs to change-for supporters and players.

[High Fielder]

The clubs won't go for it, and in fairness I can see the reasons why. Timahoe have lost all direction, and are one of a number of clubs who are too small to stand on their own two feet. Mountmellick seem to be looking at ways to avoid standing on their own two feet if recent activity is a gauge. The point is this. You drop to Intermediate and interest levels drop simultaneously. The reality is that we have far too many clubs with very small numbers. Clubs like Timahoe, Kilcruise, Killeen and many others rely on a golden crop, and can't possibly sustain prolonged periods in Senior. There are many clubs like them who could very easily just fall off the map altogether. We all know that there are intermediate clubs masquerading as Senior, but sometimes I wonder if they're not better off

Given the choice, I'd rather see proper arrangements in place that allow all players in Junior or Intermediate to play with a Senior club. There has to be an incentive to play the game because restricting participation to badly functioning clubs will only kill interest. There is so much proof of this.

[Heshs Umpire]

Given the choice, I'd rather see proper arrangements in place that allow all players in Junior or Intermediate to play with a Senior club.

Bingo. Spot on. Yet when Annanough, Courtwood and Park Ratheniska tried to do that a number of years ago, most of the senior clubs blocked it and the executive effectively didn't support it by abstaining. There's good young footballers in Spink, Barrowhouse, Kilcavan to name just three clubs. It's bordering on criminal that they don't have access to playing in the senior football championship. No more than ourselves when we were down intermediate and junior.

[Zooming around]

The clubs won't go for it, and in fairness I can see the reasons why. Timahoe have lost all direction, and are one of a number of clubs who are too small to stand on their own two feet. Mountmellick seem to be looking at ways to avoid standing on their own two feet if recent activity is a gauge. The point is this. You drop to Intermediate and interest levels drop simultaneously. The reality is that we have far too many clubs with very small numbers. Clubs like Timahoe, Kilcruise, Killeen and many others rely on a golden crop, and can't possibly sustain prolonged periods in Senior. There are many clubs like them who could very easily just fall off the map altogether. We all know that there are intermediate clubs masquerading as Senior, but sometimes I wonder if they're not better off

Given the choice, I'd rather see proper arrangements in place that allow all players in Junior or Intermediate to play with a Senior club. There has to be an incentive to play the game because restricting participation to badly functioning clubs will only kill interest. There is so much proof of this.

The clubs you quoted just highlight the problem. Clubs from parishes with more than one club.

Imagine the competitive nature of our championship with a "One parish, one club" rule. This thing of being in a different club every time you drive around a corner on a Laois road is detrimental to the county. The obvious exception to this is the Greater Portlaoise area.

[High Fielder]

Given the choice, I'd rather see proper arrangements in place that allow all players in Junior or Intermediate to play with a Senior club.

Bingo. Spot on. Yet when Annanough, Courtwood and Park Ratheniska tried to do that a number of years ago, most of the senior clubs blocked it and the executive effectively didn't support it by abstaining. There's good young footballers in Spink, Barrowhouse, Kilcavan to name just three clubs. It's bordering on criminal that they don't have access to playing in the senior football championship. No more than ourselves when we were down intermediate and junior.

100 per cent agree Hesh. I'm many ways, this is my thinking for the entire GAA. The county system effectively means that a good hurler born in Leitrim needs to take up another sport. I think that's just daft.

In the context of Laois, it is obvious that there is so much more we could do. Zooming points out the obvious flaw of the club around each corner. The drive from Carlow to Portlaoise is a great example of that, where we could and probably should halve the number of clubs. But I'd settle for a bit of innovation in the absence of common sense. Allowing Junior and Intermediate players access to Senior would be a start.

[town1980]

Have yee not said all this before  this thread is for the senior championship 2021  keep it to it or start a new one that involves the same chat as 5 years ago

[High Fielder]

Have yee not said all this before  this thread is for the senior championship 2021  keep it to it or start a new one that involves the same chat as 5 years ago

Fair point

[Silkyskillssunshinee]

Fair play to Courtwood tonight. Eddie Kinsella has them flying fit and Niall Donoher is an absolute joy to watch play football.

That said, if anyone wonders why Laois football is in a poor state, look no further than Portlaoise's performance this evening. Without Bruno they look out of ideas going forward and they still rely mainly on Lillis, Boyle, Cahillane and Dillon to try and get them over the line.