Leinster Senior Football Championship 2022

Started by Junior Ex Laoistalk, November 28, 2021, 11:56:49 PM

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Andy06

Billy has to take some of the blame here. Regardless of the quality of the players at his disposal he can still get them organised, motivated and be playing to some semblance of a game plan. At the moment we're not any of those things.

As High Fielder said though it's pointless changing him, the real issues are elsewhere in the county. We might aswell keep him on as what is really the point of changing at this stage.
Simple fact of the matter is our coaching at underage and schools level is not good enough.
Is this because of quality of coaches available? Not enough of them? Is it because clubs are struggling for numbers at school and underage level?
How many kids in primary schools around the county are actively involved with their local GAA club?

Basic enough questions but are the lads in the county board even bothering their hole to ask them? Until the powers that be (or someone new that is placed there) acknowledge the problems in our county, these results are going to be the norm whoever is the manager.

Joeythelips

I get the county board needs change, but we cannot avoid the fact the management have shown they are not up to the task. Again no disrespect to either Longford who relegated us to division 4 or Wicklow who sent us packing from the Leinster championship, these are teams a well managed Laois side should be beating. Not only have they beaten us, they have won comfortably.

This quote for RTE website sums it up, The home side's final tally of 5-15 (30 points) is the most the county has ever scored in a senior championship fixture, eclipsing the 2-22 they scored against London at the same venue 20 years ago.


Tier2

it was the first time I sat near the Laois dug out today it looked and sounded a bit manic.
Some players did their own thing for a warm up no sign of direction
I'm no wall flower but the stuff I heard from the manager towards the players was repulsive at time's was this out of frustration or is it a recurring theme?

High Fielder

I've seen nothing this last few years to suggest we don't deserve to be where we are. I'm never going to get personal against lads who are putting the commitment in, but I'd relish setting a team up against Laois. So to sit here and say that Billy should have prevented this is blinkered. The fact remains that as a team, we have serious deficiencies that are capable of being exposed.

On top of the above, we are not preparing properly for the future. In so many ways. There is literally an ocean of work to be done with Laois GAA, and throwing a few Games Development Officers around simply isn't enough. We need to start doing things differently across everything we do. That starts at the top and not with Billy and Cheddar. Our games are in a mess and have been neglected for far too long.

Laois Rising

This forum is a copy and paste job of the 2021 Leinster championship forum. We are just unfortunately in a bad cycle at the moment. Our underage isn't as bad as what is made out. At u20 level the last 4 years our teams have been relatively competitive (outside of competing with Dublin) and have put in some impressive displays. It's time to rebuild in division four next year with a side predominantly 25 and under.

As a county we really do lack players who enjoy the physicality side of things and being touch tight, dogging with their opposition number. Aidan Fennelly and Cahir Healy were great examples of players who really made life difficult for the man they was marking and their opponents really had to fight to get on the ball. Those lads sacrificed a part of their own game for the good of the team.  Wicklow must have kicked half a dozen points where ball was simply handpassed on to one of the forwards who just swung the ball over with his marker half heartedly throwing his hands up in the air trying to block the ball. Pathetic stuff. Too many of our players love being in possession of the ball and going forward but don't really want to commit to the hard part of the game which is tackling and defending and making life difficult for your opponent. 

Butch Cassidy

You are right Laois Rising, same narrative every time. Laois football at an all time low. A review was done a few years ago to improve Laois football, how many of those items have been actioned?

Ideally we should look to youth next year and use division 4 to build a team. I believe Billy did ask likes of Saunders, Diarmuid Whelan, Coffey etc in but they turned him down. Does it need a Micko type to get everyone to commit? For me, I would rather the resources were pumped into underage to produce competitive teams.

On the game itself, how a team can concede that amount against a division 4 team is hard to fathom and that lies with Billy and how he had the team setup. I know they're injuries and lads not available but you've to play the cards you're dealt with to get a win.

Andy06

Laois Rising, thats kinda what I was wondering with my above point in relation to coaching at schools and underage level.
I dont think we are coaching defenders to be actual defenders, the art of sticking to guys, tackling etc. Then of course by the time they get to minor or under 20 they dont have the basics at all.

Laoiseabu

#37
Quote from: Andy06 on April 25, 2022, 11:45:16 AM
Laois Rising, thats kinda what I was wondering with my above point in relation to coaching at schools and underage level.
I dont think we are coaching defenders to be actual defenders, the art of sticking to guys, tackling etc. Then of course by the time they get to minor or under 20 they dont have the basics at all.

I agree with Andy here that we are lacking defenders who possess the art of stick to guys and tackle properly . Another thing I would say is that our players don't have the physicality to hold up opposition players or put in hits . Our defenders also don't have the pace to stay with nippy fast forwards when they run at us . It's fierce easy to just walk the ball straight through the middle of that Laois backline without a glove being layed on you . Wicklow were able to show up these deficiencies, what would the likes of Kerry do with us out in croke park ? It beggars belief.
Another thing I will say is how can you hold Wicklow to 0-8 in the league then a few weeks later let team hit you for 5-15 in the championship and it could of been more ? It's very hard to understand.

High Fielder

It's not that hard to understand . Unfortunately it would take a negative analysis of our players to point out individual and collective deficiencies and I can't bring myself to do that. Anyway, our problems run much deeper than what happened yesterday. Suffice to say, major changes are needed or this will keep happening.

Spiritof86

Deflating weekend for Laois GAA particularly  Aughrim Sunday afternoon.
Everything that has been said mostly resembles the truth . It's clear to see there is a wider problem in the GAA community in Laois and until that's tackled the road is going to get bleaker .
Back training tomorrow night with a large u20 presence . A mini exodus expected from the current panel which mightn't altogether be a bad thing .

Oblivious

Its a massive task to get out of the current cycle, and not one that can be resolved within a 24month period. its not something that can be fixed by a task force or another off the shelf report on the future of football, Its a bit like sticking the finger in the dam and another leak appearing elsewhere. Its not the current players fault or commitment level, they are the best bunch of lads who are committed to laois end of. You can get hung up on club player versus county, club player versus manager. club player versus county board but it will not get you very far.

Only issues I would see at senior level would be the give back to the clubs at juvenile level, how many of the current crop of players or players over the last 10 years are involved in coaching juveniles. Some players would have obtained coaching at a high level for 10-12 years with no trickledown to the community or clubs.   

I know its a massive score put up against laois but its still a massive score that Laois put up against Wicklow. The art of defence is a major problem at all levels and very few county teams excel in defence or at club level, just look at the weekly scores at all levels to see the problems out there. Midfield is also a very challenging issue throughout clubs and at county level. Over the last 4 years both minors and under 20's have been relativley sucessful as in getting into semi -finals etc but there is no pathway into the next level. This could be player apathy or natural reluctance to advance through the county levels but something that should be addressed. I don't know how.

Its all a number game, population size, massive numbers playing at juvenile level up to age 14 and then opting out , major problem at age 14-17 of player participation, Poor senior championship with too many teams, poor coaching as most juvenile coaching is carried out by willing parents as opposed to qualified coaches, Strength and conditioning at younger levels.

over 350 players were initially on the Dublin Minor Panel , Laois probably had 60. Having said that as a comparison Meath lost all their Minor matches this year. Scoring is not an issue Laois Minors have scored 3-7 against Westmeath and 4-19 against Louth and the under 20's scored 3-11 against Kildare. Laois will only ever get a once in a generation squad or team that will push them into the next level and unfortunately no county board or manager will be able to resolve that in the short term,  if that's what people are relying upon. Probably the most important teams in Laois now are the under 8s-12s, teach them to kick with both feet, be able to block, be confident to do the adventerous in pocession of the ball, have pride in their club and county, be respectful of coaches and referees, enjoy, enjoy,enjoy, ignore the mad parents / supporters on the side line from home and away teams,

This is not the draw a line in the sand or watershed moment as there is probably another 3-4 years of poor results to come,                             



               

Laoiseabu

Quote from: Spiritof86 on April 26, 2022, 11:04:16 AM
Deflating weekend for Laois GAA particularly  Aughrim Sunday afternoon.
Everything that has been said mostly resembles the truth . It's clear to see there is a wider problem in the GAA community in Laois and until that's tackled the road is going to get bleaker .
Back training tomorrow night with a large u20 presence . A mini exodus expected from the current panel which mightn't altogether be a bad thing .

What u20s are involved ?

Spiritof86

I don't know exactly but there are up to ten of them invited in tomorrow night .
I see the management team staying on for foreseeable anyway after meeting with County board last night .

High Fielder

If they had let Billy go, would anyone have done this job? I reckon the County Board thought about that.