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I tend to stay away from criticising players and/or managers too much as it serves little purpose. But to amswer your question, if by effective you mean keeping Laois in Division 1 two years in a row, then yes, he was effective.

Eamon Kelly's Laois beat Antrim 3 times in 2018. And kept Laois in 1B both in 2017 and 2018, at a time when 1A and 1B were not graded, just a split of the division. Just saying....

It is not ideal when players like Rowland, O'Connell and others opt out during the season. But sometimes it is not reflective of the set up at all. Fellas have other things going on in their lives too, beyond hurling. We have to back the management team. Corcoran and Fitzgerald did all the hard work, for which Brennan got the credit in 2019. Ask any player.
We can't get too high when they win or too low when they lose. It was a poor performance but that happens. The most important game is Carlow now and hopefully there will be some kick in our group for that one.

No change in RE I'm hearing. Beaten semi-finalists in each of 2021,2022, 2023 - getting to the final and being 4 up at half time was definitely progress. But fell away badly in the second half. Will be hoping to go one better.

Terrible reffing performance. 9 more frees awarded to CB than to RE. And he missed stephen bergin deliberately dropping the Hurley to get the first goal. RE should have been 7 up at HT. Still might not have not been enough the way CB played in 2nd half but it would have been tighter with a different ref. No one wants to see free taking contests deciding finals...very poor but its Laois so he might get 3 finals in a row next year.

RE great in first half but needed to be 7/8 up at HT with that wind. CB took over in second half and RE never got into it.
Very poor reffing performance, CB got every break today. Got their frees much easier...would have been tighter only for Dunne. Missed about 10 throws too for both teams. Still CB took the chances they were given...good luck to them.

I don't think Down will be too bad. Lost 4 games in the league last year but only lost to Offaly by 3 and Kerry by 1. I'm not sure what their prep has been like this year and I understand that Trevor Fletcher joined their backroom recently enough. Laois should win but wouldn't totally dismiss Down. Often the so-called inferior teams do well in the early stages of the league (when pitches are heaviest and especially if they have a good block done pre-Christmas and some games played after it) and do less well later in the year.

Hope it goes well for him and he can balance the workload. Not an easy task in the context of him managing a League of Ireland Football Club as well.

Eamon Kelly put decent structures in place around S & C, Nutrition, Team Doctor, Rehab Physio, occasional sessions with a sports psychologist and so on. In winter 2017 to spring 2018 they put in a serious block of S & C and only for it probably would not have stayed in 1B. From what I know it was new to most of the panel at the time. I'm not sure it is fair to say that a professional gave questionable advice. The S & C / Nutritionist (at least the one that finished the season in 2018) is very well qualified and well thought of in Leinster/National GAA circles.  Brennan definitely built on this the following year. The fellas that have stayed on the panel throughout (and true some of these are the best players) have seen the benefit. The problem as has been eluded to is the guys that hurl at that level every other year. Its almost impossible to make the gains necessary to compete at the top level if you don't stay at it. Consistency is the key.

I know of hurling coach, living in Co Laois. Has won club championships in his native county at Senior, u20, minor level. Has intercounty experience coaching at senior and u20 level. Wrote to county board a couple of years back saying he was willing to help out with a team but never got a reply.

Isn't Clough-Ballacolla an amalgamation? They don't seem to be doing too bad to me....

Well known, as a good hurling coach among hurling people. Former Tipp minor captain. Beyond Tipp Minor, Tipp u21 he was a selector under Derek McGrath in Waterford in 2014. Managed Cuala to 2 Dublin titles back to back in 2019 and 2020. Has been linked with Tipp and Dublin jobs in the past but has been overlooked. Currently with Bennettsbridge in Kilkenny and they seem to be going fine under him. Hes young (43) and has a good reputation as a coach. Can't comment on inter-county management ability but Laois could do much worse that Willie Maher in my view.

should read Dublin 8 and Clare 8 in that last post...not sure where the sunglasses came from....!

Totally agree. No way Brennan will be back in Laois from both perspectives I'd say. He had a very good first year getting a bounce with the team, winning the Joe Mc and v Dublin in Portlaoise and Tipp in Croke Park. Average year 2. In the league : Lost to Wex (11), Dub (, Clare (, KK (9), beating only Carlow (1). Lost in Championship to Dublin (14). One decent performance in qualifiers v Clare where Laois ran them to a point. Clare had a man sent off and stopped hurling if memory serves me.
It didn't go to plan in Cuala.

For now Cheddar is in charge of Laois and the entire group needs our support, now more than ever. Crucial that they can get as many as the lads as possible fit and ready to go v Westmeath. Very important to stay up so that the new man coming in (if there is one) has something to build towards.

Poor stuff. Laois far more competitive in the league under Brennan and Eamonn Kelly. Yes Kelly. I remember going and seeing decent performances away to Limerick in 2018 (who went on to win All Ireland), home to Galway under lights a few weeks later ( All Ireland champions at the time) when they should have beaten them. Good pattern to their play and very competitive. Yes the Joe McDonagh was poor under him but Laois have been decent enough in the League for the past 5/6 years. At least competitive, this was terrible. A big reaction needed by the entire group the next day out.