Laois GAA needs urgent help

[Joeythelips]

What a dreadful year 2023 has been for Laois GAA.

Our Senior footballers who were Div 2 a few years ago under a progressive coach have failed to reach the final of Div 4 which was contested by Wicklow and Sligo and then slaughtered in the championship.

Our senior hurlers who were competing in the Liam McCarthy and were competitive against the likes of Tipp and Clare a few years ago under a progressive coach have almost certainly failed to reach the final of Joe McD cup which will be contested by Offaly and most likely Carlow.

We dont seem to be competitive at any level and only last weekend we had a hurling development team annihilated against Tipp (12-20 to 0-9) and our Ladies footballers were hammered by the Dubs.

Surely there is need for some kind of emergency AGM to get all GAA folk together and see what is going on and what can be done about it.
This has not happened overnight and there is no quick fix but we need to get all the best and most passionate Laois GAA people together and figure this thing out unless we end up the bottom of the pile permanently.

[High Fielder]

Agree with everything you said Joey. We're in a desperate state, and arguably doing more harm than any good right now

[Chrimtain]

Wholeheartedly agree. We seem to be on a continuous slide to the bottom and our County Board don't seem to giveca toss.

What can be done?

[High Fielder]

Wholeheartedly agree. We seem to be on a continuous slide to the bottom and our County Board don't seem to giveca toss.

What can be done?

It would be easier to answer that negatively right now. We're so far behind and so off the pace that every time we come away with a hammering, we are doing further harm. We have issues that are specific to us and wider issues that every smaller/dual county must deal with. As for what needs to be done, that's not something you could write about in a few sentences. I sometimes wonder if we did everything that needs to be done, would we even be competitive then?

[Butch Cassidy]

A review was conducted by Nicky Brennan a few years ago. Safe to say we've gotten a lot worse than that. Anyone know what the review points were and what was actioned?

[Laois man]

Offaly back into a U20 hurling final all from hard work from the top table down massive crowd in Tullamore tonight.

[Spiritof1915]

I remember being in rosenallis when that offaly u20 team were u14. Just 6 short years ago.
Laois beat offaly that day by 25 points. And that's no exaggeration. That laois team subsequently took honours at u14 and u15 level. This year at u20 level laois were beaten by an average westmeath side.
One example of how no proper planning or structures were forthcoming to develop a crop of players with serious potential.
Meanwhile offaly got a county legend in michael duignan, to replace their dinosaurs with a meaningful, structured plan and a  blueprint of many committees and sub committees to identify what needed to be done.


quote author=Laois man link=topic=32013.msg2199926#msg2199926 date=1683750088]
Offaly back into a U20 hurling final all from hard work from the top table down massive crowd in Tullamore tonight.
[/quote]

[SpeculativeEffort]

Even just look at what Offaly did with their minors compared to us. They used the school system to keep the players together playing high quality opposition and then that has fed into u20s. Its looks like they have actually accelerated in their progress making Leinster final 2 years early.

What did we do? Let team go separate ways. Brought in some for u20s and lost to Westmeath.

Its quality games at right level that really bring on players. Gym work etc is important but exposure to progressively more difficult opposition is what teams need and it was plotted well by Offaly.

Just look at our Dev Team beaten by 40+ points last week to see who is nurturing our young players. Nobody.

[redsetanta]

Craig Rogers retweeted this from The CLARE TIMES asking the County Board to take note!
1 d
  ·
What a difference a couple of years make:
2 years ago our minor lads were massively let down, they were sent out to championship battle under prepared and poorly coached, the result was they suffered a humiliating 40 point drubbing at the hands of Cork.
Our county board at the time was toxic and people got given coaching roles based on loyalty rather than ability, we were sinking fast and all hurling people in the county could see radical change was needed
The Change came: following a bloody campaign, the County board changed and with that change came a fresh and new approach to how we promoted/coached and administered the GAA in Clare
Just  2 short years on from that 40 point drubbing and we are now Munster Minor champions, our u20 side are in a Munster final next week and our seniors just handed Limerick their first defeat in a long long while
We stood together, we removed the toxic culture from the Board and we won the battle
The minors now have a passionate and talented Management team and the rest is history
We have so much to be grateful for
HON THE BANNER

[georgedoylesrightleg]

wats the Clare times

[redsetanta]

https://www.facebook.com/claresupporter

[clonadmad]

Offaly with a smaller population and a similar hurling/football split are so far ahead of us on so many levels


Just one of countless examples


https://twitter.com/lonesharkoy/status/1656416881929011200?s=46&t=Z3KW3Rw04beopUDsdM2Hwg

[Chrimtain]

What a difference a change in CB chairman has made  in Offaly in just two years. But who in Laois could make such a difference?

Is it a case of apathy rules in Laois? Perhaps nobody capable of making a difference is interested enough in Laois.

I think apathy has been a problem for a very long time.

[redsetanta]

I have very little knowledge of the in's and out's of county board business or who may or may not be the type(s) of individuals who would drive things on.

When our young minor hurlers starting competing well in the Leinster championship about 10 years ago or so we had Zoom involved with Setanta and Cheddar managing the minor team.

I would happily have both men involved in the running of hurling in the county from the youngest age.

Pay them for their time and give them a reasonably free hand in appointing coaches they want etc with a view to producing competitive underage hurling teams over the next few years with a goal of winning a minor leinster championship. . Both men have more than enough credit in the bank to get others involved. How many lads, former team mates and ex county players would turn down a few hours a week if asked by Critchley or Cheddar.

Would they want it though? Have they ever been asked?

[clonadmad]

Duignan met heavy resistance to him coming in as County Board Chairman from the existing incumbents and it took him 3 county conventions before he got the team he wanted in with him to get into the various positions on the county board.

Do we have someone with that level of determination to drive change ?

I doubt it too

in relation to that Celtic Challenge u17 Quarter Final game v  Tipperary

Tipp played only u16's against us,after 20 odd minutes, the scoreboard was putting up Tipp goals as points and at half time they turned off the scoreboard completely in Cashel, the scoreline was way worse than what was officially given

This was a national competition where our Kids got humiliated,this was not a once off either this year,our u15 hurlers have gotten some heavy beatings too.

Either we do better by our players or we dont enter these competitions any more