Messages

Huge game for this group of players. Probably our best panel for many years. Offaly are c**k of the walk at the minute with all these superstars coming. I think our lads will wire into them, they have turned a corner since the league game with Carlow. Lose and we are in trouble, win and we have a real chance of getting to a final and can dream of the glory days of 2019 again. Wouldnt that be fantastic.
We need a big laois crowd on Sunday and the clubs need to drum up a big following. Its the least the players deserve for their efforts.

That's positive, we need find a way to stop the big teams from running up huge scores like galway did a couple of weeks ago.

Who played well for laois?

Full back line is a worry. Our two corner backs were taken to school in the first round of the joe mc against offaly lasy year too. It was the main reason for Offaly winning that game. Eoghan Cahill and Charlie Mitchell went to town. FC Fennel was corner back that day and wasnt good, i would give him another go there tho as he has got great pace and he did a very good man marking job on Dessie Hutchinson a couple of years ago. I think we need shanahan in there too, he has a bit of size and is pacey too, he could be trialed at full back or if not id have him in the corner.
As good a hurler as Podge is i dont think he is suited to the full back line.

First 15??

E Rowland
FC Fennell
R Mullaney
I Shanahan
L Cleere
P Delaney
T Cuddy
P Purcell
A Corby
S Maher
A Dunphy
W Dunphy
M Keyes
M Phelan/J Quinlan/ D Dooley
R King

D Conway, D Hartnett, L O Connell, J Lennon, C Comerford, P Dunne, G Lynch, S Bergin

Could be leaving out a few

First teamers missing from Offaly game
R Mullaney
P Maher
R King
P Purcell
M Keyes
D Hartnett/FC Fennell

Didnt start but came in
P Delaney
W Dunphy


Players Abroad ( Looking unlikely we'll have any of them)
C Dwyer
S Downey
J Keyes

Looking like a decent panel of players at present, there will be considerable competition for places this year by the looks of it. Would love to see a fit cha dwyer leading the line up front but it looks like hes not going to be around.

Absentees (Not committed/asked in)
J Kelly
E lyons
C McEvoy
PJ Scully
L Obular

Good to hear of Lee cleere returning. Not sure of the panel mKe up but there are plenty of lads that might not be available which will weaken what we could potentially have. I understand Paddy Purcell is unlikely to return. Jack Kelly has not been asked back. Ross king is currently not with the squad and uncertainty around his future. James keyes is in America and would be a big loss if he stays out there. Cha Dwyer and Sean Downey are still abroad, not sure if they will he around either. PJ Scully is not part of the panel for 2024 either. A couple of others we could do with are Ciaran McEvoy, Eanna Lyons etc.
On the positives Picky Maher and Willie dunphy are back along with a few youngsters like cathal and Tom cuddy, David dooley, jer quinlan, Aaron phelan and a couple more. Also heard that Mark kavanagh might be making a return.
We will need them all, westmeath and an up and coming offaly will be hard bet. Be great to get to a mcdonagh final and a day out in croker.

Clean Slate - New thread
Can we win the Joe Mc in 2024??
I believe they are back in training.
Who are the new members of the squad? Do we have everyone back from last year?

Any word on new members on the laois hurling panel? Any retirements?

https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-41239228.html

Great game and good to see a close game at quarter final stage. The gap is definitely closing on what now is the top 3. Castletown were excellent on Sunday. I think the harps are coming and if they had a full team for the earlier rounds they would have been in quarters. Abbeyleix have taken over from borris kilcotton as a top 4 team and they will be thereabouts for a county final over the coming years.
Looking at the county team next year. Lee Cleere was outstanding and is a nailed on starter for laois if he commits. Brendan Reddin is nearly a veteran at this stage but was very good. I wouldnt mind seeing him coming in for laois with 20 minutes to go in some games. Some of the younger lads were very good too especially on the castletown side Rory Kelly, Aaron Phelan, Ciaran McKelvey and Jack Breen all played well and looked comfortable at this level, as far as i know all 4 of them are u20 next year too. Cormac hogan and joseph pearson when introduced also acquitted themselves well, both u20 next year too.
In the other game Abbeyleix are a very well balanced team with an exceptional goalkeeper. Colin Byrne (u20 next year) was dangerous, along with good performaces from Fionan Mahony, Aaron Brennan and Liam Delaney. David Dooley would be worth bringing in to a county senior set up (depending on rugby), an excellent hurler that would benefit from training at an elite level.

Yes fair play to him they did ok.
I would just be hoping for a little more than ok for the u20s.

These development squad results are very worrying. We are so far off the pace now even a monumental effort from all people involved couldnt arrest this slide. That's if there was ever a monumental effort made. Can see that happening. In addition are laois gaels masking the slide by putting up misleading posts of academy squad development? A semi final appearance against galway in the arrabawn cup would lead you to believe that we made the last 4 of the top teams in the country. From talking to people and reading this forum it is no surprise that we are where we are.
For the next two years we should be highly competitive at county under 20 level. While a lot of people were disappointed at losing to Westmeath this year I would point out that approx 11 players that saw action that evening are eligible to play u20 next year.
There needed to be a serious management team put in place. Considering the flak the county board have taken over the past few months they need to get a bounce out of some team next year. It needed to be an ultra-professional set up with a comprehensive S&C winter programme in order to bulk up to the physical levels required at this level. Unfortunately I am not convinced with the management team put in place. I have absolutely nothing against any of them and I am sure they are all good lads at a certain level but you would have to question what experience they have and what they have achieved to date. No doubt the county board would hit back with 'they were the best available from those who applied for the job'! Instead of putting a plan in place to search for and get the best man/men they could for the job(inside or outside the county). As things stand, In my view this team is more important than the senior team. Reason being if they are managed and developed properly they might have the potential to improve our fortunes somewhat at senior level in the next few years. The current senior hurling team have a ceiling on the level that they can achieve. Joe McDonagh is there for them alright but how much can they progress beyond that?
The lack of ambition or forward planning is depressing.
From last year's team the following are eligible;
Tom Cuddy
Cathal Cuddy
Aaron Phelan
Joe Pearson
Ciaran Flynn
Bobby Murphy
Cody Comerford
Brian Duggan
Jer Quinlan
Colin Byrne
Brochan O'Reilly
James Cuddy

Add in;
Cormac Hogan
Ciaran McKelvey
Jack Breen
Diarmuid Dooley
Jimmy Hyland
Eoghan Murphy
Cormac Byrne
Justin Duggan

Is it just me or is all that very confusing?
1) Is Galway 1 their best 15 and galway 2 their second string? Or are they 2 teams divided evenly?
2) Are the first games on each line the A quarter finals and the second game on each line the B comp?
3) if no 2 is the case then had galway 2 teams in the b comp?

Its been a few weeks now since our croke park humiliation. I haven't heard a word of any plans to address the issues with hurling and football in our county.
Maybe there's massive work going on behind the scenes that we will be public knowledge in the near future??

[John Doyle Group 4]

I got a copy of this years u15 group results up to the Galway game (which i think was a playoff game post groups to determine final seedings for end of year tournament?)

John Doyle Group 4
Clare 2 1-08 V Limerick 2 1-08
Meath 1 4-09 V Laois 1 4-11
Clare 2 0-10 V Meath 1 1-12
Limerick 2 1-15 V Laois 1 2-21
Laois 1 1-09 V Clare 2 6-19
Meath 1 2-06 V Limerick 2 1-19

Theres being negative and then theres reality.
So the reality is Clare's second string beat us by 25 points? Or am I missing something?
Regardless we are competing in the B competition in most of these development squad tournaments

Also not trying to take away from a good win but im fairly sure laois are operating in the b competition. Id imagine that's galways 2nd/3rd string?