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When our CB tried to shut the gate, they forgot that it was they who had opened it. Or maybe they didn't forget, but just tried to shut the gate because it no longer suited them to leave it open. Either way, how we carry on is at times crazy. I would say that our underage structures are a jumbled up mess of clubs aligning themselves with what looks like the next best available option. This pays no regard to tradition or history and sometimes completely opposes the situation at adult level. In the middle of all this, you have lads being poached. f**king mental.

What is the current ruling anyway? Is it still the case that an address can seal a transfer, even though you don't actually live in the area?

Killeshin and Crettyard need to mend their bridges. From what I know, one club had enough players in one age group and told the other they were no longer needed. One age group. Not the entire underage set up, but just one age group. This has been done before in another club and perhaps as expected, it hasn't served them well. I cannot abide such a blinkered and short term point of view, and it is exactly this frame of mind that has us poaching off our neighbours and not looking at the bigger picture. All the while, lads who need access to senior football are getting squeezed into oblivion. We need to be spending our time constructively instead of beating away the neighbour with the sweeping brush.

Not fair on who?

Good to win but nothing really learned. Our forwards connected well and Evan was class. His movement and passing had them under pressure all day. On the flip side, it's still too easy for the opposition to get at us quickly.

Our tackling is Under 14 level and our forwards give up when their man goes by. That immediately gives numerical advantage to the attacking team and pushes our full back line back on top of Brody. I have no idea how a team as bad as Sligo could score 2-10 against anyone. And I mean that with all due respect. Just goes to show that we must be doing something wrong. Still nice to get the win though after the shambles of last week. Scully was unlucky. Mistimed at worst. Yellow all day.

And that has been the case for a long time now Downtheroad. It is of course obvious, and has been for a long time, that change is necessary. The desperation of some Senior clubs right now could well see that change happen but look at the harm that has been done to bring us to this point. If we could put aside our misgivings, then there may well be support from players for a Kerry type system. And let's be honest, if Barrowhouse were contemplating joining up with Arles Killeen, then surely anything is possible. After the way they have been treated by their neighbours and county board alike, I wouldn't blame them if they had asked to go over the ditch to Kildare. Anything that cuts out that back stabbing daylight robbery can only be a good thing, and in that regard, I welcome change

And how would you decide who takes the drop?

I'd agree. It's a massive step up to inter county football. He looked a little lost last week, but then again he wasn't alone. The senior players need to lead by example and more importantly show by example

What's the view on the team

Better team. No doubt about it. Some changes were absolutely necessary. I'm convinced last week was as much about focus as it was players not performing. We need to be tuned in and hungrier. We need to be on our toes and moving all the time. Nobody should care about promotion as that will look after itself if we apply ourselves properly. f it doesn't then we still have work to do. After last week, we have a lot of work to get through. I don't see the point in players working as hard as they do only to go and let themselves down so badly.

I still feel that the Championship side will contain and will need to contain some of our better young lads. That said, it's the league and we're still experimenting

I'd be surprised if any Senior club voted for this. I hope you're right Don. BA seems confident that there's good support for it but I think that's from players. Do players matter? (tongue in cheek)

I agree with you 100%. But we flog dead horses for sport in Laois, and we get nowhere as a result. In the background, players are still getting poached as you rightly pointed out above. That gate needs to be closed once and for all and I'm not convinced it ever will be while we kick area teams around for the next 20 years

Why not bring it in for 3-5 years? If it fails, worst case scenario, you've trimmed the championship by half a dozen teams.

You're preaching to the converted. I'm all for it. The turkeys in the senior clubs will not vote for this particular brand of Christmas. You can see in recent events the great lengths some clubs are going to to hold on to what they have

I agree with you 100%. But we flog dead horses for sport in Laois, and we get nowhere as a result. In the background, players are still getting poached as you rightly pointed out above. That gate needs to be closed once and for all and I'm not convinced it ever will be while we kick area teams around for the next 20 years

I agree. Keep it simple. The top tier is over crowded and it's really as simple as that. I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that having so many teams has brought about an improvement in standard, and besides, the balance between Senior and Intermediate is not right. We have teams who are Senior in name only and it's the same at Intermediate.

Regarding players at lower levels. I think we may forget this notion of area teams. It won't happen. Not in Laois. We don't like each other enough to have cosy arrangements. I think we need to put forward a motion at the next Congress that allows a player (as an individual) to play with a Senior club where this doesn't affect his participation in his own club's championship. And to avoid any confrontation, there needs to be a rule about giving priority to his parent club so that the next game he plays (after injury for instance) will always be for his parent club.

I don't know when the toys were thrown Don. I didn't even know they had been. It would be helpful to know who is still in there and what options we have

Ah come on Tony. You know right well that some players get automatic places. Meaney had every right to look at the mess against Louth and ask the question. Sugrue obviously has some regard for him or else he would have released him. Lillis and O'Loghlin are two good players but unless they move a lot more, they will not win ball for us. And it's a massive achilles heel for us. Ball out and straight back at us. We have to get on and stay on the ball a lot more because our patience in possession improved so much last year. Saturday was a reminder, hopefully, that we need to work harder with each passing game. Players need to be tuned in and workmanlike from the throw in. The line too need to be more decisive when there are obvious issues. I'm confident that Sugrue will put plans in place to right the wrongs of Saturday