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I'm reluctant in posting this but i feel too many people at ad ministrive level in Laois are ignoring the following issue.(s)
I attended a League Div 1 game on Friday evening between Saint Josephs & Arles Kileen. I'm not exaggerating but I've never seen such thuggery  as i witnessed at this game (Albeit from one team only). Players were abused, kicked,cynically fouled and punched resulting with at least one player being admitted to a Dublin hospital with a very serious jaw/head injury. Another player is carrying a leg injury received   from a kick while attempting to legally take a ball from the ground. Another player ( a very young player was very cynically taken out of the game by a deliberate rugby style tackle. None of these incidents were dealt with satisfactorily by the referee as should be as stated in the official rule book. I was horrified by what i witnessed although i didn't see the incident where the player received the head injury.I also hear that in the past week or so two players from other clubs received serious injuries in other games and had to be hospitalised.
This has to stop now or someone will not recover. those players are amateurs and have families and have to work. From what i witnessed on Friday evening was the win at all cost mentality using thuggery as means to achieve this.Shame on those who act like this, shame on those who condone it and shame on those who ignore it. Note.. The game in general when played within the rules was excellant with St Josephs playing a very young footballl playing team.It ended in a draw

Wher do i start. Hugely dissapointed and expected us to win easily enough and to some extent we should have. We started well, owned midfield, our forwards were working well enough and the backs (full back line especially ) were doing ok.The rot started with the missed penalty and Quigleys open goal miss. Should have been up 7 or 8 at half time and we would have moved on after the interval. Ross's confidence is shattered and maybe he should have left it to Carroll or Kingston. He also coughed up a lot of possession where Kildare scored directly from turnovers. I'm not going to be too hard on Ross as he owes us nothing. I also wonder if the first half tackle on Brody affected him as he gave away a goal or two and several points with his short kickouts. He is a good goalie so he must have been affected. laois are not 13 points worse then Kildare. Not in a month of sundays.
Teo Lurleys comment about kildare doing drills at half time is interesting though....

Can't see St. Josephs in relegation trouble this year as they got the easier draw of Ballyfin in the first round. Ballyfin along with Stradbally, Crettyard/Ballyroan and Ballylinan will have to battle hard to stay up this year. Is it only one team to be relegated this year? (assuming they are no more safety nets of illegal byes etc )

Ballyfin could surprise the Joey's. Joey's are put-er bad and will  be fodder for most senior teams.look at their league Games so far...one win and they are in for another beating Friday night. I think Ballyroan may surprise a few, Ballylinan will stay up. I'll stick with Stradbally/Joeys to go intermediate ..one to go down

Don't write off the Kilcruise side of the parish either. They seem to be motoring along nicely.

I doubt it...They were also in trouble at championship time last year and  but for the grace of god they and and Josephs were in a dog fight to stay up.Neither of them have improved at all and will be found out come August. Arles Kileen look like the only team to knock Portlaoise off the throne. Strong , determined, training well and all good players playing outstanding football.

didn't make any of the games over the weekend and had to rely on the local rags for updates. A few surprising results...Arles beat a strong Stradbally team without the Kingstons, Shane Julian James Mahon and Mick Leigh. Kilcruise beat a Portlaoise team minus 12 or 13 regulars. Josephs blowing hot and cold and after some terrible beatings got a decent win over Cretty. Last years championship results don't lie in either Stradballys and Josephs case as i think they will be in relegation trouble again. It bears well for Arles Kileen this year come the championship....I think its their year