The Future for Laois Football

[recyclebin]

Down to 4 candidates according to Laoistoday:
Arles-Killeen's Billy O'Loughlin, Courtwood's Eddie Kinsella, Former Laois player and current Laois Gaels Chairman, O'Dempsey's Leo Turley, and former Naas and Thomas Davis (Dublin) manager Paul Kelly.

[Zooming around]

Down to 4 candidates according to Laoistoday:
Arles-Killeen's Billy O'Loughlin, Courtwood's Eddie Kinsella, Former Laois player and current Laois Gaels Chairman, O'Dempsey's Leo Turley, and former Naas and Thomas Davis (Dublin) manager Paul Kelly.

Who'd be favourite there? Kinsella??

[Tintin84]

I heard it's down to two, Kinsella and O'Loughlin and O'Loughlin is expected to get the nod. For the life of me, I am not sure how O'Loughlin can get it he got ran out of Sarsfield in Kildare ran out of Longford, I suppose just goes to show how desperate the county board are. Lots of exits to from county from last year, Paddy O'Sullivan, Colm Murphy, Robbie Piggot all going travelling.

[Laoiseabu]

I've heard about Robbie Piggott , Colm Murphy and Paddy OSullivan going travelling . Any more names that are not committing?

[Chrimtain]

Lots of exits to from county from last year, Paddy O'Sullivan, Colm Murphy, Robbie Piggot all going travelling.

Luke many GAA people in the county, these lads are just losing interest.

[High Fielder]

I heard it's down to two, Kinsella and O'Loughlin and O'Loughlin is expected to get the nod. For the life of me, I am not sure how O'Loughlin can get it he got ran out of Sarsfield in Kildare ran out of Longford, I suppose just goes to show how desperate the county board are. Lots of exits to from county from last year, Paddy O'Sullivan, Colm Murphy, Robbie Piggot all going travelling.

In fairness, he did ok in Longford. I suppose overseeing a win against Laois got him some sort of leverage. I'm afraid to say it but beggars can't be choosers, and we're begging.

[GAAFan2003]

Trevor Collins is going travelling too. Presume Mark Timmons will step away. Not sure about Paul Kingston and Kieran Lillis. Rumours that Evan O'Carroll and Eoin Lowry aren't committing either. Its not an enviable job. 

[The Saint]

You know, if even half of the above posts are to be believed (about who's committing or not) then I'm going to ask the question... should we honestly consider withdrawing our Senior football team from the championship/league. And before anyone jumps down my neck.. I think A) it'd for once and for all expose the complete apathy that exists in the county at the minute, B) it'd give the county a clean start to channel a lot or all of the available funding into where its clearly needed, underage C) it'd make the GAA sit up and realise how f*cked the whole model is now.. the imbalance between the haves and have nots, the population disparity, the funding disparity, and so on. I honestly believe at some point in the next couple of years some county is going to take this drastic measure. Now, away ye go..let fly 

[High Fielder]

I agree 100 per cent. Unfortunately,  that won't facilitate our CB officers in their quest for loftier positions. It's just a game. The players are pawns

[Smellyball]

You know, if even half of the above posts are to be believed (about who's committing or not) then I'm going to ask the question... should we honestly consider withdrawing our Senior football team from the championship/league. And before anyone jumps down my neck.. I think A) it'd for once and for all expose the complete apathy that exists in the county at the minute, B) it'd give the county a clean start to channel a lot or all of the available funding into where its clearly needed, underage C) it'd make the GAA sit up and realise how f*cked the whole model is now.. the imbalance between the haves and have nots, the population disparity, the funding disparity, and so on. I honestly believe at some point in the next couple of years some county is going to take this drastic measure. Now, away ye go..let fly 

Absolutely, I can't think  of a better way to close the gap to the top counties than just not playing 

[High Fielder]

One way of stopping the gap widening though, which for us it is; every year now. A further player drain will bury us deeper and by the looks it, We're making do for our next coach. Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless

[The Saint]

You know, if even half of the above posts are to be believed (about who's committing or not) then I'm going to ask the question... should we honestly consider withdrawing our Senior football team from the championship/league. And before anyone jumps down my neck.. I think A) it'd for once and for all expose the complete apathy that exists in the county at the minute, B) it'd give the county a clean start to channel a lot or all of the available funding into where its clearly needed, underage C) it'd make the GAA sit up and realise how f*cked the whole model is now.. the imbalance between the haves and have nots, the population disparity, the funding disparity, and so on. I honestly believe at some point in the next couple of years some county is going to take this drastic measure. Now, away ye go..let fly 

Absolutely, I can't think  of a better way to close the gap to the top counties than just not playing 

Isn't this what the players are doing? They've had enough. The last +5 years have been held together by a handful of committed long term servants coupled with the continuous cycle of new young lads coming in, getting burnt, and leaving again. Its starting to look like that scene in the great WW2 film Enemy at the Gates where the poor Russians charge the German line and get mowed down, and then another few Russians charge and pick up the dropped guns and makes another few yards before getting mowed down again, and the cycle continues.

[Giovanni]

Yes but the Russians eventually won that battle.

[The Boy Wonder]

The negativity regarding the Laois Senior Football team on this board saddens me. Yes, we are down in Division 4, hammered by Dublin in Leinster SFC and by Down in the Tailteann Cup. We have had one poster here asking should we consider withdrawing from championship and league !

Ciaran Fitzgerald famously said to his Ireland rugby teammates  "where's your f*****g pride ?" and the same applies here. The Laois Senior football team are the flagship football team in the county. Down the years young lads would dream of emulating Curly Prendergast, Barney Maher, Joe Higgins and many more. Do we really want to consider going down the same road as Kilkenny ?

Of course our pool of talent seems very shallow at present and we've had no success at underage since 2007. The structure of club football in Laois has it's shortcomings that doesn't help either. On the other hand the split season and the increased number of games gives inter-county players the opportunities to develop that were lacking previously. Many will also have the experience of playing in high-quality 3rd level competitions. We all know too that a team can be better than the sum of it's parts – no county demonstrated this better than Offaly under the late Eugene McGee.

Laois supporters have a role to play too. If you are totally demoralised then it might be better to just walk away rather than contributing to the negative background noise. Of course lads will be hesitant to commit where there is such a mood of doom and gloom surrounding the Laois Senior Football team. Now is the time that the players and new manager need our support most. Remember Offaly supporters Croke Park sit down protest in 1998 and Kildare's Newbridge or Nowhere protest in 2018. We as Laois supporters should have taken the same stance and refused to play the Dubs in Nowlan Park Kilkenny back in 2016.

Laois Abú!

[High Fielder]

Our CB did nothing when Nowlan Park was foisted upon us. They've been doing very little since. Last I heard, they wouldn't even let the ladies play their final in OMP. If you're looking to fling arrows, try directing them at those whose role it is to make things better. They seek election and re-election after all

I can't accept that players won't commit because there's doom and gloom. More likely they don't want to be associated with a shit show.

As for walking away, that's just downright offensive. Every single one of us care about Laois football. We don't have to agree about everything, but we have every right to speak out when we see things we don't like. Far too much in this county is ignored or disregarded, and that has to change before any progress is made. Laois GAA is bigger than those elected to administrate it