LAOIS SENIOR FOOTBALL 2016

[Tony]

Brutal comment - And if you've something bad to say about the players, use nicer language will you? Over rated / big disappointment? Put your real name up if you're going to post that crap.

These lads are committing to Laois every year and they don't deserve to be written about like that on an anonymous forum like that. Let's not let this forum go down that road.

Team for me:


Brody
Seale
Timmons
Attride
Strong
Begley
Meaney
O Loughlin
Quigley
Donagher
D.Kingston
O'Carroll
Ross
G.Walsh
Cahillane

[Unlaoised]

Quigley is the most over'rate player in laois, he has been big disappointment over the last numbers of years.

Ha ha you know a lot about football...Quigley is a superb player who is rated by every incounty player in the country.

He end's up marking nearly one of the best of the other county players in all the games he plays...Even in the so called easier games in the last few years if its Carlow it will be Murphy or Leitrim it will be one their best men.

He has been one of Laois's best players over the last 8 years or so and was a big loss two years ago when he wasn't there .

Silly post ...Football is about opinion and I respect that but your post has little substance and to be honest is childish at best!

[Giovanni]

Wasn't Quigley shortlisted for an All-Star 2 or 3 years ago.

In my opinion, the pairing of Quigley and JOL is one of the very best in the country (up there with Kerry and Mayo). Quigley could work on distribution a bit (which I think he has over the last while) but there's not too many players I'd take ahead of him.

[steven seagal]

There was a comment earlier about Paul Cahillane not starting, I think we can rule that out! Cahillane will start, nothing surer, because he is one of the best forwards in the county, and also because I can't see any scenario, barring injury, where Mick Lillis won't pick him.

Lillis has managed the county minors and U-21s before and both stints were notable for the amount of Portlaoise players he accommodated in those teams. It will be the same at senior level, as I don't see him changing his tune on that. Of the teams picked here already, none of them had Kieran Lillis in them - do any of ye really think he will or should be left out? I'd imagine we will see a team close to this starting (possibly with positional switches), if not against Galway, then at some stage in the league.

Brody
Seale
Timmons
Cotter
Strong
Lillis
Dillon
O'Loughlin
Quigley
Begley
O'Carroll
Donoher
Walsh
Kingston
Cahillane

Portlaoise players are more attuned to the type of game Lillis wants to play and I can see him falling back on them where possible. In the O'Byrne Cup he appeared to be converting Dillon into a wing back, which might suit him, and he will be given a run there in the league I would imagine, and Kieran Lillis, once fit, will surely be centre-back.

Munnelly has been a phenomenal player for Laois but I can't see him starting this year, although I'd be happily proved wrong on that. If he comes in, it will probably be in place of Gary Walsh or Donoher. Kingston should be at full-forward because he hasn't the work rate required for further out the field, and it's in our interests to keep our best scoring forward close to goal. Also, I think himself and Cahillane could be potent if left to work off each other within 30 yards of goal. We don't need Kingston getting on the ball around the middle of the field.

[Tony]

Two glaringly obvious incorrect things in your post Steven Seagal -

1 : You say Lillis obvious at centre back? - He simply doesn't have the speed for there, but I can see him on the wing.

2 : You say Kingston doesn't have the required work rate to be further out than the full-forward line? I can only assume you were in North Korea the last couple of years. Kingston's fitness and hence his work rate his tripled in the last couple of years. Anyone who pays attention to off-the-ball movement knows he's one of the hardest workers on the panel.

[Unlaoised]

Two glaringly obvious incorrect things in your post Steven Seagal -

1 : You say Lillis obvious at centre back? - He simply doesn't have the speed for there, but I can see him on the wing.

2 : You say Kingston doesn't have the required work rate to be further out than the full-forward line? I can only assume you were in North Korea the last couple of years. Kingston's fitness and hence his work rate his tripled in the last couple of years. Anyone who pays attention to off-the-ball movement knows he's one of the hardest workers on the panel.

Your first Answer and point is up for debate....Lillis could end up at Center back No matter where he will and rightly so push hard for a position in the defense.

Point 2 about Kingston I agree he has been superb at Center forward and his distribuation from there is a joy to watch also he  is a great target for a back who needs to get shot of a ball but won't reach the full forward line ..He gets frustrated in at Full forward and he can kick long distance points which we need in the half forward line.

add to that the understanding he has with Cahillane already in the games I've seen and add his brother Paul(who can find each other like a magnet to a fridge) to that and we could be on to a winner in the forwards if Ross could make it then we would give a lot of teams problems.

[steven seagal]

Tony, greetings from north of the Bridge of No Return.

Lillis' suitability to centre-back won't really come into, in my opinion. He will start if he's fit, and most likely at centre-back, because that's the position he captained Portlaoise to a county championship in. The team I listed is a team I expect to start based on Mick Lillis' record as intercounty manager of our minor and U-21 teams, rather than a team I would pick myself. Also, if you believe he hasn't the pace for centre-back then I'm not sure why you would be inclined to put him on the wing, where pace is arguably more important, given most wing-backs nowadays will be expected to be up and down the field for 70 minutes. But maybe things have changed since I came over here with Dennis Rodman, I don't get to see many matches, Kim Jong Un did his Erasmus year in UCG so he only lets us watch Galway matches.

On the subject of Kingston, I have seen him running off the ball. I have eyes too. All his running off the ball is solely to gain possession of said ball. In terms of tackling and tracking runs, he doesn't run with the same conviction. It is particularly obvious any time he loses possession, after which he invariably throws his hands in the air in disappointment or complains to a referee or linesman. He does this repeatedly. In such circumstances he rarely tries to win the ball back or get back and help out in defence.

Even if he did run around like a Kenyan, to me, it is still pointless to play him at centre-forward. I'm sure you were in Navan last Sunday week, when he was moved out of centre-forward with barely ten minutes gone. When he did go in full-forward, he scored an outrageous point at one stage, when he won the ball about 30/35 yards out, held off a few defenders and pointed from 20 yards out. That's the key to success for Laois, getting the ball to Kingston close to goal. At full-forward with the right supply he should score three or four points from play per game before he even steps up to a free, and attract enough attention to free up space for the likes of Cahillane et al. Having him out the field is a misuse of his strengths IMO.

I agree with Unlaoised that his distribution is excellent, but I'd still sooner see him full-forward where he can do more damage. I'm not sold on the matter of long-range point shooting though, as good as Kingston is, you don't want him shooting from 40 yards out. You don't really want anyone shooting from distance. The majority of points are scored from within 30 yards or so of the goal, and that's where I'd want my best scoring forward to be operating out of.

Anyway, off to praise our fearless leader. Pyongyang Abú.

[OTF]

There was a comment earlier about Paul Cahillane not starting, I think we can rule that out! Cahillane will start, nothing surer, because he is one of the best forwards in the county, and also because I can't see any scenario, barring injury, where Mick Lillis won't pick him.

Lillis has managed the county minors and U-21s before and both stints were notable for the amount of Portlaoise players he accommodated in those teams. It will be the same at senior level, as I don't see him changing his tune on that. Of the teams picked here already, none of them had Kieran Lillis in them - do any of ye really think he will or should be left out? I'd imagine we will see a team close to this starting (possibly with positional switches), if not against Galway, then at some stage in the league.

Brody
Seale
Timmons
Cotter
Strong
Lillis
Dillon
O'Loughlin
Quigley
Begley
O'Carroll
Donoher
Walsh
Kingston
Cahillane

Portlaoise players are more attuned to the type of game Lillis wants to play and I can see him falling back on them where possible. In the O'Byrne Cup he appeared to be converting Dillon into a wing back, which might suit him, and he will be given a run there in the league I would imagine, and Kieran Lillis, once fit, will surely be centre-back.

Munnelly has been a phenomenal player for Laois but I can't see him starting this year, although I'd be happily proved wrong on that. If he comes in, it will probably be in place of Gary Walsh or Donoher. Kingston should be at full-forward because he hasn't the work rate required for further out the field, and it's in our interests to keep our best scoring forward close to goal. Also, I think himself and Cahillane could be potent if left to work off each other within 30 yards of goal. We don't need Kingston getting on the ball around the middle of the field.

I'd say your not far off with that team SS. except for 1 or 2
isn't Donoher injured ?
Lillis put a lot of effort into getting Meaney back, I think he'll start.
Cahillane has a great understanding with Donie that goes back to McNulty 1st year.
Ross I think will be used for last 20 mins. of games

[steven seagal]

Donoher has been togged out for all the games but hasn't featured yet. All luck seems to have deserted him in the last few years in terms of injuries so hopefully he'll be back for the league. I think he's the kind of player that Lillis will like so I'd imagine he'll get his chance when he's fit.

[oneflewoverthecuckoonest]

lillis is as slow as a snail,  once turned he is fuxked....you saw the leinster club final and the boden team walking through the middle of town defence.

I am open minded on 2016 for the senior football team apart from Lillis, who in my mind has no place in a championship squad..........no doubt he will get plenty of chances.

Kingston can play anywhere, the rest of the forwards need to up their game and stop relying upon him.

[Tony]

If you think K Lillis has no place in the championship squad, oneflewoverthecuckoosnest, I can only assume that you thought this was the Dublin forum. Since when can Laois leave out a back like Lillis of the WHOLE SQUAD when we have a massive shortage in defence already? Good idea to think before we type - some absolute donkey points on here at times.

[Unlaoised]

If you think K Lillis has no place in the championship squad, oneflewoverthecuckoosnest, I can only assume that you thought this was the Dublin forum. Since when can Laois leave out a back like Lillis of the WHOLE SQUAD when we have a massive shortage in defence already? Good idea to think before we type - some absolute donkey points on here at times.

I agree 100% with Tony..Remember Lillis only came back this year after a horrible spell with injuries so was only getting up to speed and I thought he was decent on Portlaoise's run to what should have been a Leinster.

Not even three years ago I was at a League game in Longford when Lillis came on at half time for Pauric McMahon at left half back and changed the whole game Laois were down by three at half time but ended up winning by three or four he was immense that day winning all the breaks from midfield in the second half.

He ended up at number 6 that year as we had a good run in the qualifiers and pushed Donegal in Carrick on shannon in a game we lost by six in the end but could have easily won.

I'm sure if he gets back to that level he will be in contention for a start.
His father being the manager will not have any influence only that it will inspire Kieran himself to work harder and if he deserves a place then he will get it.

[ILikeStrawberryJam]

I dont think Lillis can compete with our similar big men in quigley,meaney,oloughlin,begley.
Cant really see where he'd get a spot.
Hes a good honest player but i think he'd be badly exposed at CHB, simply has the pace.

I'm not sure why people think Cahillane will be a success. He had a run before and struggled at this level.
He's a great finisher one on one with a keeper but i cant see him winning his ball. Impact sub for me.
Dillon at half back is an interesting one .. could work ..

[Tony]

Cahilane will be an excellent addition to the team, I have no doubts.

[ILikeStrawberryJam]

I think he'll struggle Tony. Ross will be the man again or Tom Shiels.
If I'm wrong feel free to pull me up on it and I'll eat a large slice of humble pie.