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Interesting to see signs in Portlaoise town trying to recruit players to Clonad. Similar situation to Killeshin going into Graigue?

Only getting back to this now but I would be in general agreement with all the points made about the top counties protecting their interests (in fairness thats their job) but the top decision makers in the GAA shouldnt allow it. Everyone one here should be tweeting, posting on fb, texting the various podcasts to get the message across that the league revamp is unfair on developing counties.

The GAA should be funding Fitzgibbon teams in Sligo IT, Athlone IT and in UUJ to allow an avenue for lads in these counties to upskill and play at a high level. Look what a good Fitzgibbon set up in Carlow IT has done for Carlow hurling. Massive strides made. These are practical ways to balance the playing field.

County boards in Antrim, kerry, laois, westmeath and carlow need to vehemently oppose the new league structure for 2020. Counties ranked 9-12 will be lumped in with more counties that are 15+ points their superior. A defeat of less than 8 in a game of hurling can help weaker teams learn to hurl at a faster pace but big beatings help nobody. The current league format offers more competitive games for every county.

Top counties are arguing that its easier win an all ireland from 1B coz you can wait for a league quarter final to go up a gear. If this is the case why do 1A counties fight relegation so strongly. Experiment in the league, stay up in 1A or get relegated to the utopia of 1B. Either way hurling is not really weakened in your county. The proposed 2020 league will bring huge beatings week after week for teams ranked 9 to 12.

The league restructure is to appease the top counties. They claim thst 1B is a better division to be in so they can experiment more during the league and you dont have to worry about relegation or go flat out until cship. If its preferrable to be in 1B then experiment away while in 1A. If relegated then you are in 1B which, according to 1A counties, is no big problem anyway.

Its the most pointless restructure ever.

They are forcing teams ranking 9-12 to play more teams that are 15+ points ahead of them. At the moment teams ranked 1-6 compete together and teams ranked 7-12 compete together. Its a league. It makes sense. The new proposal doesnt.

I think this will hit the clubs that play football and hurling the most. Parents are happy enough to have children play soccer in winter with hurling and football in summer. With all three on at the same time something will definitely lose out.
Can anyone give an example of a dual GAA club and how they work with summer soccer?

Anyone care to predict how the move to summer soccer will impact GAA?

If Ballyfin and Slieve bloom is being proposed for senior who couldnt they just continue their current arrangement with Mountmellick?

Eddie is starting to remind me of the last Kk man to manage Laois by getting his excuses out in public as early as possible. Managementis about adapting and helping to change an unhelpful culture. Sugrue has set about doing this quietly and its good to see. Eddie looks like he came to Laois with his eyes closed. Now he is opening them and saying what he sees. No doubt its a big task that would even challenge the skills of Joe Schmidt but he needs to try change attitudes instead of making it sound like a lost cause in the media.

Divisional teams will work but will take time to bed down. It is the way forward. That way all clubs are playing at an appropriate grade and if there are players worthy of playing senior championship football from these intermediate/junior clubs then there is an avenue open to them as well. Sugru is right when stating the obvious-we have far too many senior clubs in Laois football and it is diluting the standard of our championship. 8 is more than enough for county size of Laois and then add in four regional teams. Maybe Portlaoise could have turned a couple of those losses in Leinster into victories the last few years had they been more battlehardened from playing some divisional sides in our county championship. The intermediate and junior championships would benefit greatly in competitiveness as well if clubs were regraded as well to match their current standing. This would also provide Laois clubs with a real shot at winning Leinster intermediate and junior club titles and provides them with a shot at playing in Croke Park in an All-Ireland Club final. Surely that is a more attractive proposition to clubs than forming a Gaels partnership just to try avoid being relegated from Laois senior championship every year. What captures an interest and invigorates a club is winning championship games and going on a run. The whole parish often buys into it and juveniles are inspired to follow in the footsteps.

Crettyard for example of the daftness in Gaels amalgamations. They are joined with Killeshin at all underage levels and then at senior they form a Gaels with Spink/Ballinkill. If there was to be some merit to Crettyard Gaels then surely at underage they are joined with Spink/Ballinakill and not Killeshin. At least in that way it shows some form of meaningful partnership between the clubs and where players have grown up playing alongside each other.

Agree on this and similar could be worked in the hurling with 10-12 seniors teams (including 2-4 area teams)and all clubs playing at their appropriate level with an avenue to senior. We cannot lose clubs. Hurling and football need to be widely played as part of our culture and identity. If we start losing rural clubs the GAA is dead to me.

Are Abbeyleix and Ballinakill the same parish? All the clubs mentioned by moregroundhurling are the same parish(I think, correct me if I'm wrong). But then again Parish rule doesnt apply in Laois. We will end up like Carlow with only 5 senior teams and an extremely shallow pool of players to pick from.

100% agree. Hurling will end up like rugby with 2-3 playing in different areas and no culture of the game being widely and commonly played. Maybe divisional teams drawn up by county board would solve this as players would get a chance at winning county c'ships and representing their own home club at the relevant grade. Eg Abbeykill at senior or whatever and both teams field at their own grade. Clubs like Timahoe and Ballinakill effectively disappearing is not good for hurling.

Discuss

I hear a lot of the Rathdowney boys aren't going in. Also rumoured that Healy is going with the footballers, which would be a great shame.

Neither of these are a surprise. Hurling missed its window with cheddar, I don't see any saving it.

What a statement! 

It's true though. Who is going to save it? If not Cheddar and Zoom, then who?

There's the problem right there. People sitting around waiting to be saved as if they are not capable of contributing. Yes Cheddar and Pat are superb but we must have other leaders capable of organizing people.

I hear a lot of the Rathdowney boys aren't going in. Also rumoured that Healy is going with the footballers, which would be a great shame.

Neither of these are a surprise. Hurling missed its window with cheddar, I don't see any saving it.

What a statement! 

Don Draper you're a miserable person.

Rogers came on and scored a goal..he also put himself forward and struck a decent penalty. It was an excellent save. That is life.

Do you ever do anything yourself or just try bring others down to your own level?

My apologies  Junior . I checked earlier this week and it had the Munster Final as the deferred match . Good to see its been changed .
Huge challenge for Portlaoise but one I think they can overcome . The Renaissance of Rogers has been a big factor this year . Portlaoise by 2 .

That should be a concern, the one man is never wish to depend upon is Rogers

Don u comment for the sake of commenting. Anyone who thinks Rogers hasnt delivered for Portlaoise over the years hasnt watched much football or else they dont know what they are looking at.