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At juvenile at certain ages and as a gales team for adult too, i know that spink and ratheniska were together at u16 and u21 last year, so considering that spink/ballinakill is essentially the same arrangement as ballyroan abbey/abbeyleix its not a major shock

I spoke to someone well connected in Ballinakill last night and there has been no approach to Ratheniska with regards to a Gaels team.

Ballinakill are looking at Ratheniska at adult level?

Maybe its juvenile level they are considering an approach.

Change of manager for the County Senior Hurling Champions in 2017

Hogan gone back to Tipp

Fair play Target man for pulling me up on that.

Ill amend my previous post

I had a quick look over the Leinster Schools Competitions and the participation of the Portlaoise schools across Juvenile,Junior and Senior Competitions and the  Divisions that they are in.

Portlaoise CBS

Sth Leinster Juvenile Football B
Sth Leinster Junior Football B
Senior Football B

North Leinster Juvenile Hurling C
North Leinster Junior Hurling C
North Leinster Senior Hurling C


Portlaoise College

Sth Leinster Juvenile Football E
Sth Leinster Junior Football F



I then did a comparison with Knockbeg

Sth Leinster Juvenile Football A
Sth Leinster Junior Football A
Sth Leinster Juvenile Hurling C
Sth Leinster Junior Hurling C
Senior Football A
Senior Hurling C

Teams across all age grades and codes

Mountrath and Heywood also have 5 teams entered across the 6 competitions

Bit unfair to blame the boys  RS when as behind the fence mentioned the school management don't have any interest in sport.

I'm sure given the numbers involved,you could put out a decent outfit in time.

The college  seems to be a complete black hole as regards the gaa also.

Very informative post there behind the fence well done.

A lot of nails hit on the head.

Schools should be enhancing and driving on the work being done in the clubs,in a lot of schools the opposite is happening.


Here's the opposite to what we have

https://www.google.as/amp/s/www.sportsjoe.ie/amp/gaa/has-training-got-out-of-hand-at-secondary-school-level-in-gaa/71889?client=safari

[every week]

St Fergal's catchment area has contacted greatly in recent years. They set a serious standard for a good number of years and so many Laois hurlers came through there.

Over the last couple of years, students from Durrow are tending to go to Heywood, those from Cullohill are going to Johnstown; Clough, Borris and Killadooley kids to Mountrath or Roscrea. There's always the few who go to St Kierans too.

I'd also question the type of support we offer schools. I'd really question the return on sending GDAs into schools to do TY coaching courses and referees courses and that type of thing.
Will this help improve the quality of hurler emerging from our secondary schools? In my opinion, no.

I agree. I think our GDAs should be hitting certain primary schools every week where possible; and coaching kids at the youngest age possible. Most primary schools have some parental/club engagement when it gets up to games in 4th-6th class but we need to start catching potential hurlers/footballers at the youngest age.

How about we aim for once a year for starters?.

I have a lad in 3rd class in school in Portlaoise Parish and he's never had a GDA in either Football or Hurling in to do any coaching with his class.

You dont say

still no harm in drawing the parallels

Last Laois winners of the Leinster Schools Senior A Hurling Competition was Patrician College Ballyfin back in 1963,no Laois school has made a final since then.

Yes and there's the obvious solution,Don

Hire in someone similar to PC who's passionate,knowledgeable and has the skills to back it up,maybe Bugler wasn't the man but he had at least 2/3 of the 3.

It wouldnt do the powers that be any harm to tip down to Kilkenny and chat to the likes of Adrian Finan (u21 All Ireland Winning manager) and principal of St.Kierans to see what best practice looks like.

Don the story relating to Bugler was only a very small example of the lack of interest in GAA in that particular school,but you turned it in the main event,well done on missing the wood from the trees.

Bottom line there's seems to a massive underperformance in the 2nd level schools in Portlaoise Parish given the numbers available to them and this needs to be addressed.

As regards the comment about Bugler and Football,I'm surprised Don that you weren't aware that he has 2 County Senior Football medals.

That approach must be working with the CBS now at the minute Don.I see even in the Leinster schools football,the CBS is in Juvenile division D.

Current Division D Cup holders that well known schools football powerhouse .....St.Kierans  Kilkenny

Calling an all ireland medal a shiny trinket says it all

Yeah god forbid they might  recognize an All Ireland winning hurler all right there Don.

Why would chaps need any bit of insight from a winner as to what standards they have to achieve when we are doing so well on our own.

The Birr lads didn't have the same insular approach when Bro.Dennis came up from Cork.

Agreed Keyser, all it takes is one man (or woman) to drive it on,Bro.Dennis in Birr being a prime example of what a visionary can do for a school and county.

When you look at the pick the CBS have,they are punching way below their level in both codes.

A coulple of strong schools are vital to the underage scene.

Brendan Bugler went for a job in the CBS when he was commuting from Feakle to Callan CBS,None of those interviewing him realized what his achievements outside of teaching were he was passed over for the position and he's now in Flannans.