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What is missing from the likes of antrim, laois, westmeath, perhaps even dublin to get upto the level with the likes of kilkenny and limerick?

Genuine question.

Is it schools? Is it coaching? Is it parents not buying in? Soccer?

Id love to go and hear the different demographics, watch the training sessions at younger age groups just to see how it differs compared to us.

A mixture of dual sports doesn't help but the tradition of Kilkenny Tipp Cork and so on is a big factor in having the mindset right, for Antrim we have 4 clubs that play hurling at a decent level. We need ten and a few decent intermediate teams to push on to senior...

Schools is B level and county juvenile is at B grade too

I'm not sure or able to put my finger on it but it'll be a mixture of what you have posted..

As for training/coaching kids the right way that's a big factor too. We had fantastic coaches in our club that were doing all the right things with a group of kids a while back, the lads were developing well but the drop off or commitment disappeared.

I think the expectations are lower in these counties, too. When Laois beat Dublin to get to the all-Ireland quarter final a couple of years ago, everyone thought they'd kick on, get lads back - but instead, lads dropped away, as if they reckoned it was as far as they could go. Also - and just talking about Laois here - there's no one around who realistically EXPECTS they can win, say, a Leinster title, because there's no one (or very few, at least) who've seen it done. Offaly, on the other hand, I think do have serious ambitions to be 'back up there', and that's in no small part due to the fact there's plenty around who've seen it done, know what it takes, and fully expect that it CAN be done. And I think they probably will overtake Laois, Antrim, Westmeath pretty soon.

I also think that in the counties mentioned, hurling very much plays second fiddle to football. Sadly.

Agree with all that plus I'll add one if that's ok.

The standard clubs play at will determine how good you are. The small few clubs in Laois, for example, play each other all the time. Rivalries build up and the year becomes all about beating the rivals as opposed to improving.

Visionaries in Naas saw something. They took their teams down to Kilkenny, begged to be put in the A division, learnt a few hard lessons in the beginning but eventually prospered. They are now part and parcel of the Kilkenny club underage scene competing well in its competitions, winning a minor league recently. More importantly, their players see a way of improving. Their current senior team is the harvest of that work.

I couldn't agree more with the last 2 posts. Off the back of their best minor team in 20 years the Offaly county board had the vision to try and develop that group of players standard even more. playing at the very top level gives those players the confidence to go and try and develop at senior inter county level.
Where is that vision in this county. Secondary school hurling is absolutely VITAL in any player/club/county's development.
if you break down the standard of hurling in our secondary schools it makes for horrific reading
(All levels and open to correction)

All Portlaoise schools, C level. Primary concern - Football and soccer
Portarlington, No competitive hurling that aware of. Primary concern - Football and rugby
Mountmellick, No competitive hurling that aware of. Primary concern - football
Clonaslee, C level. Make the best of small numbers available.
Heywood, Poor B level efforts. Primary concern - Football and Basketball
Rathdowney, C Level. Doing a great job with numbers available.
Mountrath, B level. The standard bearers for 2nd level hurling in this county.

The only slight sliver lining is The Harps lads going to Johnstown. Many have Leinster B medals over the last number of years. Playing in the A junior and Senior Championships this year.

There's no easy fix obviously but if the county board were serious about hurling they would employ GDAS and pay them well.
Address the player pathways. Primary/secondary/third level in tandem with the development squads.
A GDA specifically assigned to primary and secondary schools development. One goal being the development of a Laois Schools team in A grade at 14, 16 and 18s for league and championship.

We had a Laois Combined Colleges team at Juvenile age group hurling in A and it was gotten rid of.

I emailed Conor Shannon yesterday and it bounced straight back to say he had finished his role with Laois GAA on January 27th.

So he's gone anyway whatever about the rest of them.

I don't have any insight into why this didn't happen.... But I can't imagine the GAA wouldn't have been reasonable in this matter.
Nothing to be gained from being otherwise.

The LGFA nationally have a reputation for being difficult & unreasonable. I have no idea if that extends to this situation, but I wouldn't be jumping to dump the blame at the feet of Laois GAA.

Agreed. Laois GAA are normally very accommodating in these situations.

Without knowing, I wouldn't be surprised if the LGFA wanted half the gate without contributing anything in they line of costs, stewards etc.

Maybe, and hopefully, it's something simple like the pitch isn't able for two games at this time of year.

People like Pat Critchley, Tadhg Doran, Enda Murphy, Elaine Mahony, Lorcan Mahoney, David O'Brien, Mark Peters, Patrick Mullaney, Gary Moore would all do this role well and that's just from the hurling side. I presume all these have been asked.......... at least I hope they have.

Just looking at some of the PP schools results from last week and Mountrath CS were beaten by 13 points by Naas CBS in B quarter final. Hurling in Naas is powering on.
Heywood unlucky to be beaten by a point after extra time by Castlecomer CS.

Offaly schools hurling in the A quarter final.

Nothing to stop a Laois schools team from playing in the A either

While individual schools could play in the B and C etc

If the will or interest was there

Did we not have combined schools teams in A before? Why were they stopped?

Phelan didn't take the coaching officer I'm told role still vacant

What happened?

Very football-heavy?

Isn't it always?

Where is the match next Sunday?

Good win good crowd great to have games back on. Keyes very good Full backine good. Half back line Paddy done a lot of hurling but his man was wexford man of the match maybe try Mullaney in the forwards as he was very good there with his club. Martin Phelan done well on his first fame. A few lads to come back. All looks positive.

I'd go with Ryan centre back and push Paddy Purcell back up the field

LAOIS

1 – Enda Rowland (Abbeyleix)
2 – Fiachra C-Fennell (Rosenallis)
3 – Donnchadh Hartnett (Rosenallis)
4 – Padraig Dunne (The Harps)
5 – Podge Lawlor (Ballinakill)
6 – Paddy Purcell (Rathdowney-Errill)
7 – Ryan Mullaney (Castletown)
8 – Liam Senior (Clonaslee-St Manman's)
9 – Jack Kelly (Rathdowney-Errill)
10 – Aaron Dunphy (Borris-Kilcotton)
11 – Willie Dunphy (Clough-Ballacolla)
12 – James Keyes (Colt-Shanahoe)
13 – James Duggan (The Harps)
14 – Martin Phelan (Castletown)
15 – Tomas Keyes (Camross)

SUBS

16 – Ben Campion (Rathdowney-Errill)
17 – Ross King (Rathdowney-Errill)
18 – Fionan Mahony (Abbeyleix)
19 – Lawson Obulor (Abbeyleix)
20 – Enda Parlon (Borris-Kilcotton)
21 – Ciaran Byrne (Abbeyleix)
22 – Danny Brennan (Park-Ratheniska-Timahoe)
23 – PJ Scully (Borris-Kilcotton)
24 – Brandon McGinley (Rathdowney-Errill)
25 – Jordan Walshe (Clough-Ballacolla)
26 – Seamus Fitzpatrick (

Christ but there's an awful rawness about some of them lads.
I hope they do well.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/hurling/2022/1220/1343057-all-ireland-winning-coen-calls-time-on-galway-career/

Achieved the full set too.. not many greats have won the heap

What do you think consider to be the full set?

To me, it's Senior, U21/20, Minor, Club and Colleges All Irelands plus a Fitzgibbon Cup.. Only one hurler has all those.

That's a fullset on the playing side but you could add in young all star of the year and an all star award.. That be the icing on the cake.. I take it Canning would have those?

I doubt Joe has a colleges all ireland.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/hurling/2022/1220/1343057-all-ireland-winning-coen-calls-time-on-galway-career/

Achieved the full set too.. not many greats have won the heap

What do you think consider to be the full set?

To me, it's Senior, U21/20, Minor, Club and Colleges All Irelands plus a Fitzgibbon Cup.. Only one hurler has all those.

I saw Rosenallis congratulating lads on making the minor hurling panel on Social Media. Has it been released? Do any of ye have it? Thanks

Would it not be a good idea to have a laois schools hurling team manganed by our laois U20 mangerment team. Like we have Mtrath. Rdowney. Heywood. Plaois Mmellick and port with school hurling teams. I see offaly are doing it and building for the U20 Cship.

It would be a no brainer to enter a laois schools team in the Leinster A senior schools championship,but there's neither the will or appetite or probably manpower to do it

Schools hurling is rapidly becoming a wasteland in the town of Portlaoise which is a worry not just for the club but also the county.

We will look back fondly on this years Minor Team and their journey to a Leinster final,because given the shambolic setup of the development squads at the younger age grades

It will be a while before we see it again.

Offaly have gotten their act together on so many areas in both codes

Do we not have a combined schools team. We definitely had one a few years ago. Why was it stopped?