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Fair play Keyser. Didn't see that Clough/Ballacolla result coming after the first round of games. Puts them back in the picture. Doubt Borris-Kilcotton will be overly concerned and they'll make a semi-final at the very least.

Was at the three matches on Saturday and the quality was pretty poor. Ballinakill were better than I expected and Portlaoise a little poorer. They got their scores a little easier and they were physically dominant for long periods. Portlaoise are facing a relegation Play-off and I'd be very worried they'll be going in off the back of a serious thumping from Rathdowney/Errill.

Camross had enough to see off a spirited Abbeyleix team. Abbeyleix look to be trying to do the right things but some of their shooting was woeful. I've said it before, they just don't carry any kind of goal threat. Their full-forward line can't win their own ball and it means they're forced into shooting from outside their comfort zones.
Camross will be satisfied that they've won and realistically in a quarter-final at worst. Andrew Collier back in the forwards looks a good move and their full-back line was excellent. Changes like that can make a huge difference and I think Andrew will bring great athleticism to the forward line. It might free up some of the attention that had been reserved for Ciaran.

Rathdowney/Errill were impressive enough in dismissing Castletown. They didn't need to be at their best but they just look so strong all over the field. Madden in the goals will only get better and he has a rock solid defence in front of him. John Purcell looks at home at corner back and how couldn't he when there's an intercounty-level half-back line in front of him!
Up front, they have scores coming from everywhere. Tadhg Dowling looks as fit as I've ever seen him and James Ryan, John Keane and Paddy McCane supplement the power and precision of Roddy King, Mark Kav and Paddy Purcell.
Going to take a hell of a team to stop them.

I don't think it's fair to say the Gaels were a hindrance to Colt. To be honest, I think it knocked the stuffing out of them a little and they just weren't at the races for the early rounds of the league. Once they were out of the running for a semi-final berth, attention quickly turned towards championship so always felt that they were slightly better than their league placing suggested.

Poor against Mountrath but excellent on Friday night. A good spread of scorers and James Keyes was just unmarkable at times. Clonaslee had plenty of the ball but they struggled to convert from open play. A couple of Clonaslee supporters were saying the interest in hurling has waned and the focus is very much on the intermediate football.

I'd give Colt every chance against Ballyfin.
Rosenallis and The Harps look a step up on the rest, however.

Ballyfin and Mountrath should be a decent game tonight.
I saw Mountrath the last day and I think they have something about them this year. Ballyfin are a bit more potent in attack but I think Mountrath will physically match them.
I'm going to go against the grain here and side with Mountrath to edge this by 2.

I'll be at Colt and Clonaslee and I think there is room for improvement for both from the last day. I think Colt will have targeted this game massively as they won't want to be playing Ballyfin with a relegation decider looming.
I'm going to give Colt the nod by a single point.

I can only see Rosenallis accounting for Shanahoe with a minimum of fuss. They've a better spread of hurlers and should post a score that I can't see Shanahoe getting near.
Rosenallis by 8.

And finally I'd be really worried about Slieve Bloom. This could be unpleasant as I think The Harps will want to lay down a marker after an efficient if uninspiring win over Rosenallis.
Bruce to be happy with a 12+ point win.

Fancy Borris/Kilcotton tonight. I actually think it'll be their defence that wins it as I think CB will be determined to keep out goals. The BK forward line is rapid and I just can't see CB living with them without a high free count and dropping bodies back. With all eyes on Aaron Dunphy, I could see PJ Scully posting a huge score from play and placed balls.
At the other end, Picky Maher and Willie Dunphy would need massive performances and I dont see the likes of Matthew, Butch or Stephen Finan allowing that.
BK by 8 but after a battle.

I'm going to go against the grain and back Portlaoise to beat Ballinakill. I think Ballinakill are in big trouble. A poor league and they were completely blown out of the water the last day. They've regressed and I think if Portlaoise can limit Cha to 4/5 points then they might have the firepower to come out with the win.
Portlaoise by 2 in a low-scorer.

Camross should beat Abbeyleix. Abbeyleix might feel they had their chance against CB but I have a niggely feeling it might not be as one-sided as some think. Camross without Keenan are vulnerable. Abbeyleix kept out goals against CB and if they can replicate that feat, they might just have a chance.
I'll go with Camross by 5 but I think it'll be close enough for a long time.

Rathdowney/Errill and Castletown might tell us a little lore about this group. RE dismantled B/kill the last day and I can't see it being as comfortable this weekend. I think they'll win but Castletown could well cause them troubles and if memory serves, they did beat them in the league. RE are, of course, a different animal with their county contingent back and I do see them as the team to beat this year.
RE by 6.

I think it's only an issue at underage level.

I presume it's fair to see Rob Tyrrell as a good example.

He came through as a fine footballer from a club where the focus is conservatively 75% hurling. As things stand now, if he was called into a Laois panel then he would be getting County training from say November-June. He'd go back and kick a bit of junior, hurl a few games and then have a couple of months to do some recovery and S&C before going back in with Laois.
Is that really an issue??

I accept, however, that there are players aged 13 right now who are potential senior footballers in 8 years. They could easily fall through the cracks.
The challenge for them is that they may be playing 'B' grade on their own or with some ramshackle amalgamation. He's likely training twice a week with 11 year olds making up the numbers and he never needs to learn the fundamental skills that are a prerequisite at the highest level. Compared that with the same footballer in Portlaoise or St Paul's and that's the issue. And I use St Paul's deliberately. Excuse me if I'm wrong on this but it seems a really good relationship. It's not an Emo or Courtwood Gaels team, the clubs involved know what they're getting out of it and they actively put work into it. The players are benefitting from the structure and the exposure to good training and 'A' competition.
In years to come, there may be a conversation about the arrangement extending to adult level but again, that's a really separate one.

The first solution to this needs to come primarily from the clubs. Look at their primary school(s), can they get 10 boys in first class still playing in 1st Year. If they do this consistently across a decade and have quality coaching, a bit of luck and things go for them, they'll improve. If they can't get those numbers through, they need to think of a way around it.

The other solution needs to come from the County. Development Panels need to look beyond the Athletic and dominant 'Big Lads' and cast a net that includes player who may be late bloomers. The balance is key.

I'm not saying for a second that this will cure the ills within our Senior Football or Hurling Championships. They're separate issues as far as I'm concerned. I do think 16 senior football clubs is too many...I actually think 8 hurling is too few. But I am adamant that Divisional Teams entering the senior championships are not the panacea that some claim.

Interesting debate here. I would be all for introducing-divisional-teams-into-the-club-championships....

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/08/12/talking-point-should-laois-gaa-look-at-introducing-divisional-teams-into-the-club-championships/

I've yet to see a valid reason for Divisional Teams.
I think they give an easy out to clubs.

Look at what Courtwood have done. Yes, they play as an amalgamated team at juvenile but they have produced players consistently capable of playing at 'A' grade and now look at home at senior level. Yes, it'll be tough making that next step up to being real bona fide contenders but that'll be a better story than a ragtag amalgamation of clubs and players looking for a quick fix.

It happened with Castletown in the 90s. Clough/Ballacolla to a lesser extent in the 00s. Clubs that went from junior/intermediate to senior after huge work at underage level. Both were consistent at underage level for a decade and eventually these lads filtered through.

The issue with competitiveness isn't a lack of Divisional Teams. It's clubs not making a mature and reasoned decision. Either they find a way to bring through a greater number of players capable of playing at underage 'A' level or they seek to create parish amalgamations like Rathdowney and Errill or Borris and Kilcotton. Both made difficult but brave decisions that have certainly benefited the players in both clubs.

The main support for the idea I've seen on social media extends to doing this to 'Stop Portlaoise' or 'Sure what's the harm in trying it?'.

To be fair, that 2017 final is a bit of an outlier as their form in 16 and 18 was very poor. I think they're still contenders but it's fair to see they need an awful lot to go right for them. They did make a League Final do they have a certain depth to their panel, its just whether they can get enough out of their established players in O'Moore Park.

I think Castletown have improved and played some nice hurling last Thursday. They have a good spine and a decent spread of scorers. Portlaoise dragged themselves back into the game and for a spell, seemed to have the momentum but they fell just short. Think they'll stay up though.

I also saw RE and Ballinakill on Sunday and it was clinical from RE. The contest was over after 10 minutes and I really would be worried about Ballinakill. They'll have one more kick in them and could certainly make a quarter-final still but they're on a downward trajectory and with their underage setup now formally aligned with Abbeyleix, it seems fair to suggest that amalgamation isn't completely dead just yet.

I wasn't at the games on Saturday. Camross minus Keenan and Dowling were always likely to feel the pressure and from what I've heard, BK spurned then chances to have made it more comfortable in the first half. Looking at the programme, they have some serious firepower. Themselves and RE look to have very settled line-ups and its hard to see any weaknesses therein.

Abbeyleix and CB went almost to script it seemed. We probably knew Abbeyleix would target this game and it took CB a while to get on top. When they did, they had the individual hurlers to close it.

One further observation, a couple of years ago I was sure the 8-team championships were hurting some of the lower-ranked Senior A sides. Having seen both senior A and senior games over the last week, I think the gap has closed between the weaker senior teams and the senior A...the problem is, I think this is due to declining standards at senior rather than any massive improvements below.

Just something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Good win for Mountrath over Colt last night.
Colt had the better forwards I felt but probably lost the battle in the middle of the field. It was a decent game, quite physical but with both teams trying to play pretty open hurling.

I wouldn't be surprised if Mountrath were to turn over Ballyfin and top the group. I think Colt will have more than enough to stay up.

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/08/02/this-years-preview-of-the-senior-a-hurling-championship/

Might be of interest Mossy Bruce.
I think the writer greatly inflates the chances of one team in particular but it'll give you an idea of the strengths of each.

Fancy Castletown to account for Portlaoise tonight.
I think they'll have a bit more about them in the middle third of the pitch.

Prediction: Castletown 1.18 - 0.16 Portlaoise

Laois A won by a point.
Laois B soundly beaten.

Unsure if it was Cork A/B or they had 2 even/regional teams. I've heard 2 conflicting reports from people at the game.

Rathdowney/Errill mightn't lose too many players to their seniors.
I do think it's down to the four second teams unfortunately.
It's hard on the first teams that the senior championship was deferred. They should have kicked up an almighty fuss.

Portlaoise lost to Clough/Ballacolla's second team tonight.
It means that CB will contest the 1A Final against Rathdowney/Errill and there will be no relegation playoff between Rosenallis and The Harps.

Group A

I was actually at Mountrath and Colt a few weeks away. From a Colt perspective, they were short a few players and didn't have much to play for. They lost by 7/8 but were quite content. Losing the Clonad lads was a blow to them and I'm not sure the belief is there to be real contenders.
I was quite impressed with Mountrath that evening to be fair. They hurled well without it ever reflecting on the scoreboard. They're a physically-imposing team and I do think they could trouble a couple of teams.

Ballyfin, like Colt, will have been disappointed with the breakup of their Gaels amalgamation with Moutmellick. They had a mixed league and having Eanna Lyons back is massive.
They'll get out of the group but I don't see them as likely champions.

Clonaslee look a team in a bit of trouble. A brutal league and an ageing team leaves them looking vulnerable. They'll probably have enough about them to stay up but it's hard to see much more from them.

Group B

Slieve Bloom had a great year in 2018 and their goal must be to stay up this year. The apparent loss of Ben Conroy is a devastating blow and a loss to Shanahoe will leave them staring at a relegation final. They have a couple of good young hurlers coming though but the panel lacks depth and I think they're in for a tough group stage.

Shanahoe are the third team who will regret the break-up of their Gaels amalgamation and will be going all out to get a win against Slieve Bloom in the first game. I believe they trained with Ballypickas for much of the spring so they'd have had decent numbers in the field but it's hard see them competing at the semi-final stage.

The two favourites round off Group B.
Rosenallis are a progressive club and that's reflected in the way they hurl. They're young, athletic and will really fancy thir chances against The Harps. They've progressed steadily over the last couple of years after a mini-blip 3/4 years ago. Wouldn't be surprised to see them edge The Harps in game 1 but I've a feeling they'll ultimately fall short.

And fall short to The Harps. They simply must be the team to beat this year. There can be no excuses. They've the best team and panel and I'm still of the belief that Fintan Deegan is a very good coach. They'll build their team around Podge Delaney and he's the best player at this grade ahead of Lennon and Lyons. They'll have options up front in John Brophy, Ciaran Comerford and Michael Lanigan. The fear is always that they have a soft underbelly but that can't be a factor this year. Anything less than a Championship win would be a huge blow for a club that look to have a really vibrant underage system in place again.

Prediction:
The Harps to edge Rosenallis in the final.
Mountrath and Ballyfin beaten semi-finalists.
Clonaslee to relegate Slieve Bloom.

I won't quote the entire message but I think that's a fair appraisal Keyser.
Camross are worthy champions and it'd take a foolish man to back against them completing the treble.
I do think Zane Keenan is a huge loss and although they had 6 lads with the County, I don't think they will reinforce their panel to the same extent as Rathdowney/Errill.
RE look very strong to me. Jack Kelly and Mark Kavanagh are legitimate shouts to get All-Star nominations, Paddy Purcell will be bouncing into O' Moore Park come Championship and Eric Killeen looks to be hitting top form at the right time. Their 5th county panelist is Ross King who will be gunning to make up for last year's disappointment.
Add to that mix the likes of Paddy McCane, Tadhg Dowling, Joe Fitzpatrick, James Ryan, Brian Campion and Jimmy Corrigan and it all looks like it should come together for them.
Some question marks persist around their keeper but they have the softer side of the draw and you'd imagine they have three games to iron out most of their creases.

I'm inclined to put Borris/Kilcotton and Clough/Ballacolla a little behind RE and Camross.
BK look too have a few too many chiefs and not enough Indians. The potential is unquestionably there but their league form stuttered towards the end and questions remain. Aaron Dunphy could, however, light up this championship and the wide open spaces of OMP should really suit them.
The same can't be said about CB. They looked leggy in the second half of the League Final and will need their county players to reintegrate very quickly before the big games against BK and Camross. I do think they'll account for Abbeyleix but after that, I just don't know.

They are definitely the top 4 as things stand.

Ballinakill's league form appears desperate and as always, so much depends on Cha. With Eamon Jackman and Seamus Dwyer involved with Kilkenny club teams, the burden might be too great for him to shoulder.

Portlaoise were only marginally better in the league but should account for two second teams to earn their way back into Div 1 for next year. They'll be happy with their draw and with the momentum of 2018 behind them, I think they'll possibly make a quarter-final.

Castletown will be boosted by a resurgent and rejuvenated Ryan Mullaney who has realised his real potential this year. They don't have the firepower to win a championship but have shown they can upset one of the big boys. I think they'll be safe.

Abbeyleix are hard to gauge. A young team with a shallow panel. Their league was poor but if they're short a couple, it weakens them more than others. They've gotten a tough draw and it's hard to see anything but a relegation final. If they are competitive then the higher standard might stand to them but if they ship a couple of heavy losses, as I think they will to BK especially, then their appetite for battle might not be what's needed.

Prediction:
RE to beat Camross
BK and CB semi-finalists
Ballinakill to beat Abbeyleix in the relegation final.
Hurler of the Year: Paddy Purcell
Top Scorer from Play: Aaron Dunphy
Young Hurler: Andrew Mortimor