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You might get unlucky once but that is twice this year Kildare have beaten us comfortably with 10 points to spare in both games. I know myself and others here called out The infidel in exile for his posts about our management team but after watching Laois in the Joe McDonagh you would have to say he was spot on, it has not been good enough at all.

I get we may not have the best hurlers in the world but we seem to be very poorly coached, the amount of mistakes we make you would wonder what sort of training is been done at all. The lack of a plan B also when things are not working all indicates a poorly prepared side. Simply not good enough. Tipp will put a cricket score on us by half time going on that.

After a disastrous season in both codes the county board also need to take a look at themselves, Laois GAA is in a bad place that is for sure but with some good underage hurlers coming through we need a plan to ensure we get the best out the pool of talent we have.

Fair play to Kildare, they have shown what can be done. Christy Ring winners to Joe McDonagh winners is a serious achievement. Who would have thought that after the Kerry defeat. Its a big step up to take on the Dubs but they certainly wont be find wanting and will learn loads to help their step up to Leinster next year.

Might as well end the post on a bright note, although it was an awful weekend for Laois GAA one player can  hold their head up high after producing one of the greatest saves I have ever seen at Croke Park. Incredible double save from Cathal Dunne.

Would agree 100% with this. The team did not seem well prepared and there was no reaction from the sideline at all when things were clearly going wrong. I can't get my head around the idea of giving the ball to a corner back  who runs 20 yards into trouble and puts the entire team under pressure. Mad stuff. Some of the changes, when they did finally happen, were very odd. It's a shame because I think they're better than that.

Seems to be a bit of an overreaction to a defeat in the middle of what is presumably a stiff pre-season training programme. From my point of view, it means absolutely nothing at all. On the contrary, I'd be happy to see some of the older lads carrying on and the likes of Cha rejoining the group.

The issue is not that Joe Mac finalists are getting to play in the "real championship". The issue is that they are being asked to do it 6/7 days after the final itself. If that continues, it's not hard to see what the trend is going to be.

I do agree, though, that the gap is narrowing. I feel that if Laois has played Wexford in the Joe Mac final, it would have been a very close game.

...hurling "experts" from Munster counties who think we have no business being here and would much prefer if Galway and Waterford were playing Cork and Wexford today. Don't forget that last year they attempted to remove the link between the Joe McDonagh finalists and the All Ireland series...

Bastards

Since it came in with the round robin in 2018

There has been 13 of these preliminary quarter finals

The Joe MacDonagh team has won just 1

The winning margin before yesterday was an average of 22 points

I'm all for the promotion of hurling but Joe Mac teams playing 3rd in Leinster or Munster 6/7 days after the final is a complete mismatch and waste of time

The Joe MacDonagh should be a standalone competition with more media coverage,2 semi finals and spread out so that the final is the curtain raiser to the All Ireland Final

Fully agree.

Don't disagree that it's not what you'd want from senior players but there were plenty of opportunities to give Lee Cleere a game. I agree Willie Dunphy hasn't as much cause for complaint although he is more proven in big games than some others. Anyway, you're right - there's not much point in talking about it now.

In fairness, I think both could've had a bit more game time. Lee Cleere in particular didn't seem to get much of a chance although he's a reliable back

Well said.

Just my opinion. The appointment surprised me when I first heard about it. It seems it took a few by surprise

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/10/27/news/justin_mcnulty_s_antics_leave_sdlp_assembly_team_deeply_frustrated_says_party_source-3734345/

Fair enough. But that article would give some credibility to the idea that Justin was not terribly happy with the SDLP in the first place. Neil Blaney's comments about Justin being "forced out" might suggest that the relationship there wasn't good before the Laois job ever came along. I don't know any of these details but I'm quite sure he's able to weigh his options up fairly sensibly.

I have to say, you're not giving the man much credit for being able to make good decisions about his own affairs, about which he presumably knows more about than you do!

Yes but the Russians eventually won that battle.

https://x.com/laoisgaels/status/1695799683371671760?s=46&t=grubKL1RsOWb2cojdN51-Q

It shouldn't be too much for the Laois GAA website to publish these results as a matter of course.

Maybe I'm getting my wires crossed but didn't someone on here say not long ago that we have a very talented bunch of u-15s this year?

   Arrabawn B QF   

   Galway 1 v Laois   
   Galway 2 v Dublin 2   
   Dublin 1 v Tipperary 2   O'Toole Park Crumlin
   Kilkenny 2 v Offaly 1   
      
  i dont think you understand what is need in Laois Hurling . keyboard warriors are not the answer . putting half truths out to there thinking this is a answer is dreaming .sorry in my late reply i am just back from coaching two hurling sessions to juveniles. i was involved with this current team but had to leave due to time commitments . the player you speak of was never even in the top 5 while i was there just like other members of his family he decided Laois was not what he wanted . he wasn't begged back as why should he be ?? the management moved on and built a stronger team . he certainty wasn't a team player .

my interest in the future of Laois Hurling. just seen this some time ago and it drives me mad when people put half untruths up to suit there agenda ??  this team(the first team) yes have lost to limerick and dublin in challenge game but gone on to beat limerick in limerick and galway in galway,destory antrim in antrim although i am not involved i still keep a keen eye on this squad . there second team are not bad hurlers but find it hard to string win together , you should really contact Shane keegan because i know this management panel are always looking for help to drive thing on

Was listening to Eamonn O Shea the other night about trying to create the idea that the county team should be elite at all levels and the players should feel it. While I applaud people like yourself for the time you are putting in, the post above doesn't seem like an elite way of managing young players (and I'm saying this without knowing any of the details or the people involved).

So if everything this Board do is shrouded in secrecy (the result of which only benefits themselves) why would potentially interested candidates buy into that? Why would anyone devote their precious time to an Administration that don't want us to know anything? Are we meant to trust them? I don't. Are we meant to trust the process that keeps them there? I don't. And are we supposed to accept that these people are the best people to drive Laois GAA forward? I don't. 

The very fact that they close ranks and don't stand down is odd to me. It makes me suspicious, and I'm afraid to say their media ban does nothing to dampen that suspicion. They will eventually make a concession to try and muster support and open the gate a little, but it's gone too far for me. We deserve the opportunity to try something different and make things better for Laois GAA. Things really couldn't be any worse than they are just now. As always, nothing personal, however the County is bigger than those who administrate it

I have to agree with all this. A basic pre-condition for generating a broad-based support is to have real transparency in the debates and decision-making. It really is very counterproductive if basic information is being obscured.