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Have Clough/Ballacolla any chance against ballyhale in Nowlan Park this weekend? I see Adrain Mullen is suspended after fallout from row at end of K/Killoughey game the last day. Heard he was injured anyway after breaking his finger form the dirty blow he got that started row.

No chance, I actually think this CB is a weaker side than the one that faced BH a few years back. It looks like Picky won't be able to play much of a role either, and its against teams like BH where you need all your top class guys available, and firing.

I'm just hoping they can keep it respectable, and I think anything under a 10 pont loss will be a good result.

Ballacolla are the benchmark in Laois and you have to hand it to them but not sure about them being a serious outfit. How would they mix it in other counties?

I suppose we'll find out in a few weeks.

However, I can't see them getting on a good run without a flying Picky. He was their commander in chief on that Leinster run from a few years back, and although they got through in Laois without him, different story trying to take on the best of the rest in a Leinster comp.

Ballacolla are a serious outfit and have raised the bar again. Nobody can begrudge any of their achievements or how they've gone about their business.
Their used to be a top 4 in Laois hurling where it was anyone's game between those four. That's now gone, to win you have to beat Ballacolla and that's it.

I thought the referee did a good job. A litle whistle happy in the early part of the 2nd half but it was a tough, honest game and he had a part to play in that. With regard to his demeanor, it's not easy stand in the middle of a pitch and take abuse for 60 minutes without giving a bit back. Look at the top referees in any sport, that's the way you kind of have to be.

With regard to Willie's post match remarks, Ballacolla have a minimum of 80 registered hurlers, none of whom are involved in any other sport. They probably have to turn lads away from training. When they are recovering, getting challenge games and making more progress Rosenallis, portlaoie, Ballinakill and Abbeyleix all have a substantial cohort of their players gone to play football and they essentially lose that week. And you can add Ballyfin to that next year also.

Ballacolla have a tough draw in Leinster but I'd love to see them get another cut at Ballyhale.

I dont think Ballacolla are as good as they were a few years ago, but you're right, they are definitely the team to beat.

I was told after the game that they have won 3 of the last 4 county finals by a combined margain of 23 points! They just rarely fail to show up on the big day. I think you have to take them down before it.

Maybe Hyland is right what he's saying.

Next Laois manager if we have any sense

The Laois hurling board would never a million years give someone like Hyland the role. Because they know he'll publically call them out for the shambles that they are, only this time it would be on the national stage.

I said last week that if Clough Ballacolla stayed in it at half time, they could pull it off....well they did that and much more, in truth the 6 point margain was too kind to Camross. I couldnt think of 1 area of the pitch they came even close to coming out on top.

Camross looked the much more physical side all over the picth, they have some huge players throughout thier ranks. Yet CB dominated the sky's, the breaking ball around it, and they blew them away in the physical stakes in the tackles. CB were ferocius where Camross were like a bunch of timid sheep. It was the most un Camross like performance that I can remember witnessing in a big game.

Fair play to Clough Ballacolla though, they don't come anywhere near to dominating the underage stakes, but yet they seem to constantly bring lads through, and before we know it they're intigrated into an county final winning side and the experience and confidence that brings with it. If Picky comes back anywhere near the player he is for them next year, it will take something special to stop them.

Camross love putting county finals to bed early, and I think they'll go for the juggler here early again. With no Picky and rumours about Lee Cleere fitness, Camross will smell blood.

CB will have to hold out an early onslaught IMO. If they do that and keep themselves in it at half time, they have the experience of getting themselves through and may do it. However, it's still hard to see past Camross winning this with a few points to spare.

Does Darren Maher have to go for the final?
I think he will be targeted. Eddie Dwyer yesterday is a very different prospect to Keyes/Dowling/Ciaran Collier/Darren Drennan

It will take a major change in Ballacolla's performance level to win this one.

I don't know if those named above leave Castletown much worse off than most clubs. Most clubs are short 5 or 6 with travel and injury.

I dont think CB have a choice in the matter, I had a pint with a few of their ex senior men yesterday evening after it and I think injuries are hitting them hard at the minute. Both Lee Cleer and Brian Corby went into the game at 50% and neither made it past half time.

Camoross, as Camroos often do, looked to have timed themselves perfectly this year. I thought the half time score flattered RE yesterday. I was actually shocked at how poor they were. Camross looked in complete control the whole game, they have great physicality throughout the team. It would take an next level perfromance from this CB team to stop them.

I think Camross will win this final pulling up TBH. It was my first time watching CB play this year, and I have to say, they're a pale shadow of the team that won the 3 in a row and went on that great run in Leinster.

What struck me most about them was how small they are in most areas. They never replaced the physicality of Hyland, Michael McEvoy, Tom Delaney or Borderick.

Camross look extremely well conditioned and strong on every line of the field. RE had no answers for them yesterday and I think it will be the same for CB in the final.

I actually think its good to hear whats actually happening at that level, county board, academy squads, schools etc, otherwise were on here speculating and guessing, whos involved, whats happening etc,

I cant understand how the likes of Laois Today and the Leinster Express stay going without covering more sport in detail around the county, juvenile games, junior, inter, senior league games, championships, county squads, behind the scenes county board and coaching

When we were all growing up we could'nt wait til Wednesday to see did our name make it in the Leinster!!

I couldn't agree more. Living abroad you could be forgiving for thinking that we don't have any under age structures or teams at all! I never hear about, nor see the scores in an underage match. And the Laois GAA website is a mess.

Is there a reason why these games and squads ain't reported on? Ill be definitely giving the podcast a listen when I have a moment.

My father in law is a Galway man in exile, as he likes to call himself over here. He still gets his tribute every week, and the GAA coverage for all age groups and teams within it is top class.

Has the Tony Forristal taken place yet? If so, how did we get on?

Something not right in The Harps.
What is wrong with Castletown? Brutal

This has been mentioned before. A lot of the Harps success over the last 5-6 years at underage is built on numbers as opposed to having a couple of serious outstanding hurlers who are head and shoulders above the rest of the team and carrying the team to success. What this means is that a lot of the younger players that are filtering through to senior are no real if any improvement on the senior players already there. Their second and third sides might benefit more from the juvenile success than their senior team.

Castletown are like a dying wasp. If they end up in a relegation payoff expect them to come with one big performance to preserve their senior status.

 

Exactly, there's no Picky, Lee Cleere, Cha, Roddy or a Paddy Purcell type on those Harps teams. None of those mentioned have barley 1 minor medal between them, but they were destined to carry their clubs to the next level when they got to senior. To be successful at senior, you need to produce 1 or 2 guys like that every few years.

Does anyone have any idea how our academy teams are going this year? I saw u15 hurlers won something. Laois gaels post plenty of pics etc. on social media about teams but does anyone know how they are really moving. Are they competitive with the bigger counties or are we being well beaten amd we are only seeing these posts when we win a game against inferior opposition?? I would love to see all fixtures/results all the time, would give us a great indication of where we are and maybe encourage us all to go and watch a few games if  a team were indeed showing promise!

I have noticed this, and not just with Laois. Is there a reason why its so hard to find, look up underage intercounty fixtures, result, etc? You'd swear absolutely nobody (except those directly involved) would ever have any interest in trying to attend some of these games.

I was in Croker yesterday. I wasn't expecting that result, but I was confident Dublin would give a better account than what the general public was predicting before it.

I hadn't watched Dublin live in the flesh the last few years, but what really stood out too me was the shear size of them. They're an absolutely massive side, easily matched Limerick in the physical stakes.

Unfortunately that's where hurling is going to be won and lost now. More than ever physicality is the main edge.

100% agree, if Kildare can come from essentially no where to produce a hurling side to compete in the Leinster championship then we have no excuse.

The funny thing is, our lads are regularly beating Kildare at under age still, some big beatings in there too. But it's been noticeable the last few years, that we're struggling badly to transition our rare under age talent to the seniors.

Whereas Kildare are carefully, and successfully bringing their talent through. There's something fundamentally wrong in how we operate at underage in this county. This years u20's another prime example of a good crop of young lads that were not developed properly through to adult levels and beyond.

[The last time Tipp played the Joe McD losing finalists was against Offaly in 2023 and they put 7-38 past them]

It is also a bit of a shambles that the Joe McD finalists have to play the following week, Laois are still the only side who won their match after winning the trophy, as I said in a previous posts I dont think the losers should get into the prelim, 4th in Leinster v 4th in Muster playoff for that spot makes more sense.

Our lads will be on the ground after last weeks defeat and having to face a very strong Tipp side 6 days later is a farce. The last time Tipp played the Joe McD losing finalists was against Offaly in 2023 and they put 7-38 past them  . I hope I am wrong but feel they will do similar on Saturday based on what I have seen thus far.

I expect a very similar score line. As has been mentioned, our biggest issue, and it has been like this for the past 2 if not 3 years, is our game plan.

If anyone was at, or watched the game against Carlow, its flaws stood out massively. We held most the ball for the first 20 minutes or so, but, yet Carlow looked the most threatening. We're so easy hurl against at this level, just wait for us to take possession from the short puck out, then press up on us and force errors. Sure ,sometimes we'll work through the press, but more often than not, we'll get turned over! And then when that happens, we're screwed, because our defensive line is completely out of shape on the back of a turnover. 

The 2nd half against Kildare was as predictable as it comes. There was just no way the Laois defenders were going to be able to keep taking the game to Kildare puck out after puck out, Kildare were much bigger and faster than us, so as the game wore on, their forwards were only going to become more and more dominant.

All this is not Tommy's fault to be fair. A lot of our flaws are not all technique, but physicality and size (or lack of) is also killing us. Time after time, we see Laois me take on 1in5 pot shots, because they simply can't break through a tackle and work themselves into a better position.
When I look at Laois the last few years, I don't see technically bad hurlers. On the contrary, some of our most skilful players have come in the last decade or so. Paddy Pucill, Cha, Picky, Mark Kavanagh, Podge, Rowland, Corby, to name but a few, but the physical element of the game is seriously lacking.

If you look at the best of what KK, Tipp, Limerick, Cork etc have. They're not teams full of the best stick men to ever play the game (current Limerick team has some exceptions TBF). But when they fumble, or make that mistake, or get turned over. They're physically able to get the bodies over and reclaim possession. They can also create space from all over with powerful, driving runs.

This is where Laois is lacking, I fully believe that if could get proper strength and condition going, from the very earliest age. And properly developed and monitored, and we target physical development, as much as hurling (and football) development. We wouldn't be miles off competing in years to come.