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[Of course, it's fair enough in a way - it's football men who run these clubs]]

Well, I think Portarlington and Emo would both be happy to let their underage hurling set-ups wither. Yes, they do have underage set-ups, but this is more down to the enthusiasm and hard work of individual parents, rather than a club commitment, and I know, in Portarlington's case, obstacles have been put in the way of progress. Of course, it's fair enough in a way - it's football men who run these clubs] but it will be a pity to see all that effort fade away. Also, I did hear there were efforts to establish a hurling club in the north east of the county, but I think it came to nought. In any case, it would probably have gone the way of Slieve Margy - where, again, I'm sure the football clubs were happy to let it wither, but hurling clubs in the area may have been equally happy for that to happen, so they could hoover up a few players for themselves.

This line suggests that some club members opinions are more important than others. Its not 'fair enough' in any way. These are supposedly GAA clubs where actual club members are wilfully killing one of games of the association through obstruction, inaction or willful neglect. The people who play and promote hurling in these clubs have as much right to promote their chosen sport as any other member. Its the RESPONSIBILITY of the club executive to support these people in every way possible. Anyone who does the opposite is committing an act of treason against their own organisation.

How about using the surplus of €900,000 to put GDA's in place to provide hurling to every child in every primary school in the county instead of listening to the Enoch Burke style chairmen (forcing their preferences on their whole club/community) etc of clubs who resist all attempts to promote the game. How are these dinosaurs allowed into positions of power? Small-minded, fearful, inward looking and continuously placing obstacles in the way of hurling development.

Spare me the 'hurling clubs do the same arguments'. I acknowledge that but it doesn't make it right.

Which clubs would they be ?

Look at the list of GAA clubs and then identify the football only clubs who have enough numbers to play Go Games football but have never attempted to play Go Games hurling. Most of these would resist the idea vehemently.

I would love if even one openminded such club read this post and thought 'why not give it a go next year?'

How about using the surplus of €900,000 to put GDA's in place to provide hurling to every child in every primary school in the county instead of listening to the Enoch Burke style chairmen (forcing their preferences on their whole club/community) etc of clubs who resist all attempts to promote the game. How are these dinosaurs allowed into positions of power? Small-minded, fearful, inward looking and continuously placing obstacles in the way of hurling development.

Spare me the 'hurling clubs do the same arguments'. I acknowledge that but it doesn't make it right.

[The "weaker" counties including ourselves kicked up and wanted more game time against the bigger counties]

I know, it's crazy. No one wants to get relegated, but the alternative isn't much better. If they can't do the divisions of 8 due to time constraints, why not have Div. 1A and 1B according to merit. As it used to be. That way you'd have ourselves, Antrim, Westmeath, Dublin, Wexford, and probably Clare (?) in 1B. Would be more competitive, all round.

We had that a few years ago with the likes of Limerick Clare and Galway in division 2 one year with 2 going up

It was an ultra competitive league In Division 1 and 2 was a battle amongst 3/4 teams to make the top 2 promotion places


The "weaker" counties including ourselves kicked up and wanted more game time against the bigger counties

Which is the League we have now

Sorry but this statement is completely incorrect. The weaker counties did NOT get the league revamped. Even if they wanted to they wouldn't have the clout to do so.

Stronger counties (Cork among them) protested after 1 or 2 counties(Galway and Limerick) won the All Ireland from Div 1b. They claimed playing in 1B was an advantage as it allowed teams to develop their panel without any threat of relegation but playing in 1A teams had to go flat out to avoid relegation.

It was a complete sham of an argument because if 1B was such an advantage why not play your fringe players and get relegated to the more advantageous division?!

A very quick search and this article discusses this very thing.
https://www.the42.ie/hurling-league-format-5703579-Mar2022/

The GAA bought it and we are left with this farce of a league. Westmeath are in a worse position than we are. The GAA have ZERO care about spreading hurling.

ZERO

We must pull ourselves up.

Although change was needed in the football I think the changes to the football cship are more on the level of painting the sitting room and buying a new foot stool rather than the proper restructuring/rebuilding that is actually needed.

What exactly are the advantages? It has been put forward that a team needs to win more matches to avoid relegation. However as far as I can see it just moves the crucial game to the B cship rather than the proper first round. You can still just win one game and avoid relegation as far as I can see. What's the point?

6 or 7 offaly schools together beat one Kkenny school by 2 points.

What an attitude! Kierans normally have the pick of a huge number of KK clubs. Those offaly players have just had the experience of beating a high quality Kk team in their own back yard. No amount of training can top that. I suppose the lads in Laois schools were better served today sitting at home watching Ireland vs Wales?!

I was only bringing it up for the laugh.  I was basing the prediction on Portlaoise being lower than previously with no real signs of a lift coming while no other contender looked likely to develop. Ballyroan Abbey probably the exception.

This of all years is Port's to win. I think they will not only win the senior cship this year but it could signal the dawn of a new super power in Laois football. Port to win this year and maybe even string a few together. Huge underage talent there.

Ye scoffed at the time

Like most things amalgamations must be considered  and judged on a case by case basis. Saying 'amalgamations don't work' or 'amalgamations are the only way' are both equally simplistic and inaccurate.

If an area has the resources (population base, feeder schools) to have a healthy club when run properly then no amalgamation is needed. However if an area is competing at a low level and struggling to field teams even when the effort level is good then it should be considered. Amalgamations like RE and BK have united the rural and urban parts of those areas. Both Errill and Kilcotton have huge history of hurling and great ppl involved but low populations. I think the likes of BK and RE wouldn't be considered big clubs in places like Tipp or Galway.

[but find the torpey sticks in oneills garbage]

Who makes the best hurls in the north?
Ive seen alot of kids using kilkenny stars recently also known as dowlings, also plenty using brian walsh sticks.
Just wondering who is regarded as the best hurl maker in the north? Kids due new ones but find the torpey sticks in oneills garbage and bourkes hurls far too heavy.

Always wondered who would every buy those... They're shaped like a hurl and that's about it.

Walsh does a good hurl, does the odd pop up shop in the north if you follow them on facebook and can ship them up to you.

Quite like the Torpey bamboo ones, but go for the light ones if they're in stock. online also.

Just had a look at those bamboo ones.....jesus they are a serious price!

Wouldn't want to be going through many of them in a season.

They're pretty sturdy and IIRC €80 or there abouts.

Sure you'd be spending €30+ on an ash hurl and I've seen some of those split striking a ball FFS.

Usually the hurl is cracked before the strike. A full force strike is the final blow. Can be repaired for 10 euro. Still half the price of bamboo. If ash hurleys are replaced by bamboo and sliotars made in Pakistan have we not lost some of what makes the game great?

Robbo in fairness I agree with a lot of what you say also. I just think that only certain generations in some clubs are capable of playing senior by themselves. When they are not capable as a unit then they can play as part of an area team. When they strong again they will be promoted and compete at senior again. Yes area teams will raise the bar and make it more difficult for small clubs to be senior but surely that's the point. Every clubs ambition should be to be running at as close to potential as possible. Then if that lands them in senior, intermediate or junior then so be it. If a club (same as a player) is genuinely managing to run close to potential and this is the lens that they view the club through then we would be doing very well. In that situation being intermediate might hold value. At the minute the badge of senior is almost worthless. The currency is destroyed. You suggest clubs might take the handy way out and let stronger lads on to play with area team. If that is the attitude of clubs in this system then their attitude wont be any better in a different system.

I think we both agree that the most important element of raising standards is to have each club well organised and progressive. I would cut the clubs in senior championship also but add area teams. Its easy to say this and it might even be approved at some stage but there needs to be a system put in place for them to survive and thrive. Without a system and building the system it would die within years and never be considered again. Attitudes need to change.

[Nah. We're not Kerry. Small county; no need for area teams.]

The Laois county board need to shift the focus from League to Championship long term for starters. Would I be right in saying that any side playing Division 1 football would have played 10+ (if not more) league games this year?

Surely by removing an unhealthy amount of league games and giving players more championship games, it would be a good starting point for one.

I would echo the above statements regarding the state of the Senior Championship, half of the sides in it are cannon fodder and are only senior teams in name.

I wouldn't necessarily lay much blame at the feet of these clubs because many are small rural villages/parish teams who are merely year on year making up the numbers.

We've all lost count at how times this has been said on here by posters, that mirroring the Kerry Championship is the way to go. Until we follow suit, we will continue to have a poor product (Laois Senior Championship) that impacts the Intermediate Championship, Junior Championship and most importantly the Laois inter county team.

Lets take Paul Kingston and Evan O'Carroll, two expectational players in my opinion. No disrespect to Killeen or Crettyard but could you imagine the level of player for the most part that they're not only playing alongside but training against when the inter county season is over within their club?

Hypothetically speaking, if Killeen joined with Barrowhouse and Kilcruise to play in the Laois Senior Championship with a squad of the best 20-25 players picked. Not only would Paul be getting tested more in training but you would see his true potential a lot more on the field at club level. The same would apply to Evan if Crettyard joined with Killeshin or Ballylinan.

Again, in order to ensure clubs like Killeen, Kilcruise, Barrowhouse never die you would incorporate these clubs as separate entities in an Intermediate or Junior Championship. But allow the amalgamated sides to play in a Senior Championship under the same name they would use at Juvenile level.

Then your traditional big clubs like Portlaoise, Port, Graigue, St Josephs, Stradbally etc who are all strong enough to go solo would play in a separate Senior Championship with no amalgamations allowed. You would of course then have your big hitters playing in another Senior Championship against your amalgamations also.

1) 8 Team Laois Senior Championship (2 Groups of 4 teams) The winner represents Laois in Leinster as no amalgamated sides would be allowed.
2) 12 Team Laois Senior Championship (3 groups of 4 teams) with 4 amalgamated sides allowed. In theory you would have the 8 sides above + 4 new teams. Lowest finishing sole senior side gets relegated to intermediate.

Nah. We're not Kerry. Small county; no need for area teams.

Why don't we encourage clubs to follow likes of park, cortwood, ballyroan, clonaslee and rosneallis.invest in juvenile set-ups, build up gradually and when the time is right you'll go up.
Some of those clubs have enjoyed mutually beneficial juv arrangements that served all parties. More of that, less bed-hopping.


Divisions of 8-12 with 2xgroups of 4-6.
Do it over one year. Too many clubs will object though so need a co board to just drill it through. Maybe then when some clubs find themselves inter or even junior they'll think about parish teams and amalgamations.

The highlighted sentence is the one I have most issue with.
We have a small county but about half the county has no access to senior club football. Its even more crucial in a county like Laois to maximise all resources and have a pathway to senior club football available.

Your argument that 'park, cortwood, ballyroan, clonaslee and rosneallis.(should) invest in juvenile set-ups' is laughable as these are clubs who actually do this already. Effort is not the issue. The problem is that these clubs reach senior every couple of generations. The rest of the time their effort is the same but the population/numbers/talent is not present to sustain senior football. This is where the regional senior teams would benefit the clubs we have without forcing clubs into amalgamations.

GAA clubs have more than one aim. They are about more than just having a senior team. Of course they want to play at the highest level but very few will sacrifice their identity and social focal point for this. In a regional set-up these clubs would be promoted to senior when they are good enough however when they are not at that level their best players can stay with home club and join with other designated clubs to challenge Portlaoise, Portarlington etc. for senior championships. This would increase the quality of the championship and deepen the talent pool for our county panel.

If Kerry didnt have area teams where would David Clifford be now?
1. Playing for Kerry but Not playing with Fossa (his home club)
or
2. Playing for Fossa but frustrated and nowhere near his potential
or
3. Not playing at all?

Why are we so afraid of change?

Two full months have passed since Cheddar has resigned. Are we any closer to a replacement? Was cheddar asked to take up any other role within Laois hurling?
There seems to be apathy with Laois co board.

Can anyone here outline the people involved (and fair play to them for getting involved) with Laois u14, u15, u16 hurlers? The ppl involved seem to have been left shorthanded. I also ask what is the level of involvement from GDO's?

Huge day for the county and a team who have played super football all year.

BEST OF LUCK!

LAOIS! LAOIS! LAOIS!