Serious decline in Laois Gaa

[Laois man]

Portlaoise will have get facilities but need to improve on the playing fields massive big club with nobody on the laois hurling panel and one on the u20 panel.

[The infidel in exile]

That's good news Bobby

[The infidel in exile]

Thank you for anyone who voted, leave an opinion.

[Pugwash]

'Greater emphasis on underage development,  employing ex Laois Hurlers and Footballers'

Typical prehistoric GAH attitude when it comes to development. The vast majority of these ex players haven't a notion how to coach, never mind understanding what it actually means to develop. Up and down the length and breath of the country, you have the same old cowboys robbing clubs blindly by charging ridiculous fee's to 'coach' teams.

Why should an ex Laois footballer get a role over a coach from Killeshin or The Heath who has been coaching for years?

As an ex senior club footballer for the best part of a decade, I can tell you right now I was very rarely 'coached' more told what to do.

[The infidel in exile]

I get you point off view Pugwash, certainly regarding ex hurlers and footballers. But it's more geared at underage teams, similar to what Pat Critchly and Chedder are doing with Setanta sports. But with respect, some explayers make excellent coaches, especially former captains, good communicators. I agree that their are not many with the x factor, but they are there.

[The infidel in exile]

But you would most probably agree to having more ex players involved in the County board.

They are the individuals who make decisions on what is best for every player from Killeshin to Clonaslee. There is a group of individuals voted in annually, some have NEVER KICKED OR HURLED in their lives. Ex players know exactly what is needed, as they are the people who have been in dressing rooms for years for years, talking, and seeing with their own eyes, the problems that inhibit Laois.

How is it that Kerry, Galway, Dublin and most off the Ulster Counties all have player representation at board level, but we rarely ever have.

[Voice of tReason]

Balance is key.

Brendan Phelan has resurrected the Setanta Programme almost single-handedly and I don't ever recall seeing his name on a Harps senior team.

Underage management teams don't need 6 ex-county players or 6 exceptional coaches; a blend of strengths, backgrounds, interests and personalities would be perfect.

The issue, of course, is that we have consistently struggled to get the quality or quantity we'd desire.
Hopefully things have turned a slight corner with the set-ups seemingly in a relatively strong place for this year.

[Ballybrittas Boy]

"Countyboard hierarchy chosen from ex players, thus less laymen with egos"

Fairly insulting of the people giving up their time and energy to help run the county board.

Most of them are genuine people who want the best for the county and ego would be the last thing I'd associate with most of them.

Good luck getting "ex players" to fill all the positions, most of which are thankless enough jobs.

[The infidel in exile]

Thank you for your opinion, regarding SOME LAYMEN WITH EGOS, I know that theirare some people who give everything into Gaa in Laois, But unfortunately their are some that take everything from money to concrete, Narcissistic individuals with superiority complexes, getting picked. Not because their the best man for the job. Its all political brother. Same boys at the top like out politicians looking for votes
 They are not concerned about Courtwood or O'Dempsies. It is an awful situation. But some of them are great, but some need to be put out to pasture.

[John1]

Balance is key.

Brendan Phelan has resurrected the Setanta Programme almost single-handedly and I don't ever recall seeing his name on a Harps senior team.

Underage management teams don't need 6 ex-county players or 6 exceptional coaches; a blend of strengths, backgrounds, interests and personalities would be perfect.

The issue, of course, is that we have consistently struggled to get the quality or quantity we'd desire.
Hopefully things have turned a slight corner with the set-ups seemingly in a relatively strong place for this year.

Agree with you on this point
A balance with everyone pulling in the same direction with no favoritism just all for the cause of improving the standards of both the management setups and the players. Having them better players going forward into the next groups.
As previously stated weeks ago your management/ coaches need to continuously upskill their capabilities to be able to progress with these age groups and for continuation.
How many managers / coaches have done their time from Minor U21 into Senior in our County ?

[The infidel in exile]

Voice and John1, you are after hitting they nail on the head. Firstly Brendan Phelan is One in a Thousand. A man with intelligence and a REAL DESIRE to push the concept of needing to work tirelessly and with everyone wanting to see the development of Hurling and Football with as many young people that our county can produce, bringing back the Great days of 96 97 and 98, and ( why I put this in the voting process) the work that was done with all the Minor Football teams, that although never managed to win an u21 ( should have beaten both kerry and Cork, but went on to win a leinster senior title, and get to 3 finals, should have beaten westmeath. Balance and honesty about where we are Currently at senior level..WE MUST GET AS MANY GOOD PEOPLE, WITH ONE DIRECTION IN MIND, WORK HARD WITH OUR UNDERAGE TEAMS. Make the young people proud to put the Blue and white Jersey on. Look men, although we don't have the population of Kildare cwe do have the same roughly, as kilkenny and Offaly. We need to put everything into our u16s u17s and u20s. Brendan and others will look after the younger age groups with other men. Finally I m not sure exactly what shan keegan does, but he would be an excellent Coaching mentor.

[LaoisforSam]

Great Poll missed the voting. There needs to be a couple of ways of developing our Underage Teams. How do the good like Abbeyleix, The Harps & Ballacolla take it to the next level.Put Mountmellick & Mountrath on The Map for too long both towns going years with giving nothing to Laois. I was at a Rathdowney Errill u15 game recently & they barely had 18 players some definitely u13s.Hopefully The big development in Portlaoise will kick things on there. Also what is Shane Keegan & The Hurling & Football development coaches doing for Schools Primary & especially Secondary. Not looking for immediate success at Underage in all clubs but Shanahoe have loads of girls playing football but barely contribute to their alliance with Colt etc. Likewise in football Arles had two amazing teams but are not producing much Underage Why?? I don't have all the answers or want to come across negative but We will get much worse if We don't start improving Underage teams now. As for having a Study on How to improve GAA in Laois what has been done on these Reccomendations from Nickey Brennan etc? Number 1 Reccomendation is another club in Portlaoise, How is that going?

[KyleExile]

Great Poll missed the voting. There needs to be a couple of ways of developing our Underage Teams. How do the good like Abbeyleix, The Harps & Ballacolla take it to the next level.Put Mountmellick & Mountrath on The Map for too long both towns going years with giving nothing to Laois. I was at a Rathdowney Errill u15 game recently & they barely had 18 players some definitely u13s.Hopefully The big development in Portlaoise will kick things on there. Also what is Shane Keegan & The Hurling & Football development coaches doing for Schools Primary & especially Secondary. Not looking for immediate success at Underage in all clubs but Shanahoe have loads of girls playing football but barely contribute to their alliance with Colt etc. Likewise in football Arles had two amazing teams but are not producing much Underage Why?? I don't have all the answers or want to come across negative but We will get much worse if We don't start improving Underage teams now. As for having a Study on How to improve GAA in Laois what has been done on these Reccomendations from Nickey Brennan etc? Number 1 Reccomendation is another club in Portlaoise, How is that going?

Correct. To revive Laois in both codes, it needs a huge drive in our more urban areas. And then be supplemented by the traditionally strong rural clubs who have delivered consistently the last 20 years or more. Your Ballacolla, your Arles etc.

Take Clough/Ballacolla for example, they feed off a tiny 2 teacher school in Ballacolla, that's just about surviving, and a not much bigger 3 teacher in in Clough. It's probably a bit unsustainable what they're at, and you'd imagine the well may run dry for a period. But my point is, what are they doing differently that the likes of Shanahoe, Colt, Clonad etc couldn't do similar (I'm not trying to take a cut at the clubs BTW). And that's before I mentioned the larger areas like your Mountraths and Mountmellicks. Abbeyliex are a good example of how to turn things around in the town areas, and huge work has gone in the last few years.

[Riseagain]

Great Poll missed the voting. There needs to be a couple of ways of developing our Underage Teams. How do the good like Abbeyleix, The Harps & Ballacolla take it to the next level.Put Mountmellick & Mountrath on The Map for too long both towns going years with giving nothing to Laois. I was at a Rathdowney Errill u15 game recently & they barely had 18 players some definitely u13s.Hopefully The big development in Portlaoise will kick things on there. Also what is Shane Keegan & The Hurling & Football development coaches doing for Schools Primary & especially Secondary. Not looking for immediate success at Underage in all clubs but Shanahoe have loads of girls playing football but barely contribute to their alliance with Colt etc. Likewise in football Arles had two amazing teams but are not producing much Underage Why?? I don't have all the answers or want to come across negative but We will get much worse if We don't start improving Underage teams now. As for having a Study on How to improve GAA in Laois what has been done on these Reccomendations from Nickey Brennan etc? Number 1 Reccomendation is another club in Portlaoise, How is that going?

Regarding Mountrath and Mountmellick, Mountrath seem to be consistently playing in the A at underage bit it never seems to materialise at adult and in fairness to Mountmellick they have gone back from being amalgamated at underage apart from minor where Port are put in with them and they won the intermediate championship last year and won their first round of Premier Intermediate championship though there does not seem to be too many standout players that could push on to become senior inter-county hurlers

[The infidel in exile]

Great Poll missed the voting. There needs to be a couple of ways of developing our Underage Teams. How do the good like Abbeyleix, The Harps & Ballacolla take it to the next level.Put Mountmellick & Mountrath on The Map for too long both towns going years with giving nothing to Laois. I was at a Rathdowney Errill u15 game recently & they barely had 18 players some definitely u13s.Hopefully The big development in Portlaoise will kick things on there. Also what is Shane Keegan & The Hurling & Football development coaches doing for Schools Primary & especially Secondary. Not looking for immediate success at Underage in all clubs but Shanahoe have loads of girls playing football but barely contribute to their alliance with Colt etc. Likewise in football Arles had two amazing teams but are not producing much Underage Why?? I don't have all the answers or want to come across negative but We will get much worse if We don't start improving Underage teams now. As for having a Study on How to improve GAA in Laois what has been done on these Reccomendations from Nickey Brennan etc? Number 1 Reccomendation is another club in Portlaoise, How is that going?

Correct. To revive Laois in both codes, it needs a huge drive in our more urban areas. And then be supplemented by the traditionally strong rural clubs who have delivered consistently the last 20 years or more. Your Ballacolla, your Arles etc.

Take Clough/Ballacolla for example, they feed off a tiny 2 teacher school in Ballacolla, that's just about surviving, and a not much bigger 3 teacher in in Clough. It's probably a bit unsustainable what they're at, and you'd imagine the well may run dry for a period. But my point is, what are they doing differently that the likes of Shanahoe, Colt, Clonad etc couldn't do similar (I'm not trying to take a cut at the clubs BTW). And that's before I mentioned the larger areas like your Mountraths and Mountmellicks. Abbeyliex are a good example of how to turn things around in the town areas, and huge work has gone in the last few years.