New thread for this years championship
Courtwood winning the league must give them a decent shout for the championship.
ports to lose i think .
Quote from: oneshot on July 06, 2026, 07:48:14 PMports to lose i think .
Have to agree. Seem to be getting most of their big guns back early this year.
Hard to see Courtwood sustain it. Biggest challenge should come from Josephs. Bally Abbey and Portlaoise will probably both be thereabouts too.
If I had to pick a dark horse I'd say Emo.
Right lads going to throw in my predictions for the first round.
Emo vs Graigue - Think Graigue will just have too much, could be close. Graigue by 4
Killeshin v Stradbally - Form would suggest Stradbally will be too strong but Heffernan and Roche make Killeshin a lot stronger of course. Strad by 6
Courtwood v O'Dempseys - Game of the round on paper. Courtwood down a few but O Dempseys not at full compliment either. Think Courtwood will get over the line by 2
St Joseph's v Crettyard - Joseph's good in the league with new players being integrated. Think crettyard will be a different force with O'Carroll back. Still think Joseph's too efficient. Joseph's by 9.
Ballyroan v Rosenallis - Can't see Rosenallis laying much of a glove on Ballyroan to be honest, would be worried for them with 3 down. Ballyroan by 13
Portlaoise v Clonaslee St Manmans - Only one winner. Portlaoise by 17
Arles Killeen v Park Ratheniska - Think park one of the favourites to go down too. Killeen won't be there at the business end I don't think but will have too much for Park. Killeen by 7
Portarlington v The Heath - Looks like Port will be the strongest they've been at a first round in a good few years. The Heath been dealt a bad hand with Port for the 2nd year in a row. Port by 12.
Emo vs Graigue -
Emo by 2
Killeshin v Stradbally -
Killeshin by 2
Courtwood v O'Dempseys -
Courtwood by 4
St Joseph's v Crettyard -
Joseph's by 5
Ballyroan v Rosenallis -
Ballyroan by 10
Portlaoise v Clonaslee St Manmans - O Portlaoise by 10
Arles Killeen v Park Ratheniska -
Park by 3
Portarlington v The Heath
Port by 8
Emo vs Graigue -
Emo after extra time
Killeshin v Stradbally -
Strad narrowly
Courtwood v O'Dempseys -
O'Dempseys
St Joseph's v Crettyard -
Joseph's easily enough
BA v Rosenallis -
BA by maybe 7 or 8
Portlaoise v CSM - Portlaoise by 5 or 6
Arles Killeen v Park Ratheniska - Killeen by 5 or 6
Portarlington v The Heath
Port by over 10
Graigue
Strad
Josephs
Courtwood
Portlaoise
Portarlington
Ballyroan Abbey
A Killeen
Not too much quality on view over the past few days in the senior football.
Port were obviously comfortable v The Heath but took their time to get going. Very hard to see them being beaten this year.
Courtwood and O'Dempseys was very poor. Courtwood only performed for 15 or 20 minutes and it was enough to beat their neighbours.
Saw second half of Graigue v Emo on Clubber. Big collapse from Emo but Graigue were moving well.
Killeen got quite a test from Park/Ratheniska - again, unlikely either of them will be in contention.
Didn't see the other games. Heard Portlaoise were unimpressive?
port will piss it, can't see any team getting any nearer than 6 points to them missing a few again the Heath
but in saying that the Heath were septic.
SFC 2026 Fixtures
Thursday, August 6
Senior Football Championship Round 2 Qualifier
Crettyard v Park-Ratheniska in Stradbally at 7.30pm. Referee: Michael Tarpey
Clonaslee St Manman's v The Heath in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 7.30pm. Referee: Clifford Ward
Friday, August 7
Senior Football Championship Round 2 Winners
Portarlington v Stradbally in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 7.30pm. Referee: Séamus Mulhare
Killeshin v Rosenallis in Annanough at 7.30pm. Referee: TBC
Saturday, August 8
Senior Football Championship Round 2 Winners
Arles-Killeen v Portlaoise in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 5.30pm Referee: Ciaran McManus
Ballyroan-Abbey v Courtwood in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 7pm. Referee: Colin Bailey
Sunday, August 9
Senior Football Championship Round 2 Winners
Graiguecullen v St Joseph's in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 7pm. Referee: Brendan McCann
Senior Football Championship Round 2 Qualifier
Emo v O'Dempsey's in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 5.30pm. Referee: Des Cooney
8/8 from the first round so I'll have another shot at this round
Clonaslee St Manamans vs The Heath - Clonaslee
Crettyard v Park Ratheniska - Crettyard
Portarlington v Stradbally - Portarlington
Killeshin v Rosenallis - Killeshin
Arles Killeen v Portlaoise - Portlaoise
Ballyroan Abbey v Courtwood - Ballyroan Abbey
Emo v O'Dempseys - Emo
St Joseph's v Graiguecullen - St Joseph's
Games that were hard to call there in my opinion were Clonaslee, Ballyroan, Emo and Killeshin. Wouldn't surprise me if they went the other way. Graigue have a chance too. Think Port, Portlaoise and Crettyard should win comfortably enough.
Clonaslee St Manamans vs The Heath - The Heath by 3
Crettyard v Park Ratheniska - Park by 5
Portarlington v Stradbally - Stradbally by 1
Killeshin v Rosenallis - Killeshin by 4
Arles Killeen v Portlaoise - Portlaoise by 8
Ballyroan Abbey v Courtwood - Courtwood by 2
Emo v O'Dempseys - Emo by 4
St Joseph's v Graiguecullen - St Joseph's by 3
Clonaslee St Manamans vs The Heath - Clonaslee
Crettyard v Park Ratheniska - Crettyard
Portarlington v Stradbally - Portarlington
Killeshin v Rosenallis - Killeshin
Arles Killeen v Portlaoise - Portlaoise
Ballyroan Abbey v Courtwood - Courtwood
Emo v O'Dempseys - o Dempsey's
St Joseph's v Graiguecullen - Graiguecullen
Clonaslee v The Heath - The Heath by 3
Crettyard v Park Ratheniska - Crettyard by 5
Portarlington v Stradbally - Portarlington by 6
Killeshin v Rosenallis - Killeshin by 1
Arles Killeen v Portlaoise - Portlaoise by 3
Ballyroan Abbey v Courtwood - BA by 4
Emo v O'Dempseys - Emo after extra time by 2
St Joseph's v Graiguecullen - Joes by 4 or 5
Quote from: les Antiques on August 05, 2026, 06:16:23 PMClonaslee St Manamans vs The Heath - The Heath by 3
Crettyard v Park Ratheniska - Park by 5
Have you the lotto numbers for Saturday???
I was in at two matches this evening Portlaoise looked decent enough. They are blending in a few younger fellas and the older lads keep things steady Arleskileento be fair had a decent first half and hung in there, but once portlaoise got going there was only one winner. Didn't see the red card but linesmans actions suggested a punch of some description. Don't think it changed the result but maybe the margin. Portlaoise motoring nicely and are a threat to anyone else bar Port. Arles might struggle to avoid the drop especially if Donie gets more than one match
I was talking to a Courtwood man on the way in and he was a bit downbeat about their chances of beating Ballyroan. Apparently they have a lot of injuries to big players. Well they fronted up and easily accounted for Ballyroan. They have a great way of playing with a mix of boot and carrying. They have a young fella playing corner forward but he does a sweeper role. He's brilliant and as for the two boys left up they couldn't be handled at all and then a sub comes on and kicks 1-01. Are they contenders?? Ballyroan were admittedly poor and never got going. Dee Whelan was a huge loss but they didn't really seem to have a structure to their game. Staying out of snr B has to be a priority for them now
I'm far from a Killeen fan but Donie very unlucky to get a straight red. Say they'll be appealing that.
Decent effort from them in the first half but they ran out of steam. Lot of miles up on some of those clocks! Portlaoise will be happy. Scoring freely has been an issue for them for quite a while. Darren Brennan is a lovely stylish forward.
The other game was amazing. Ballyroan Abbey made no attempt to drop a sweeper and Courtwood's forwards tore them apart. Martin Murphy is usually more clued in than that. Still think the loss of Dunne, Flynn, Doyle and Slattery will cost Courtwood against the better teams. Their squad is quite threadbare.
Emo tonight were shocking. Don't know what's going on with them and again I'm surprised at a very experienced manager in Greg Ramsbottom leaving them so open at the back. Fair play to O'Dempseys. Shuffled the team after a dreadful round one display and it paid off. They'll have Mark Barry back soon and will be a dangerous team for anyone to meet.
Last game on Sunday was so poor, I fecked off after 20 minutes!
You missed a good finish for Joes Graigue game. Graigue will be sorry they didn't throw off the shackles earlier and Joes don't seem capable of throwing off their own shackles. They bizarrely still appear one of the most constipated side I've ever seen which is incredible given their abundance of talents. The Port management watching on won't be too worried by any of what they've seen.
Draws are interesting. Few local derbys there which will add their own spice.
A very poor evening of football today Emo were so bad it was unreal ODs didn't even have to work overly hard for their scores, a lot of the time Emo just turned over ball under no pressure at all. Will do very well to stay up based on that performance. ODs will be better with Barry back (next day??). Second match was shocking. Graigue the authors of their own downfall ridiculous goal given away and couldn't hit a barn door at the other end. Josephs a fine big strong team but I think lack the real top end pace needed to trouble Port or Portlaoise
Round 3
Stradbally v The Heath
Graiguecullen v Killeshin
Arles-Killeen v O'Dempseys
Ballyroan-Abbey v Park-Ratheniska
Some interesting games there. Stradbally should win but the other three are harder to call. O'Dempseys could have Barry and Killeen might not have Donie - that would make it very much advantage O'Ds.
Graigue v Killeshin. Novel fixture there!😂
From a Graigue perspective it might not be a bad loss in the long term. It highlighted weaknesses that can be rectified and worked on. Sometimes you gain more from a loss than winning straight through and then getting blindsided in a do or die straight knockout game. Too often in the last decade, Graigue have come into a quarter or semi-final full of pomp and expectation to then be beat out the gate. Joseph's have a very solid team but hard see them knocking Portarlington off their perch. Courtwood continue to defy expectation. Get the most from what they have and winning games despite being down 4/5 starters. You would definitely fear for Emo or Crettyard staying up. Even with Evan O'Carroll, Crettyard are struggling to put enough on the scoreboard to win games. Less said about Emo this weekend the better. Every few years they have a terrible championship season and this season looks to be following that path. Any money on Emo for Laois intermediate champions 2027. Like 2012 and 2017 all over again.
As others have said, hard to credit how easily Emo surrendered against of all teams, O'Dempseys.
Wouldn't have happened 20 years ago anyway! There'd be a row or something.
They are unlucky again this year with missing players. Davy Costello looked one of the best prospects in the county a few years back but has had a terrible run of injuries.
The two Crowleys moving to London was another massive blow.
No idea what the story is with Jack Owens. Another brilliant underage star who has completely disappeared from the scene.
Think they'll stay up but they'll need to regroup big time next year.
O'Dempseys will be delighted. Decent draw for them in the third round too and if they could win that and avoid Port in the quarter final draw, who knows?
Stradbally v The Heath - Heath after ET
Graiguecullen v Killeshin - Graigue by 6
Arles-Killeen v O'Dempseys- O'Dempseys by 3
Ballyroan-Abbey v Park-Ratheniska - Ballyroan by 2
Stradbally v The Heath. Strad by 6
Graiguecullen v Killeshin. Graigue by 4
Arles-Killeen v O'Dempseys. O'Dempseys by 2
Ballyroan-Abbey v Park-Ratheniska. BA by 3
Stradbally v The Heath. Stradbally
Graiguecullen v Killeshin. Graiguecullen
Arles-Killeen v O'Dempseys. O'Dempseys
Ballyroan-Abbey v Park-Ratheniska. Ballyroan
Stradbally, Graigue, O Dempseys and Ballyroan for me this weekend
Donie plays v O'Dempseys I believe. Suspension overturned.
Could swing that game!
Quote from: mountrath1 on August 22, 2026, 08:14:11 PMAbsolute disgraceful. Some teams like Arles Kileen with contacts within get away with murder. Not the 1st time they have had suspended terms got rid of.. I wonder the influence the new leinster council member had with that,considering he has family members part of the teams
Scurrilous accusation. I'd tread carefully here
Not going to make any accusations at all but Jesus that is bullshit. Was right in front of the incident and Donie was rightfully sent off. Would have been a different story if it was missed in real time but there was absolutely no scope to change that. That being said for the neutral definitely adds to the game!
Senior Football Championship Quarter Finals
Courtwood vs Stradbally
Portlaoise vs Killeshin
St.Josephs vs Ballyroan-Abbey
Portarlington vs O'Dempseys
Senior Football B Championship
Arles Killeen vs Clonaslee St.Manmans
The Heath vs Rosenallis
Graigecullen vs Crettyard
Emo vs Park Rath
Delighted for AK.Got exactly what they deserved. The county board needs to be held to some sort of accountability. To see an inter county referee stand down is a disgrace to the organisation based off his interpretation of the rules.
Teams like AK need to stay away from the appeals committee and take their medicine.
Killeen club aren't to blame. I'm far from their biggest fan but every club would have done the same.
The hearings committee is there to be used. The problem is the lack of transparency. We don't know how the suspension was overturned. An explanation by the hearings committee would be interesting.
On the matches saw all 4 this weekend, 2 in OMP, 2 on Clubber.
Park a bit hard done by on the margin. Gave it a right go.
Strad v Heath was poor but Strad are a big, strong team who'll give Courtwood plenty of problems.
Graigue are the most frustrating team in the whole county. So much potential and every year they come up with a stinker of a game like today. Fair play to Killeshin. Deserved win.
O'Dempseys were miles better than Arles Killeen. Killeen are an aging team and have almost no pace. Will be relegated either this year or next year.
Quote from: mountrath1 on August 23, 2026, 07:44:19 PMDelighted for AK.Got exactly what they deserved. The county board needs to be held to some sort of accountability. To see an inter county referee stand down is a disgrace to the organisation based off his interpretation of the rules.
Teams like AK need to stay away from the appeals committee and take their medicine.
The referee scenario is shocking now. We have very poor referees taking part in the senior and intermediate club championship. Some have a severe lack of fitness and actually know how of the rules.
And now, like him or not, Seamus Mulhare who's our best referee outside of Maurice Deegan is now stepped away. It's believed the referees are backing Mulhare so are they all stepping away then or will the cash cow stop them?
Quote from: les Antiques on August 23, 2026, 06:16:41 PMSenior Football Championship Quarter Finals
Courtwood vs Stradbally
Portlaoise vs Killeshin
St.Josephs vs Ballyroan-Abbey
Portarlington vs O'Dempseys
Senior Football B Championship
Arles Killeen vs Clonaslee St.Manmans
The Heath vs Rosenallis
Graigecullen vs Crettyard
Emo vs Park Rath
The relegation aspect of the senior B is nearly the most interesting thing left this year. Reckon Port wont be stopped in the rest of the championship proper.
Those 4 games all look pretty even to me and one or two "big name clubs" could well be relegated. Emo, Graiguecullen, A Killeen all very vulnerable.
That said, you could see the last two or three intermediate winners going back down. Crettyard, Park Ratheniska and The Heath were all down intermediate very recently.
So all our Refs step down fair play to them but one little weed puts up his hand to ref the game. Fair loyalty there.
And yet the ref who's decision was overturned not only reffed the first match but did the line in the second one. No other matches called off due to lack of refs not much of a rebellion. I understand that the one of the refs involved may be upset but a lot of stuff which people are saying seems to be uninformed rubbish in the absence of actual facts
Quote from: Laois man on August 24, 2026, 11:52:46 AMSo all our Refs step down
No, they didn't. However, there's a meeting tonight and I believe the referees representatives are rightly very unhappy.
Quote from: SCFC on August 24, 2026, 05:48:25 PMQuote from: Laois man on August 24, 2026, 11:52:46 AMSo all our Refs step down
No, they didn't. However, there's a meeting tonight and I believe the referees representatives are rightly very unhappy.
Meeting was called off. I believe the said referee didn't have any backing today at all and seems to be a solo run now
I've been out of the loop for a while. what went on that the referee stepped down, was it because of the decision tho overturn the sending off?
Donie sent off for a strike in portlaoise match. Ref didn't see it but linesman reported him. Donie handed a 2 match by CCC (county board) Arles Kileen appealed and were heard by appels committee who are independent. They overturned the suspension fully and Donie was free to play on Sunday. The ref who gave the red card reffed a senior match on Saturday or Sunday and did the line on another but the ref who reported the strike as linesman stood down from his match. Apparently a few meetings occurred but between who I don't know. Refs reported to be not happy by some but have not gone out in protest so no one really knows the full story other than the few people involved.
Mulhare back refereeing now tonight. As I said before cash is king
Quote from: Leixman on August 25, 2026, 11:24:28 PMMulhare back refereeing now tonight. As I said before cash is king
Do you ref yourself?
Quote from: Smallballbigballs on August 26, 2026, 10:21:13 AMQuote from: Leixman on August 25, 2026, 11:24:28 PMMulhare back refereeing now tonight. As I said before cash is king
Do you ref yourself?
And how, exactly, is that pertinent to the present conversation?
Maybe let him answer for himself.
Do you ref much yourself also?
Quote from: Jd on August 25, 2026, 04:30:55 PMDonie sent off for a strike in portlaoise match. Ref didn't see it but linesman reported him. Donie handed a 2 match by CCC (county board) Arles Kileen appealed and were heard by appels committee who are independent. They overturned the suspension fully and Donie was free to play on Sunday. The ref who gave the red card reffed a senior match on Saturday or Sunday and did the line on another but the ref who reported the strike as linesman stood down from his match. Apparently a few meetings occurred but between who I don't know. Refs reported to be not happy by some but have not gone out in protest so no one really knows the full story other than the few people involved.
Thanks JD, never a dull moment in Laois GAA circles :D
Are portlaoise overpriced at 15/2 on pp? They are in the qf's, they will have home advantage. From memory they were much shorter odds before the sfc started. Have they had a spate of injuries/suspension?.
Bookies like everyone else don't see anyone but Port winning championship this year. A tidy profit on a €50 euro bet if Portlaoise we were to upset the odds. Now you have me tempted.
Senior Football Championship Quarter Finals
Courtwood vs Stradbally- Stradbally by 2
Portlaoise vs Killeshin - Killeshin by 3
St.Josephs vs Ballyroan-Abbey - Joe's by 5
Portarlington vs O'Dempseys - Port by 7
Senior Football B Championship
Arles Killeen vs Clonaslee St.Manmans - AK by 3
The Heath vs Rosenallis- Heath by 7
Graigecullen vs Crettyard - Graigue by 9
Emo vs Park Rath - Park by 4
Quote from: Laois Rising on August 31, 2026, 04:24:15 PMBookies like everyone else don't see anyone but Port winning championship this year. A tidy profit on a €50 euro bet if Portlaoise we were to upset the odds. Now you have me tempted.
portlaoise might not make the final and if they do and they meet port, they won't keep it kicked out to port.
Portarlington should really be looking to get players back home and giving the Leinster a right go. These teams are generational so you have to make the most of it while you can. They haven't really made any progress in Leinster
Senior Football Championship Quarter Finals
Courtwood v Stradbally - Stradbally
Portlaoise v Killeshin - Portlaoise
St.Josephs v Ballyroan-Abbey - Josephs in a dogfight
Portarlington v O'Dempseys - Port comfortably
Senior Football B Championship
Arles Killeen v Clonaslee St.Manmans - Killeen
The Heath v Rosenallis - Heath narrowly
Graigecullen v Crettyard - Graigue
Emo v Park Ratheniska - Emo might dig a performance out
Quote from: redsetanta on September 11, 2026, 09:12:30 AMPortarlington should really be looking to get players back home and giving the Leinster a right go. These teams are generational so you have to make the most of it while you can. They haven't really made any progress in Leinster
leinster is a different kettle of fish, port well ahead of the rest in laois but as leinster is concern there way off it as Athy and the Dublin winners have prove in the last two years again port.
Any truth that Colm Murphy and Ronan Coffey are unavailable on Sunday ?
Very good wins for Killeshin, Courtwood and Cretty at the weekend.
Imagine a team that produced players like Tom and Noel Prendergast Colm and Gerry Browne Atch Whelan the Fitzgeralds The Mc Nultys the Bohanes could only score 4 points in over 50 minutes of football in a championship match and a population of over 30 thousand people the mind boggles
Middling enough games at the weekend. The 5 week break definitely seemed to play against all 4 of the teams that had it.
Port were fairly sluggish but finished with a better team than started and could be peaking at just the right time. Good effort from O'D's but lacked scoring power. Very well set up defensively.
Joes had two good spells really and that was enough to edge it. Keogh excellent. BA just can't seem to make the breakthrough that a lot of us have expected.
On Saturday, Courtwood didn't really play well for long spells and Strad would have won if the goalkeepers were swapped (freetaking duties). Think they'll have improved for the game. As said, the 5 week break did them no favours other than maybe getting a couple of those injured lads back.
And as said above, Portlaoise are massively underachieving. There's no way Killeshin should be beating Portlaoise and that's no disrespect to Killeshin. Was it 4 scores in 55 minutes or something ridiculous like that? Fair play to Killeshin. Backed up the Graigue win with another good performance.
Saw none of the senior B games. Graigue could well be in a spiral now that they can't get out of. Emo obviously did what Emo are good at and that's coming up with a performance against the odds.
Quote from: Blueforever on September 14, 2026, 09:59:13 AMImagine a team that produced players like Tom and Noel Prendergast Colm and Gerry Browne Atch Whelan the Fitzgeralds The Mc Nultys the Bohanes could only score 4 points in over 50 minutes of football in a championship match and a population of over 30 thousand people the mind boggles
Until serious action is taken in that club, either internally or otherwise, Laois football sinks further
I'll preface this by saying that I'm more a hurling man than football but are things that bad in Portlaoise? After a poor performance in the championship there is always sensational commentary. But since 2000 they have appeared in 20 Laois Senior Finals (not including draws) and have won 14 of those. Not too shabby in my book.
I know their last win was 2019 when they were lucky to beat Killeshin but they also got to the final in 2021, 2023, 2024. I know Portarlington are very good in recent years but surely Portlaoise with a fresh set up shouldn't be that far away from Top 2/Top 3 again in 2027. Or am I miles off?
You are. The only debate this county should be having is how we break Portlaoise dominance. It has to be (potentially at least) one of the biggest clubs in the country. It is massively under achieving. I have often blamed the CB for their lack of interest, but truth be told, it's not run as well as clubs much smaller in size. It's sad. And it's wasteful. A large chunk of the Laois population lives within its catchment. If they don't function correctly,we're already playing catch up. And they are not functioning correctly
Some surprise results this weekend. In Senior B, Emo delivered a massive performance and Crettyard recorded an unexpected victory over Graigue. I was at the Graigue Emo game the first day of championship and you would never had predicted that it would be Graigue over Emo in the mix for relegation. Graigue were unlucky not to have gone directly into the quarters after losing a toss up of a game against Josephs. It is some turn of events.
i Belive theres trouble in Graigue camp only 17 tog out at the weekend so i am told.
Quote from: oneshot on September 16, 2026, 11:56:49 PMi Belive theres trouble in Graigue camp only 17 tog out at the weekend so i am told.
Some achievement to bring on 4 subs then....
Another year, another Graigue meltdown. They must have an entry in the Thesaurus under meltdown at this stage. God help us all when they get their shit together
Rumours of 2 brothers getting into a fight before the match at their house...
Quote from: Karate kid on September 17, 2026, 06:09:21 PMRumours of 2 brothers getting into a fight before the match at their house...
Do tell...
Quote from: Smallballoverbigball on September 18, 2026, 02:57:53 PMQuote from: Karate kid on September 17, 2026, 06:09:21 PMRumours of 2 brothers getting into a fight before the match at their house...
Do tell...
Let's just say I didn't hear that it was the McGraths and there was only two sets of brothers playing so work it out
Manager and Coach relieved of their duties after the Crettyard hammering. A new man in to try and keep them up.
Port v Courtwood final again lads.
Quote from: oneshot on September 26, 2026, 11:49:27 AMPort v Courtwood final again lads.
Joseph's will learn lessons from last year and beat Courtwood. Bench will see them over the line by 5.
You'd have to question what some football clubs are at. Rosenallis, a part time football club are able to beat teams who are solely concentrating on football, makes a mockery of the whole thing.
As for Kilcavan, are they fed by a 3 teacher school and now they're up senior. Mountmellick, Ballylinan and other also rans must be thinking, where are we actually going with this. It isn't like the grade is strong either because there's about 8 other teams in senior who should be down with them.
The new senior restructure is a good idea but they could have gone with a straight 8 team senior A and premier intermediate. There would still be teams in 2nd group of 8 who are 20 points off getting to a senior B final. There are some shocking teams in the senior championship. I'm convinced that if ballacolla put out their senior hurling team to kick again them, they'd beat them.
Well done to Rosenallis and Kilcavan
nothing again Kilcavan or Rosenallis but it just shows the level that laois football is at.
Courtwood another club who are showing what can be done, fair fucks to them. You've lads whinging about Portlaoise and off you go, but if half the clubs made an effort like the likes of Courtwood, Portlaoise wouldn't matter
You know Laois football is in the pits when that woeful Killeshin side are able to get to a senior semi final .
How in gods name did Portlaoise and Graigue lose to them ? Alarm bells should be ringing.
I genuinely reckon Kilcavan or Timahoe would of given Port as good a game today as Killeshin
Quote from: Laoiseabu on September 27, 2026, 06:23:56 PMYou know Laois football is in the pits when that woeful Killeshin side are able to get to a senior semi final .
How in gods name did Portlaoise and Graigue lose to them ? Alarm bells should be ringing.
I genuinely reckon Kilcavan or Timahoe would of given Port as good a game today as Killeshin
You don't think alarm bells are ringing in Portlaoise and Graigue? Graigue are in a relegation final and Portlaoise are nowhere.
If they are, nobody appears to be listening. It is of course a great achievement by Courtwood, but let's not kid ourselves here, the standard is unbelievably bad. Outside of Portarlington, I have a feeling that the rest of our teams wouldn't be mapped in Kildare, Meath and Dublin. The vast majority probably wouldn't be Senior
Quote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 09:53:41 AMIf they are, nobody appears to be listening. It is of course a great achievement by Courtwood, but let's not kid ourselves here, the standard is unbelievably bad. Outside of Portarlington, I have a feeling that the rest of our teams wouldn't be mapped in Kildare, Meath and Dublin. The vast majority probably wouldn't be Senior
Ah, this is the sort of over the top stuff that makes no sense. Sure didn't St Joseph's not beat Thomas Davis in a friendly recently enough who are into Dublin SFC semis now? When was the last time a Meath side even did anything in the Leinster club championship?
Challenge match? Ah come on. Josephs were awful yesterday, and I stand by what I said. Meath and Kildare are notoriously difficult to get out of. I'd only consider Port good enough to compete properly in either
Quote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 10:52:19 AMChallenge match? Ah come on. Josephs were awful yesterday, and I stand by what I said. Meath and Kildare are notoriously difficult to get out of. I'd only consider Port good enough to compete properly in either
I completely agree . I watch a lot of Kildare , Meath and Dublin football myself and the standard from Senior right through to junior overall is MUCH higher . Of course this is helped by having huge populations and being football dominant counties . Athy easily beat Port in the Leinster championship last year but don't get it there own way in Kildare at all , they only drew with Raheens last weekend and only sneaked over Sallins by a point a couple games before that . Raheens nor Sallins would be considered top senior teams in Kildare mind you but yet can push Athy right to the pin of their collar in championship games .
Port don't get these kind of tests at all in Laois 99% of the time as the standard is pretty poor . You can see on the performances and quality of the Laois senior , minor and u20 teams in recent years that we are definitely playing catch up unfortunately and the club scene with the exception of Portarlington reflects that too . I've said it before but it's mind blowing how Portlaoise are not MUCH better than what they currently are with the population and tradition they have .
As for challenge games like one poster said above , I think you can't read too much into them . My club played a challenge game against a side a couple of months ago and won by 11 points . We played them a month later up in there place and we lost by about the same margin . They aren't always the best barometer of where you really stand
Quote from: Silkyskillssunshinee on September 28, 2026, 10:03:43 AMQuote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 09:53:41 AMIf they are, nobody appears to be listening. It is of course a great achievement by Courtwood, but let's not kid ourselves here, the standard is unbelievably bad. Outside of Portarlington, I have a feeling that the rest of our teams wouldn't be mapped in Kildare, Meath and Dublin. The vast majority probably wouldn't be Senior
Ah, this is the sort of over the top stuff that makes no sense. Sure didn't St Joseph's not beat Thomas Davis in a friendly recently enough who are into Dublin SFC semis now? When was the last time a Meath side even did anything in the Leinster club championship?
Your reasoned argument backed up by facts has no place here
Quote from: Laoiseabu on September 28, 2026, 11:24:04 AMQuote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 10:52:19 AMChallenge match? Ah come on. Josephs were awful yesterday, and I stand by what I said. Meath and Kildare are notoriously difficult to get out of. I'd only consider Port good enough to compete properly in either
I completely agree . I watch a lot of Kildare , Meath and Dublin football myself and the standard from Senior right through to junior overall is MUCH higher . Of course this is helped by having huge populations and being football dominant counties . Athy easily beat Port in the Leinster championship last year but don't get it there own way in Kildare at all , they only drew with Raheens last weekend and only sneaked over Sallins by a point a couple games before that . Raheens nor Sallins would be considered top senior teams in Kildare mind you but yet can push Athy right to the pin of their collar in championship games .
Port don't get these kind of tests at all in Laois 99% of the time as the standard is pretty poor . You can see on the performances and quality of the Laois senior , minor and u20 teams in recent years that we are definitely playing catch up unfortunately and the club scene with the exception of Portarlington reflects that too . I've said it before but it's mind blowing how Portlaoise are not MUCH better than what they currently are with the population and tradition they have .
As for challenge games like one poster said above , I think you can't read too much into them . My club played a challenge game against a side a couple of months ago and won by 11 points . We played them a month later up in there place and we lost by about the same margin . They aren't always the best barometer of where you really stand
You also said Timahoe would of (sic) given port as good a game as Killeshin so forgive us for taking your post with a pinch of salt
Quote from: Smallballbigballs on September 28, 2026, 11:26:28 AMQuote from: Laoiseabu on September 28, 2026, 11:24:04 AMQuote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 10:52:19 AMChallenge match? Ah come on. Josephs were awful yesterday, and I stand by what I said. Meath and Kildare are notoriously difficult to get out of. I'd only consider Port good enough to compete properly in either
I completely agree . I watch a lot of Kildare , Meath and Dublin football myself and the standard from Senior right through to junior overall is MUCH higher . Of course this is helped by having huge populations and being football dominant counties . Athy easily beat Port in the Leinster championship last year but don't get it there own way in Kildare at all , they only drew with Raheens last weekend and only sneaked over Sallins by a point a couple games before that . Raheens nor Sallins would be considered top senior teams in Kildare mind you but yet can push Athy right to the pin of their collar in championship games .
Port don't get these kind of tests at all in Laois 99% of the time as the standard is pretty poor . You can see on the performances and quality of the Laois senior , minor and u20 teams in recent years that we are definitely playing catch up unfortunately and the club scene with the exception of Portarlington reflects that too . I've said it before but it's mind blowing how Portlaoise are not MUCH better than what they currently are with the population and tradition they have .
As for challenge games like one poster said above , I think you can't read too much into them . My club played a challenge game against a side a couple of months ago and won by 11 points . We played them a month later up in there place and we lost by about the same margin . They aren't always the best barometer of where you really stand
You also said Timahoe would of (sic) given port as good a game as Killeshin so forgive us for taking your post with a pinch of salt
Yeah I don't think Timahoe or Kilcavan are a huge amount worse than the current Killeshin side . Killeshin beat Ballyfin by 3 points in the Division 2 relegation final of the league to stay up . Theres absolutely no difference between Killeshin and the likes of Clonaslee and The Heath who are in relegation. Killeshin only beat Rosenallis by 2 points in the championship and Stradbally beat Killeshin by 6 points in the first round . They are pretty poor for a team that's made a semi final of a senior football championship whether people like it or not
There's quite a difference between the Intermediate champions and the Junior A finalists
How dare Killeshin get a good run going and be beaten by the best team in Laois in a decade.
Hard to see Port being beaten in the final. Courtwood were very well set up against Josephs and possibly just about deserved to win as they were far better at converting their chances.
But if they play like that against Port, they'll be well beaten. One thing you could say though was that Tyrrell, Doyle, Little could all play a lot better the next day and they'll have to.
Port were ruthless against a limited enough Killeshin team, who probably are capable of a bit more than what they showed yesterday. As others have said, how poor does that leave Portlaoise? Port's bench is so strong too. They'll be all out to try to keep the neighbours down.
Saw bits of both relegation games on Clubber - Neither P/R or CSM can complain too much. CSM haven't won a game all year and P/R showed some great flashes of ability but ultimately were undone by injuries and a weak enough squad depth.
Bookies have Port at 4/11 for the championship which says it all. They will just have too many big guns for Courtwood to stop. Brilliant effort by Courtwood last year to take it to a replay. When you look at it logically, there's no way a small place like Courtwood should be able to compete with the second largest town in the county.
Josephs will be sick. That game was there to be won but they just kicked it away. O'Flaherty was a great signing for them but he's done now. Their forwards ultimately cost them. Kelly was their best scoring threat - love to see him back in with Laois next year and have heard it's on. Think they'll be back though. They are probably still the best equipped team to take on Port (no disrespect to Courtwood) and if they can retain the management, they might not be far away next year.
Think Courtwood can play a bit better than that - they will have to! Byron was exceptional for them and O'Halloran in the middle was also very good.
Tough day for Killeshin. Never really got going up front and Port will punish you all day long if you switch off at the back. Still, it's been a good year for them and they'll be happy enough with the wins over Graigue and Portlaoise as a consolation prize.
Quick edit - that was a terrible decision to red card Robbie Murphy of Josephs. Watched it back and he never lifted a finger. Mistaken identity I think.
Port are without a doubt favourites but I don't think they've been going as well as other years. The two Murphy's are definitely the danger men for them and Coffey looks as if he's holding himself back I did hear he was injured wonder if that's it. Courtwood haven't been brilliant either this year however they have a great determination to get games over the line. I think it'll be a close final and hope it's as good as the first final last year
Quote from: Silkyskillssunshinee on September 28, 2026, 10:03:43 AMQuote from: High Fielder on September 28, 2026, 09:53:41 AMIf they are, nobody appears to be listening. It is of course a great achievement by Courtwood, but let's not kid ourselves here, the standard is unbelievably bad. Outside of Portarlington, I have a feeling that the rest of our teams wouldn't be mapped in Kildare, Meath and Dublin. The vast majority probably wouldn't be Senior
Ah, this is the sort of over the top stuff that makes no sense. Sure didn't St Joseph's not beat Thomas Davis in a friendly recently enough who are into Dublin SFC semis now? When was the last time a Meath side even did anything in the Leinster club championship?
how many all irelands and leinsters have meath won over the years outside of Dublin.
What does that prove exactly? You could say the same about Louth but again it's a hard one to break. You don't come out of Louth, Meath or Kildare easily. A half decent team could crack Laois handily enough
Yah, that's why in 20 years about 4 clubs have won titles in Laois. We're rife with half decent teams popping up to win titles
The teams that are winning it are half decent, but no more than that. All due respect to the others, particularly Courtwood, but they'd likely get smoked outside of Laois. The standard is poor and has been for many years. A team like Port or Portlaoise in previous years can't disguise that
Smoked ;D
Quote from: High Fielder on October 02, 2026, 09:16:19 PMThe teams that are winning it are half decent, but no more than that. All due respect to the others, particularly Courtwood, but they'd likely get smoked outside of Laois. The standard is poor and has been for many years. A team like Port or Portlaoise in previous years can't disguise that
I get its an opinion which you are of course entitled too but I feel it does a disservice to the likes of Courtwood and would argue that if they can put it up to Portarlington they can give any club in Leinster a game. Courtwood who were not that long ago a Junior club have clearly put in serious work at underage and elsewhere to get to where they are today, hats off to them. This is the blueprint that is needed for all clubs to follow.
I seen on Facebook during the week Rosenallis opening their new clubhouse with the GAA president, I remember their old pitch not that long ago was a laughing stock, but the club got their act together, developed a fantastic grounds, having been doing great work at underage (hence reaching the hurling semi final) and now have a fantastic new clubhouse to show.
My own club Kilcavan while small in size and numbers starting entering their own underage teams a good few years ago, so many days and nights of work by trainers, parents, volunteers etc and now they are reaping the reward winning their first ever intermediate title.
Instead of saying its a reflection of the poor standard in Laois that these 3 clubs are where they are, maybe we should praise these clubs who have scant resources compared to the likes of a Portlaoise or Portarlington and the county board use the blueprint to get other similar sized clubs doing similar.
I will go full Kevin Keegan (RIP) and say 'I would love it' if Courtwood beat Port in the county final.
Zero disrespect intended, I promise you. They can only get their act together and beat whatever is put in front of them. And they are doing that whilst simultaneously improving everything in their clubs. Nothing but the height of respect for that. I would love nothing more than to see Courtwood win a Championship too and whilst I think they won't, I'd love to be proved wrong
Sorry now, great respect for Courtwood and Kilcavan as football clubs but neither deserve to be in the same conversation as a club like Rosenallis who are dual and paying great respect to both. The two clubs mentioned would burn a hurl if it showed up nearby.
Full Kevin Keegan is one of the best comments here in ages. I think a lot of the county would share that sentiment. It would be up there with Arles Kilcruise winning championship 2003.
port by 5
Nothing will get Courtwoods back up more than seeing two Kildare fellas on the Port sideline.
Wood by 2
Quote from: oneshot on October 08, 2026, 08:48:13 PMport by 5
Yeah, something like that. Can't see Port being as wasteful as Joseph's were in the semi. Port by 7.
On one hand, you'd love to see Courtwood pull it off. Small club who are maximizing everything they have and Niall Donoher deserves a Senior county medal.
On the other hand, couldn't see Courtwood doing anything in Leinster while Port are usually competitive. They no doubt fancy another run at it with the management team they have in place.
Port by 10.
Not sure how a team will perform in Leinster will come into it when Port will most likely do f**k all either
Forget about leinster, the Dublin champions almost win that title every year, Hope we get a cracking game tomorrow looking forward to it.
Quote from: Silkyskillssunshinee on October 10, 2026, 01:21:36 AMOn one hand, you'd love to see Courtwood pull it off. Small club who are maximizing everything they have and Niall Donoher deserves a Senior county medal.
On the other hand, couldn't see Courtwood doing anything in Leinster while Port are usually competitive. They no doubt fancy another run at it with the management team they have in place.
Port by 10.
port are not at the races when it comes to leinster club Athy hammer them last year in first gear. Dublin winners will be way to strong for the rest of leinster.
I'd imagine that if Courtwood do happen to win then Leinster will be the last thing on their minds out in them parts.
Courtwood to squeak home by 2
Quote from: Jd on October 10, 2026, 11:51:56 PMI'd imagine that if Courtwood do happen to win then Leinster will be the last thing on their minds out in them parts.
Courtwood to squeak home by 2
Leinster last thing on their mind, Port played the perfect game all Courtwood wanted was a free outside of the arch, fairly embarrassing performance from them no point from play in 2nd half and no point from an outfield player apart from the GK, That just shows Courtwood only where they are because of a Byron's points and lucky draws, there a lucky team and bates is a pure bluffer. Thank f**k they've been found out..
Courtwood were poor yesterday and Port punished them but to suggest that they are a poor team is unfair. Last year they beat 2 of the last three co championship winners this year they added another 2. No div 2 club played in championship won div 1 outright. I don't know Mark Bates and have never spoken to the man but to suggest that he is a bluffer smacks of jealousy and bitterness. I think Courtwood and Bates deserve great credit for where they are as the second most consistent senior team in Laois from what I think is a small enough catchment area. Congratulations to Portarlington 6 out of seven is almost Portlaoise like dominance.
Courtwood are a very good side and can rightly be proud of being no 2 in the County for the second year running but Stradbally kicked 18 wides against them and lost by 2. Joseph's had 40 scoring attempts and kicked 20 wides and also lost by 2.
Port were never going to be beaten by a team who gave away that many chances to the opposition!
As predicted, Port just had far too much for Courtwood. They are an excellent team within the county and it would be great to see them push on and make some strides in Leinster. Both Murphys were excellent. Moore did a lot of damage even though clearly not fully fit. Already difficult to see who can beat Port next year! Hard to make a case for any of the other 13 teams.
Disappointing day for Courtwood but let's be honest here - they are punching way above their weight and fair play to them. Reaching two county finals in a row is actually incredible for such a small club. Town clubs like Portlaoise, Graiguecullen, Mountmellick should be embarrassed to be behind the likes of Courtwood and Killeshin.
Another really poor quality Laois senior championship comes to a predictable end. This is a very good Portarlington team but it is a sad reflection on where Laois football is at that we don't have three or four very competitive Laois teams in the mix that can consistently challenge them. Ballyroan-Abbey looked like they had the makings of a really good side after their u20 successes and it quiet hasn't clicked for them. Joseph's have on paper probably the next best team in the county but fell short again this year of expectation. Graigue, Emo and Stradbally all had some pretty poor performances in this year's championship. Portlaoise' next generation of young players sadly still have a long way to go if want to regain former glories. Killeshin and Courtwood punching above their weight was great to see but seeing how they lost their semi-finals and final respectively it more a case of them beating poor or wasteful teams as opposed to them being at a very high competitive level themselves.
Any ideas on how the Laois u20 championship will go or how each team is fixed?
I think both minor and senior finals disappointed the way they went. They were both over long before the final whistle.
I would agree that the standard of football is poor currently and the fact that Portarlington are so far ahead doesn't help. It's been like this for a while though. Portlaoise had years of dominance and it was a small rural club, Kilcruise, that tried break the dominance.
Looking at the Westmeath county final was like chalk and cheese. Two very competitive teams driving each other on and some of the scoring was exceptional.
Westmeath would be very close us over the years but led by their schools they are well ahead of us at the moment.
Quote from: Tintin84 on October 11, 2026, 10:10:34 PMQuote from: Jd on October 10, 2026, 11:51:56 PMI'd imagine that if Courtwood do happen to win then Leinster will be the last thing on their minds out in them parts.
Courtwood to squeak home by 2
Leinster last thing on their mind, Port played the perfect game all Courtwood wanted was a free outside of the arch, fairly embarrassing performance from them no point from play in 2nd half and no point from an outfield player apart from the GK, That just shows Courtwood only where they are because of a Byron's points and lucky draws, there a lucky team and bates is a pure bluffer. Thank f**k they've been found out..
Written by someone obviously wouldn't know a football if it landed on top of their head.
You're talking about a club who was playing in the Junior Championship 12 years ago. Won Intermediate 7 years ago. Lucky draws? They beat Stradbally, Ballyroan and St Joseph's on the way to back to back finals. Have a second team playing in Division 7 and at Junior C level. Took Port to a replay last year, were level at half time this year and still level with 20 minutes to go. All this while missing 5 players from last years team while already having a small squad. Not bad for a team who have been "found out".
And on Bates, he's one of the most highly rated young managers around who has just been appointed Laois U20 manager. He'll be a senior intercounty manager somewhere in time.
Quite possibly one of the most idiotic posts ever written here.
Fair play to Port. Well deserved again. Hope they do well in Leinster but they'll have to improve hugely on last years showing.
Just one point on the game. Port would still have gone on to win but Cooney threw up the ball when it should have been a free to Courtwood when Coffey overcarried on the ground. Clear as day free. Port won it, Fitzpatrick kicked a two pointer. They then won the kickout, ball into Murphy, goal. 5 points in a minute from what was a courtwood free and a goal that was actually 7 steps. Like I said, think Port were still heading for the win but one decision put the game to bed very quick.
Quote from: Laoisman456 on October 12, 2026, 03:21:28 PMAny ideas on how the Laois u20 championship will go or how each team is fixed?
Stradbally parish gaels will be strong again, same team that won the minor 3 years ago. Annanough have 5 or 6 and stradbally have 3 or 4 starting on their adult team and Timahoe will have a few good lads as well. Portlaoise and Portarlington will be good enough again. Two of them have so many players in general and both will have 3 or 4 players each on the 20s next year. All 3 are in the same group so one will be out in the group stage. Mountmellick parish gaels might be strong as their 3 adult teams seem to be fairly young. Graiguecullen and Joseph's will be hard bet as usual but I reckon stradbally should win it.
Quote from: LaoisHeritage on October 13, 2026, 10:46:55 AMQuote from: Laoisman456 on October 12, 2026, 03:21:28 PMAny ideas on how the Laois u20 championship will go or how each team is fixed?
Stradbally parish gaels will be strong again, same team that won the minor 3 years ago. Annanough have 5 or 6 and stradbally have 3 or 4 starting on their adult team and Timahoe will have a few good lads as well. Portlaoise and Portarlington will be good enough again. Two of them have so many players in general and both will have 3 or 4 players each on the 20s next year. All 3 are in the same group so one will be out in the group stage. Mountmellick parish gaels might be strong as their 3 adult teams seem to be fairly young. Graiguecullen and Joseph's will be hard bet as usual but I reckon stradbally should win it.
Personally I think that if Port take it seriously without the seniors holding back players then they'll win it. About 7 involved with the senior team another clatter of lads on the junior B winning team and even a couple of ex Co underage players on their junior Cs. Portlaoise backboned by two recent Co final minor teams won't be far off and have had a good month to prepare. SPG will be good but possibly weaker than last year but Stradbally lads were very good in the senior so will probably prove me wrong. I think BA have a bit of a lull on the conveyor belt for a few years around this time so can't see them being at the business end. St Paul's won't be strong enough despite the few courtwood lads involved in the senior final as emo don't seem to have too many young lads involved. Crettyatd Spink might surprise a few though
Quote from: Jd on October 13, 2026, 04:59:08 PMQuote from: LaoisHeritage on October 13, 2026, 10:46:55 AMQuote from: Laoisman456 on October 12, 2026, 03:21:28 PMAny ideas on how the Laois u20 championship will go or how each team is fixed?
Stradbally parish gaels will be strong again, same team that won the minor 3 years ago. Annanough have 5 or 6 and stradbally have 3 or 4 starting on their adult team and Timahoe will have a few good lads as well. Portlaoise and Portarlington will be good enough again. Two of them have so many players in general and both will have 3 or 4 players each on the 20s next year. All 3 are in the same group so one will be out in the group stage. Mountmellick parish gaels might be strong as their 3 adult teams seem to be fairly young. Graiguecullen and Joseph's will be hard bet as usual but I reckon stradbally should win it.
Personally I think that if Port take it seriously without the seniors holding back players then they'll win it. About 7 involved with the senior team another clatter of lads on the junior B winning team and even a couple of ex Co underage players on their junior Cs. Portlaoise backboned by two recent Co final minor teams won't be far off and have had a good month to prepare. SPG will be good but possibly weaker than last year but Stradbally lads were very good in the senior so will probably prove me wrong. I think BA have a bit of a lull on the conveyor belt for a few years around this time so can't see them being at the business end. St Paul's won't be strong enough despite the few courtwood lads involved in the senior final as emo don't seem to have too many young lads involved. Crettyatd Spink might surprise a few though
And just see that Crettyard/Spink are in the B so would be a huge surprise if they won the A
I'm
Have port carlow now next in leinster?
Quote from: Laois man on October 13, 2026, 10:31:39 PMHave port carlow now next in leinster?
Yes they have Rathvilly or Old Leighlin and the winners of that play the Kildare champions.