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I agree- the standard of the last few county championships has been deplorable. I felt that when Cheddar was manager that our championship witnessed an improvement as well at the time. The energy and interest created at county level seemed to filter into the club scene. Sadly, it appears things have regressed.

https://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/laois-player-reveals-stripped-soccer-scholarship-sneaking-off-play-hurling-weekends-123189

Ross King has given 100 percent commitment to his club and county the last number of years. He sacrificed a scholarship in UCD for love of county and club. Lads like that deserve the upmost respect from the Laois GAA public-not a cowardly and thuggish attack on the field of play. Any normal person would consider winning a final in that way tainted, embarrassing and not worthy of celebration. Listening to interview with Camross manager after game you'd swear he pulled a tactical masterstroke to turn the game. Highly embarrassing and infuriating to listen to. Furthermore, a manager of any class would be quick to wish King a speedy recovery as it was clearly evident that the young man was badly injured.

Eddie Brennan should run now. He's in a lose lose situation. If he doesn't bring in some of the Camross players (when we have such a small pick already) it will be detrimental to our chances of progress in 2019. However, having them there next year isn't likely to develop a harmonious team environment (toxic would be the word that springs to my mind). Hard to ask lads to hurl together and function as a team when certain clubs can't leave insular, backward approaches to hurling where they belong (in the past). Play hard but play fair. Teams that cross the line need to be made an example of and appropriately punished. In Laois we hand them back to back county titles.     

I think a bit of perspective is needed. These lads are all fine footballers but the litmus test is when they face a Portlaoise side in championship football. Too many players have been talked up this year as potential county standard only to be blown away by their direct marker when they faced Portlaoise in the championship. What this year's championship has shown that there are plenty of good footballers in Laois at senior and intermediate level but very few outstanding or really top level footballers. You'd be hoping that a couple of these lads will be able to make the step up with proper coaching and exposure to high level football. At present our club championship doesn't provide this-reason why I hope the regional competition starting in a few weeks really takes off. The only way of truly progressing players is by playing games regularly at a higher competitive level. If players and clubs buy into it it has huge potential for player development.       

Very cheap shot thrown at Graigue and Clancy on this forum. If you took four or five of the the most prominent players (e.g. O'Reilly, Fleming, Doran, Brennan) from any club team in Laois bar Portlaoise they would struggle badly and more than likely flirt with the relegation play-offs. A lot of young players given the chance this year and that orders well for them going forward. They will have benefited from the experience of this year. If they can keep that group of players together for the next year or two they should be competitive going forward.

I'm not sure what more they could have done this year. My reading of O'Dempsey's game was that the first goal proved the decisive score. Showed great character against Killeshin the first day and Timmons showed huge commitment and hunger driving the team forward in games. They very much looked like a team playing for their club and manager.   

On the need for another club in Laois you could look at a town like Tralee with very similar population. There are seven clubs in and around the attachment area of the town (granted football has a much higher status in Kerry). The result is that every youngster in Tralee is exposed to GAA and depending where they are living/familly connection has a connection/afflication to a specific club. That allows for link up between coaching within schools and clubs. Pointless having a GDA in Laois going into primary schools in Portlaoise for a couple of weeks doing a half hour sessions when those youngsters and have no affiliation to a GAA club. The coaching ends up going nowhere.

I would take a wager that the majority of youngster in Potlaoise have not been to see "their club" playing in any county final, name the players on the team or have even set foot inside O'Moore park for any championship game. It really is a huge issue for Laois GAA to try and readdress.     

On the flip side it's all well and good looking to establish a second GAA club but who will run it and get it off the ground? Need people from Portlaoise to buy in and commit for the long haul if it is going to get off the ground. I don't know if they are there. 

If you stop underage football after U19 a lot of lads could be left in limbo with having little or no football if they do not make the transition to senior straight away. I can't see a problem with running an U21 competition if a different time of year was found for it within calendar. With Portlaoise's dominance at senior level set to last for another decade or more it will probably be the last chance most footballers in Laois have of winning a county championship title with their club.     

If players bought into it would be a great tournament. Every side is capable of fielding a strong side which should make for a high standard of football. Four/Five rounds of games played at a high level would surely stand to the development of some of the younger players in the county with the potential to push on.

Down the line it would be great to see Laois with a county and club championship akin to what they do in Kerry. Having three or four regional sides properly standing up and going toe to toe with Portlaoise could only be good for raising standards in Laois football.   

Down away is not ideal but looking at the draw we should be there or there about come end of league for promotion. You would be hopeful that the team can kick on again next year.

Laois came from something like 6 points down to lead by 4 with game almost up. Robertson equalizing score came from a blatant pick up missed by the ref. That Laois team was coming near the end of its shelf life-was a very competitive team in 90s without ever really threatening a Leinster title. 

Paddy Donovan of Portlaoise won the Men's 50+ World Handball Championship over in the US yesterday. Good 24 hours for Portlaoise
on the sporting field.   

I felt yesterday was the litmus test of this Laois side. They battled to the end which was commendable but the reality is Monaghan had the game won by half time and only for Brody Laois would have suffered a serious drubbling. The loss of Attrite really showed yesterday as he is probably our one marquee defender. Truth be told I was disappointed with this Laois performance. How many times had we players back marking space but not tracking runners. Monaghan will do well to produce a kicking performance again like they did in the first half but too many times they were given the space and time to take shots at the posts.

Glynn and Farrell still need plenty of work if they are to make the mark as inter-county standard half forwards. Monaghan half back line blew them out of it at times. Hopefully everyone will continue to give the commitment required and we can step up a level next year. Promotion from division 3 is a requisite and hopefully a favourable draw in the Leinster championship can provide us with another crack at making a Leinster final. 

I don't necessarily agree that we are doing anything wrong at underage compared to other counties. The fact is that all counties now have very professional underage set-ups. In light of that the bigger counties with the bigger picks are the ones that are more than likely to succeed e.g. Kildare, Meath and Dublin. Every so often a team outside of those in Leinster might have a couple of outstanding footballers come through together that will break the status quo. The biggest problem in Laois and it has been highlighted by posters here time and time again is the pathetically small number of youngsters playing GAA in Portlaoise. A town and surrounding environs of well in excess of 20,000 and the potential this provides is being badly wasted. It's ridiculous to think that the two Arles clubs with two two teacher schools between them have provided nearly as many seniors to Laois county football team as Portlaoise has in the last decade. If we are to be successful at underage then something needs to change and a proper strategy implemented to reinvigorate GAA in our main town.     

Heard something about Delaney bringing in Johnny Kelly as coach with him if he gets the job, that would be good, he has good experience and a good track record.

If true, would be a popular choice within the county. We need to bring in someone who would be invested in the job and willing to build things long term. Naming lads like Jamie Wall doesn't appeal to me. Needs to prove himself a lot more than managing a stacked university team. Next appointment is  too big to get wrong-I don't want to see the wrong appointment made and Laois end up playing Christy Ring come 2020 as a consequence.   

Laois were blessed with how the two groups were drawn this year. In reality that Laois team would struggle to finish fifth if they had been placed in group A. Wicklow, Offaly, Meath and Dublin would all easy defeat our minor team. They beat Longford the first day out after getting off to a fast start. Longford were clearly the better team once they settled and had there been another couple of minutes left in that game probably would have claimed the victory. Still though with how results seem to be panning out there is every chance Laois will end up in the semi-finals. That was the goal at the start of the campaign and once there you never know what might happen. I have the feeling that Donnacha Phelan might fall into the bracket of a lucky manager rather than a good manager. As a supporter I would never say know to a bit of luck.

On a side note-Meath play Wicklow in their remaining group game. They are already guaranteed top stop. If they win Dublin will more than likely sneak second spot. If they lose then Wicklow progress. They have beaten Dublin once already in the competition-not easy to beat any Dublin side twice.

Laois job after Cheddar was always going to be an impossible task with so many retirements and withdrawals from Laois panel. We were basically left with an Under 23 panel that had achieved little at under age and lacked physicality. I worry for the next 4:5 years whoever comes in. Things look to have got progressively worse as the year progressed. Our team looks like a group of Young lads who have lost confidence and belief. Once things started to go wrong on the field of play they folded like a house of cards