Laois Senior Football Championship 2020

[High Fielder]

Lads it's pointless debating with you. If you like the format you have to accept when it fails, which it has done now. We insist on playing league football without Championship all the way up to August, thereby giving Club footballers all the freedom they want, which BA seems happy with. I would want the same for everyone too in an ideal world, but that's not happening in successful counties. Their attitude is far more professional in its outlook. We're not winning anything and they are. We won't be winning anything of note any time soon. Basically the standards are deteriorating year on year but sure it's grand; our players get 2 weeks between matches, they have no problems booking holidays and there is no pressure to get fit until May/June. Why doesn't everyone do like us? We're f**king revolutionaries. Oh wait a minute. We win nothing. Doesn't matter.

[High Fielder]

Major extremes there HF, and while I don't agree with what you are saying, looking back I don't see why we had full one code only weeks given the year that was in it.
Some sort of rolling schedule where teams played every 10 days or so (with at least one midweek fixture) surely should have been looked at.
Maybe it's all easy say in retrospect.
I don't get the connection you are trying to make between the format and player's commitment levels? Surely the football format (where you have no idea who you are facing in the next round and must win to activate a safety net) is better than a group format where you know 3 months in advance which games will be tough & which will be less of a battle?

You've seen league football in Laois, right? It's like watching pub league soccer imo. You just have to be playing a couple of rounds of Championship football in April/May. How else can lads be expected to take their sport seriously? Listen don't get me wrong. I love our format and all debating aside, I think it's perfect for amateur sport. But I also have no doubt that it's a major contributor to our declining standards.

[Laoiseabu]

Anyone know why Aaron Forbes and Ambrose Doran haven't made an appearance for Graigue yet ?

[SCFC]

Major extremes there HF, and while I don't agree with what you are saying, looking back I don't see why we had full one code only weeks given the year that was in it.
Some sort of rolling schedule where teams played every 10 days or so (with at least one midweek fixture) surely should have been looked at.
Maybe it's all easy say in retrospect.
I don't get the connection you are trying to make between the format and player's commitment levels? Surely the football format (where you have no idea who you are facing in the next round and must win to activate a safety net) is better than a group format where you know 3 months in advance which games will be tough & which will be less of a battle?

You've seen league football in Laois, right? It's like watching pub league soccer imo. You just have to be playing a couple of rounds of Championship football in April/May. How else can lads be expected to take their sport seriously? Listen don't get me wrong. I love our format and all debating aside, I think it's perfect for amateur sport. But I also have no doubt that it's a major contributor to our declining standards.

I get your frustration but "a couple of rounds of championship in April/May"? Seriously? That's like the set up was 25 years ago when I was playing. A championship game in April, maybe another in May (colleges exams time remember). And then back to the league or challenge games for June, July, maybe August if Laois get a run going! Managers don't want to have to get lads match primed for two different sets of games three months apart. Next door in Offaly they play championship games in April and there's nothing only giving out about it. I'm not saying I have the answer but I don't think a split season for championship is practical.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Anyone know why Aaron Forbes and Ambrose Doran haven't made an appearance for Graigue yet ?

Not sure about Forbes but Doran was out with an injury. He was down to start last day but seemingly tweaked something just before the start of the game. Should be ok for the semi if it ever goes ahead..

[Butch Cassidy]

It's very quiet on the football front. Begley back for Sunday? Hard to know how Sunday will go. They need to start with the urgency they showed in the last 10 minutes of the Fermanagh game. The lads showed great character coming back and maintaining their division 2 status. Teams of old would have dropped the head so it was great to see that battling quality. Lilis is a big loss but so too is Mickey Quinn. I'll go for a 2 point win for Laois.

[Laois Rising]

Longford seem to be missing a number of big players. Looking at the Longford team that played Louth at the weekend I didn't see John Keegan, David or James McGivney or Pádraig McCormack's name and we know that Mickey Quinn is definitely gone for the year. That is the centre back, two midfielders, centre forward and full forward of the last last few years missing for them. If Laois fail to win at the weekend it would be a major disappointment as we are playing a very weakened Longford side.

I predict comfortable Laois win by 5/6 points. 

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Today marks the 100th birthday of our greatest ever footballer, Tommy Murphy..

https://www.facebook.com/327213153226/posts/10158149151843227/?sfnsn=mo

[blueandwhite1]

Longford seem to be missing a number of big players. Looking at the Longford team that played Louth at the weekend I didn't see John Keegan, David or James McGivney or Pádraig McCormack's name and we know that Mickey Quinn is definitely gone for the year. That is the centre back, two midfielders, centre forward and full forward of the last last few years missing for them. If Laois fail to win at the weekend it would be a major disappointment as we are playing a very weakened Longford side.

I predict comfortable Laois win by 5/6 points.

If we play like we did for 68 minutes against Fermanagh even a weakened Longford will cause us problems.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

What a strange year, 2020 football championship will not finish until June 2021.

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2020/12/18/2020-laois-gaa-club-championship-finals-to-be-delayed-further-with-june-date-for-county-finals/?fbclid=IwAR0KGssKstxooysTYXsOGMPw50Z1TwLv_NJtWybmaJiLzmdfHmEj1HqjSEw

[clonadmad]

What a strange year, 2020 football championship will not finish until June 2021.

https://www.laoistoday.ie/2020/12/18/2020-laois-gaa-club-championship-finals-to-be-delayed-further-with-june-date-for-county-finals/?fbclid=IwAR0KGssKstxooysTYXsOGMPw50Z1TwLv_NJtWybmaJiLzmdfHmEj1HqjSEw

Playing it in June during the height of the Intercounty season?

Do these lads not keep in contact with Croke Park?

Split season is in

Intercounty till the 24th of July then the Club season kicks in

[town1980]

its going to be very harsh on all the semi finalists but i think its time to pull the pin on all finals and reinstate teams that have been relegated,its going to run into next years championship and that might not go ahead either there is to much uncertainty out there at the minute,its only my opinion

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

its going to be very harsh on all the semi finalists but i think its time to pull the pin on all finals and reinstate teams that have been relegated,its going to run into next years championship and that might not go ahead either there is to much uncertainty out there at the minute,its only my opinion

I don't think you would have the same opinion if Portlaoise were still in contention. This year is a great opportunity for some other club to claim county honours and it would be very unfair not to go ahead with the championship at this stage. Its only 3 games which should be very easy to accommodate in next years calendar.

[recyclebin]

Are many other counties in the same situation as Laois? Could the GAA not have allowed for a few weeks early next year to get the club championship finished. If they are worried about Covid and the after parties then don't let them take home the cup and get the Gardai to do their jobs in the town/village that wins it. It's hardly that difficult.

[Downtheroad]

Are many other counties in the same situation as Laois? Could the GAA not have allowed for a few weeks early next year to get the club championship finished. If they are worried about Covid and the after parties then don't let them take home the cup and get the Gardai to do their jobs in the town/village that wins it. It's hardly that difficult.

It's not a GAA decision either at local or national level. There will be no club games until level 2.