The future of laois hurling

[Laois Rising]

Nearly all of the best footballers in south Laois end up going to Knockbeg, sprinkled in with some of the best young GAA players from clubs in Carlow, Wicklow, parts of Kildare and Kilkenny, Knockbeg will always field competitive teams, especially in football.

The problem for Portlaoise CBS is that a large cohort of male pupils joining the school do not play or have played little or no GAA. How can they field competitive teams if the pool of potential players is dwindling year on year? Killian FitzPatrick is considered one of the top GAA coaches/managers in the county and is working in the CBS. If the players were there, Portlaoise CBS have the facilities and staff to compete at the top table.

[clonadmad]

Nearly all of the best footballers in south Laois end up going to Knockbeg, sprinkled in with some of the best young GAA players from clubs in Carlow, Wicklow, parts of Kildare and Kilkenny, Knockbeg will always field competitive teams, especially in football.

The problem for Portlaoise CBS is that a large cohort of male pupils joining the school do not play or have played little or no GAA. How can they field competitive teams if the pool of potential players is dwindling year on year? Killian FitzPatrick is considered one of the top GAA coaches/managers in the county and is working in the CBS. If the players were there, Portlaoise CBS have the facilities and staff to compete at the top table.

Killian Fitzpatrick is taking every football team in the CBS and seems to be a one man band as regards the coaching of football in the Cbs

Compare and contrast that with the number of mentors and the ethos in Knockbeg as regards football

Strip out the lads going to the CBS who don't play GAA and I'll guarantee you the CBS has  greater numbers still than Knockbeg

You have about 7/8 clubs represented in there as well

Also why then is the girls school doing better next door at nearly every sporting discipline ?

I guess it might be something to do with ethos,tradition,teachers involved and the fact they seem to be training the whole time even during the summer holidays

[Zooming around]

U15 last night

Laois A beat Wexford by 2 points

Laois B took a bit of trimming from the other Wexford team.

U14

Both laois teams took a hiding from the 2 kilkenny teams in Dunmore on Saturday last while we had another 2 Laois teams playing 2 Wicklow teams at the same time in the Centre of Excellence

Sounds like we have great numbers at that age group. Have we ever had 4 teams at one year before?

[clonadmad]

U15 last night

Laois A beat Wexford by 2 points

Laois B took a bit of trimming from the other Wexford team.

U14

Both laois teams took a hiding from the 2 kilkenny teams in Dunmore on Saturday last while we had another 2 Laois teams playing 2 Wicklow teams at the same time in the Centre of Excellence

Sounds like we have great numbers at that age group. Have we ever had 4 teams at one year before?

its the 4 divisional teams that are being put out and getting game time

at U15 both laois teams took a heavy beating from the 2 Wexford teams in the return games last Saturday

[Zooming around]

U15 last night

Laois A beat Wexford by 2 points

Laois B took a bit of trimming from the other Wexford team.

U14

Both laois teams took a hiding from the 2 kilkenny teams in Dunmore on Saturday last while we had another 2 Laois teams playing 2 Wicklow teams at the same time in the Centre of Excellence

Sounds like we have great numbers at that age group. Have we ever had 4 teams at one year before?

its the 4 divisional teams that are being put out and getting game time

at U15 both laois teams took a heavy beating from the 2 Wexford teams in the return games last Saturday

How are the regions picked? Is it geographical or are the players just split into four equal groups.

[clonadmad]

U15 last night

Laois A beat Wexford by 2 points

Laois B took a bit of trimming from the other Wexford team.

U14

Both laois teams took a hiding from the 2 kilkenny teams in Dunmore on Saturday last while we had another 2 Laois teams playing 2 Wicklow teams at the same time in the Centre of Excellence

Sounds like we have great numbers at that age group. Have we ever had 4 teams at one year before?

its the 4 divisional teams that are being put out and getting game time

at U15 both laois teams took a heavy beating from the 2 Wexford teams in the return games last Saturday

How are the regions picked? Is it geographical or are the players just split into four equal groups.

Scroll back a few pages to where I posted up a breakdown by club of the divisional teams

[Spiritof1915]

U15 last night

Laois A beat Wexford by 2 points

Laois B took a bit of trimming from the other Wexford team.

U14

Both laois teams took a hiding from the 2 kilkenny teams in Dunmore on Saturday last while we had another 2 Laois teams playing 2 Wicklow teams at the same time in the Centre of Excellence

Sounds like we have great numbers at that age group. Have we ever had 4 teams at one year before?

its the 4 divisional teams that are being put out and getting game time

at U15 both laois teams took a heavy beating from the 2 Wexford teams in the return games last Saturday

How are the regions picked? Is it geographical or are the players just split into four equal groups.

U14s are split geographically (North, South, East and West) , while u15s are A and B. In addition the u16s are back training with a bang in preparation for next year's minor championship.  Big crowds in attendance too.

[Spiritof1915]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

[Robbo]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

There are trials/divisionals starting Friday night.

[ottoman]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

I don't know if many counties have open trial sessions for all to attend these days from my experience. I know when I lived in Kildare for a few years and I was semi involved in the local club. Players u14 up to u21 were invited to come into the county panel. There was some occasions where additional players were invited to form an expansive panel for some challenge matches and the likes but that was it. I'm now living in Dublin the last number of years and it seems to be similar, the club might get a phone call to send player x or y but that seems about it. Obviously I cant speak for the whole country and maybe that's just the way its done up here, Kildare and now in Laois. Cant say I'm fully for or against it, I just accepted it as the norm.

[clonadmad]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

Its my understanding that 12 to 15 of this years u15s are being brought into the minor squad for next year.

Its far from ideal.

but an improvement on the minor squad of 2/3 years ago which held u15 trials and then was a closed shop to all after that.

[Spiritof1915]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

There are trials/divisionals starting Friday night.

I think the Divisional trials were ditched by management in favour of a hand picked 30.

[Robbo]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

There are trials/divisionals starting Friday night.

I think the Divisional trials were ditched by management in favour of a hand picked 30.

Trials on Friday night. Not enough interest for divisionals.
Not a hand-picked panel.

[Zooming around]

Heard a rumour not sure how true it is that the Laois U20 hurling management have gone against a recommendation by a CB sub committee to have regional trials for this year's squad. Instead favouring a hand picked group of 25 - 30 players starting next Friday. If true I seriously fear for Laois hurling. Have they not learnt anything especially from diastraous minor set ups of the last 2 years in particular. Even colm bonnar in a stronghold like Tipp sees the wisdom of a complete trawl of the county.

Its my understanding that 12 to 15 of this years u15s are being brought into the minor squad for next year.

Its far from ideal.

but an improvement on the minor squad of 2/3 years ago which held u15 trials and then was a closed shop to all after that.

Why is it not ideal? A minor team is always made up of players from two years.

[Home Boys Home]

The u20 A hurling championship has just concluded and B Championship is still ongoing. These matches would be better than any trials and would surely have been attended by the management. Great win for my own club Abbeyleix in the A by the way.

There are not too many uncovered jewels out there in Laois that have not been in the system at some stage, you might have late developers but if so they will have featured for their clubs in senior intermediate or junior.

Anyway, I heard the management were contacting up to 30 players in addition to those that were involved last year and are still eligible. Whether it's via trials or training or a combination of both I'm not sure, but between the two groups you are going to have 50 or 60 lads under consideration which is a pretty wide net for Laois hurling.