The future of laois hurling

[Zooming around]

Very positive re the schools. It worked to Offaly's benefit. Why was it stopped anyhow as they have previously had a schools team in hurling?

Abbeyleix v Harps in U20.

Both teams continue to produce winning underage teams.

It was there in the past and worked well but I think it was stopped due to costs.

[Spiritof86]

Leinster club on Sunday Naas V Camross. And also A and B U20s finals on all could be close games.

Would love to see Camross rattle Naas but can't see them getting within 10 points tbh

[burdizzo]

Leinster club on Sunday Naas V Camross. And also A and B U20s finals on all could be close games.

Would love to see Camross rattle Naas but can't see them getting within 10 points tbh

No. Naas are good.

The Harps for the 'A' and Castletown for the 'B'.

[Helix.]

Leinster club on Sunday Naas V Camross. And also A and B U20s finals on all could be close games.

Would love to see Camross rattle Naas but can't see them getting within 10 points tbh

No. Naas are good.

The Harps for the 'A' and Castletown for the 'B'.

Camross always love being written off. Should be an even enough game, especially in O'Moore Park.
The A and B final will go either way.

[Verbal]

Don't think Camross will beat Naas, but surprised at the 10 point suggestion. To be fair, I'm also surprised at the bookies odds.

Surprised to see Castletown in the B at U20 level. They seem to have been progressing at underage level and by all accounts are a young senior team.
Looking at their team from last weekend with Aaron Phelan, Rory Kelly, Conor Doran, Jack Breen and Ciaran McKelvey all established senior hurlers, they will surely be too strong for Ballinakill-Pickas.

I think Abbeyleix will win the other one. The club badly need a final win after a fairytale year, with little to show at the end of it all (trophy wise!).
Should be a cracking game. Two clubs that are assembling some pool of talent!

[mcwregor]

Any word on new members on the laois hurling panel? Any retirements?

[burdizzo]

County board put Ctown in the B competition as the believe they weren't strong enough for the A.

Only drew with Raheen Parish Gaels in the group stages, but beat Ballinakill/ Ballypickas by 10. Mind you, I was surprised to see Portlaoise in the A. Could hardly have been weaker than Portlaoise, could they?

[Laois man]

Other team in Ctown parish played with na fianna U20 s i believe.

[burdizzo]

Other team in Ctown parish played with na fianna U20 s i believe.

You talking about Slieve Bloom, I presume. I understood Slieve Bloom had basically no juveniles bar the ones registered w/ Castletown, and that they'd have to transfer out to play with Slieve Bloom. Did SB have players on the Na Fianna team (who can't have been very good, at any rate)?

[John1]

Kelvin Burke, Slieve Bloom  u20 ??  Good skillful hurler from what I have seen & at that Age Group too he would shine no doubt.
Na Fianna mix of Mountmellick Ballyfin & Slieve Bloom I think correct me if I am wrong , but all clubs with no major potential coming through at that particular Age-Group, The 1st and latter especially over the years bar 1 or 2 .  Similar to RPG a mix of 3/4 Clubs & did not make an impact for the depth of clubs involved,  drawing with Castletown seen as great result & then loosing out to Ballinikill / Ballypickas.  Castletown would be stronger than Portlaoise I believe also.
Fear for Slieve Bloom next year they are a club struggling with very little coming through

Predicting The Harps , Castletown , Naas, Bray Emmett's ( with 1/2 possibly been out )

[Galtee1]

Harps & Abbeyleix should be a cracking final. Hard to gauge whether they are actually producing top talent or are the other clubs just considerably poor. Laois minors and u20s haven't exactly pulled up any trees bar an appearance in a Leinster Minor final in 2022.

Any word on new additions to the Laois Senior Panel?

[Sir Alex7]

Hearing tat Lee cleere and mark kavanagh are back involved with laois

[Spiritof1915]

Some win for The Harps this evening in the u20.. serious crop of talented hurlers coming through. Surely next year they will be competing at the business end of the senior championship. 
Hard luck to abbeyleix.  3 tough losses but they too have plenty of top talent to work with.

[Verbal]

I didn't get to the game, but I'm surprised at the margin of victory!

Very important for The Harps to win the Intermediate & get to Premier Intermediate in the short term too.
With their numbers & talent coming through having two teams competing at as high a level as possible will be crucial.
There could be serous fall off otherwise.

Seriously clever management needed too to keep 20 seniors plus the 10/12 second team players who want to hurl Senior interested and feeling valued.

Most crucial of all could be what the guys about to depart senior after long careers do. Many of them owe the club nothing, but could have huge influence on the club over the next few years.
The culture of the 2nd team has a really huge bearing on what happens in a club.

[John1]

The Harps better team by far, would love to see them & Abbeyleix been in the Top4 Teams of Senior for the years to come freshen things up

Any other older players back in than Cleere & Kavanagh involved with the seniors?