2025 National Hurling League

[The Boy Wonder]

Good man Infidel - don't mind yer man Doylesrightleg - he went in over the top.
Anyway, I think you meant Georgie Leahy RIP and not John Lally.

The early eighties brings back happy memories when Laois were up there with the best.
Beating Limerick, Tipperary and Galway on the way to Centenary Final against Cork where we fell short.

Leinster semi-final in 1981, despite Offaly goal in the side netting Laois were a point up in last few minutes.
Laois on the attack and centre-half back John Delaney harshly pulled (charging I think). Paddy Kirwan levels with a monstrous free. Heartbreaking for Laois. Then Offaly, fair play to them, go on and win their first All-Ireland.

In 1982 we lose to Offaly after a replay and again in 1985 in Leinster Final. Offaly win their 2nd All-Ireland.
So near and yet so far.

[georgedoylesrightleg]

goin in over top is slammin a Laois manager after a challenge match in fekkin January. N the lad only in job a few weeks cos of a man gettin cancer. I have it as much respect as it deservet. January lads.

[LaoisforSam]

Hi lads first time to post on group & long time follower. Is it always this heated? Anyway best of luck to Tommy & Laois for 2025. Personally I think Underage is where We need to start. Honestly I think 3 clubs Clough Ballacolla/Abbeyleix & The Harps are doing great work as are Camross who always seem to be doing well underage. Up & Coming & improving I think Park Ratheniska & Mountrath are going in the right direction. But worrying is Rathdowney Errill & Borris Kilcotton & obviously Portlaoise not winning a Minor A Final in over 25 years. Laois needs a strong Portlaoise for hurling & Football to be strong.Am I wrong?? Or are Ballinakill or Mountmellick or someone else making really good growth & turning underage Hurlers to Senior Players. If We look at the next panel of U15/U17 or U20 etc How many Clonad or Portlaoise lads are on the panel? Who is making in roads. What worries me most is the future for Shanahoe who were on a par with Abbeyleix or Ballacolla 20 years ago. Without Colt Shanahoe couldn't field a team at any age group. Ballypickas likewise. Great to see Portarlington beating Camross in an underage game a few years ago & St. Paul's fielding hurling teams but I think We need to do a lot better. I don't have all the answers but I look at The CBS in Portlaoise & there are two former inter County players & neither involved with the school hurling teams. We need our Schools being more competitive & need someone to step in like Michael Duignan or someone with money like JP Mc Manus. Anyway rant over.Best of luck to Tommy & his team & all Laois players & Management Teams.

[Laois Rising]

I think we've beaten that path many times with what you state in your post LaoisforSam. To have any success you have to put the correct bottom up structures in place. Look at Dublin's na Fianna's success-it was created with a serious drive to get hurling going within the club in the early 00s. Twenty year's later they are the top dogs in the country. If the potential of Portlaoise was harnessed correctly at club and schools level alone it would make a massive different to underage county teams and then players feeding into the senior county team. A strong, vibrant Portlaoise generally correlates with a strong county team as well aka Laois in the 1980s hurling and football and early 00s Laois football team with the likes of Fennelly, FitzPatrick and Fitzgerald. The Leinster winning panel of 2003 had 7 Portlaoise players involved.

Portlaoise has the population size and tradition to replicate the success Na Fianna achieved yesterday. Are there enough people in the club with the time, appetite and commitment to implement a long term plan that would see Portlaoise return as a dominant force in Laois GAA. If the last five-ten years has showed anything the answer is sadly no.         

[Dagda Moore]

CBS is a wasteland for hurling. I think they played one game in the 'C' championship this year? That's it. No training at hurling, or anything. In the '80s and '90s it was in the schools where the training was done, now it's up to the clubs at those ages. Fair enough, I suppose. However, with the demographic at the school, it's hard to see how hurling will become a major sport in CBS again. I think soccer, basketball, rugby, and football would all be above it in importance.

On another note, I heard the u20s were well beaten by Kilkenny CBS in a practice game recently? I know probably everyone got a run, but it still doesn't bode well with Offaly and Galway in the championship. This would be a lot of the group that got to the Leinster minor final? Well, fair play to management if they can turn it around.

[Blueforever]

It a disgrace that hurling should be so badly promoted in the CBS in case anyone on this board are in doubt the job of the County Board is to promote both hurling and Football in this county and as far as I can see they are a complete disgrace I never blame those that play the game or the volunteers that give there precious time they are doing there best but they need help before it's too late

[Laois man]

Laoisforsam  i think Ctown are going well underage have won U13 u15 and are U17A champions for 2024.

[LaoisforSam]

That's true Laoisman No Coincidence Mountrath Community College is doing good & local clubs are seeing The Benefits. If I remember correctly Ballinakill & Castletown were very close & both winning multiple Underage Finals between them. The difference being Castletown produced alot more quality Hurlers eventhough there was very little between the teams.

[georgedoylesrightleg]

cbs playn c n d rubby n hurlin football dyin a death in there. fundin shud be cut

[Verbal]

What are the numbers like in the CBS?
Are they promoting no sport at all?
If not, be very surprised if they were getting the numbers in the door!

[BobbyBoucherJr]

cbs playn c n d rubby n hurlin football dyin a death in there. fundin shud be cut

what funding do they get?

[G@@]

32 point defeat certainly doesn't bode very well

Looking at Tipp V Galway on TV last Sunday the scale of the defeat isn't that surprising. Only for two lucky Galway goals near the end of the game, they would have shipped a bigger beating. Tipp look slick and will be there at the business end of the championship unless the wheels spectacularly come off the wagon or the ship an unreal amount of injury.

[ottoman]

cbs playn c n d rubby n hurlin football dyin a death in there. fundin shud be cut

What the hell is rubby?

And what funds are you referring too?

[redsetanta]

Big game Sunday. Should be a good crowd in O'Moore Park. Carlow put it up to Offaly last week and gotba point in the end so Offaly will be going for it from the start. In recent years it's been a good tussle with Offaly with little between the teams. A win would set us up nicely fro the rest of the league.

[Dagda Moore]

Big game Sunday. Should be a good crowd in O'Moore Park. Carlow put it up to Offaly last week and gotba point in the end so Offaly will be going for it from the start. In recent years it's been a good tussle with Offaly with little between the teams. A win would set us up nicely fro the rest of the league.

It'll be interesting to see the team, and I wasn't all that gone on the one named for Westmeath. Where's Podge Delaney this weather? I'd say it'd be good work to beat Offaly.