The future of laois hurling

[merman]

It looks like a huge ask for our lads to be honest. This is an excellent Galway team and if they click, we could be in for a difficult evening.

[clonadmad]

I fear for our lads given what they are facing

Geoff Lynskey over their 20's and gunning for the senior job in 2022.

second favorites to win the All Ireland and bedecked with minor medals

If we get within 15 of them,it will be a result

I hope to be completely wrong

[G@@]

Galway 4-21 v 0-07 Laois.

Physically inferior, no aerial ball winning ability, poor first touch. Didn't look like a team that really trained together much or turned up with any tactical game plan.

Disappointing.

I know that Galway team have a string of minor medals, but we should have been able to give them a game on our own home turf.

[The PRO]

It was men against boys. Felt sorry for our lads who had to wait so long for what was always going to be an impossible task.
You'd have to question whether we would have been better off in the second tier under 20 competition. That did us no good. It's fine wanting to play at the top level but I honestly think we'd need to be more competitive than that to justify it.

[mountrath1]

At times, and most of it, was men against boys. No physical presence, no ball winners. I'd question selection when we can't have Conor Cosgrove or Cormac rigney 6ft plus men starting. I won't be 2 critical but this manager has had these guys 3yrs now. No game plan, no athletic development program, no lads fit to move into adult grade.
Isnt that what it's all about. Finding guys who will make the step up. You have to instil best practice, huge work base, good technical knowledge and skill sets.
Tonight none of that was seeing and even the game against carlow.. How can we feed into the top team if the seeds of development are not be sown to ripe....

[burdizzo]

More like, what are Galway doing in the Leinster championship? I presume our county board voted for it?
I know, they were dire tonight. As was said, the first touch was truly awful, and we were - as ever - too small and light. However, it must be very hard training on your own for something like this when you know you're not going to win. At least they beat Carlow, which is more than our u20s usually do...

[Laoisred]

Have to agree with Mountrath on this one. Irespective of the opposition, Laois looked like a team that hadnt played together. Poor basic skills and totally  illprepared for the game in my view.
I know the local media bought into the " battling' Laois minors crap last year and the year before when they were poor (and average when beaten by wexford). I appreciate it has been a difficult year but it was the same for Galway. This  is an awful follow up  to the minors with Coolderry sandwiched in between. I would argue that the u20 appointment is almost as crucial as the senior job. We must get this right to give the lads some chance.

[clonadmad]

If Galway had put out their minor team last night they would have beaten us

We are doing all our juvenile players a disservice sending them out with little or no preparation to face underage powerhouses like galway.

We are light years behind the top 10 hurling counties at underage level in just physical development and conditioning alone never mind any other facet of the game

We had lads going down with cramp at the 50 minute mark,which tells its own tale.

I'm not having a pop at any of the players,I'd know a good few of them lads and they would die for their county.

We are failing them

[Helix.]

If Galway had put out their minor team last night they would have beaten us

We are doing all our juvenile players a disservice sending them out with little or no preparation to face underage powerhouses like galway.

We are light years behind the top 10 hurling counties at underage level in just physical development and conditioning alone never mind any other facet of the game

We had lads going down with cramp at the 50 minute mark,which tells its own tale.

I'm not having a pop at any of the players,I'd know a good few of them lads and they would die for their county.

We are failing them

Have to agree with above.

Granted it is an excellent Galway team who will be probable favourites for U20 All Ireland but they have a conveyer belt of talent for years and have the physically to match as well as skill. You can have all the skill you want but if you can't win your own ball we're going nowhere. Our skill set needs to be much better as well.
Galway have recruited Lukasz Kirszenstein as Head of Athletic Development for Hurling in Galway for past 3 years. Highly regarded in Strength and Conditioning in Ireland and paying dividends and Galway will be back in a year or 2 with another senior All Ireland.

I hope there's some form of cohesion from Cheddar with 20s and Senior can be integrated better. A head of Athletic Development in the county might at least put a plan in place to plug a gap. Otherwise we'll keep sending lambs to the slaughterhouse every year and have the same discussion next year.

[Ogie]

Minor loss to Offaly magnified even more this evening, massive chance of a Leinster final was blown.
Offaly now play Westmeath in semi final after Westmeath have beaten Dublin

In relation to above post about athletic development there now is one in place with Mike Henchy & Jason Coffey with our 14/15/16 development squads but only put in place last year or two, it will take time and coaching & mangers must also be brought up to scratch, not fellas rubbing shoulders with the top table, pushing their way in even though their incapable, as happened with the minor

[town1980]

Take yere  head out of the sands Kilkenny ,Galway are streets ahead of us so we are wasting our here time thinking otherwise we will never win Leinster no more than the footballers so we are second third tier simple so quit the shite talk r let's just pretend

[town1980]

Mike who Jason who enough said no history behind anything we're doing truth hurts but is the truth we have nooooo history behind what we are doing tell me one person who is involved with our county set up who has been through the mill regarding managers etc know one ,, why ...

[Ogie]

Ya your probably right, let's not try anything. That'll help us improve.

Who do you want in charge of anything? History?? Babs keating, ger Loughnane, Cyril Farrell,
all history no future.
I'm not saying their messiahs but their the only ones at the moment I know of putting anything in place, cos it's their jobs.
It's not cheddars job now to have our u14s ready for minor in 3 years .

[Laoisred]

History? Jesus H C...! Who wants history....we need forward- looking, future-looking, innovative people involved. Did Mickey Harte have history behind him, or Jim McGuinness? We only need a handful (with the right structures in place) and things can improve quickly. A few like John Kiely would be great. (he had no history behind him), but they are hard to come by for sure.
You cant stop trying - Cavan & Tipp footballers didn't anyway and they are provincial champions this year. We cant settle for the status quo even if many would like to see it preserved.
We have to strive for improvement and to better ourselves at all levels.

[clonadmad]

Take yere  head out of the sands Kilkenny ,Galway are streets ahead of us so we are wasting our here time thinking otherwise we will never win Leinster no more than the footballers so we are second third tier simple so quit the shite talk r let's just pretend

Best splinter all the hurleys and puncture all the footballs in that case