Leinster Minor Football Championship 2018

[Don Draper]

I was down there not a great performance but should have been out of sight sooner...

One thing to notice of this team is how quick they are to send in direct ball but sometines its when the player is marked or has no chance of  getting on to it!

I'm all for kick football but it needs to be done at the right time !

Let it in ta f**k and less of your fansy shite

[redsetanta]

First of the Carlow trilogy this evening? Laois into semi's if they win.

[Laoiseabu]

Ye if Laois win tonight they are into the semis which means the last group game against the strongest team Kildare won't matter.

[redsetanta]

Struggled against Carlow this evening before getting a draw.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Carlow Minors play the mass defence also, just goes to show how ordinary teams can be so difficult to break down using it.
Kildare destroyed Carlow last day, Carlow only scored two points in the hour..

[Laoiseabu]

Lacey at midfield and Larkin at centre foward tried hard but that's the weakest I've ever seen Laois at at minor level

[SCFC]

Lacey at midfield and Larkin at centre foward tried hard but that's the weakest I've ever seen Laois at at minor level

They're not great but one point I'd make is they are all 16 and 17 not like the old minor teams which were all 17 and 18.

[Laoiseabu]

I think a lot of them are over age next year according to a source of mine . ( 10 of the starting 15 are overage next year)

[justinn]

Carlow senior football coach Steven Poacher has hit out at the "disgusting" criticism the county's minor footballers received after their Leinster championship defeat to Kildare last week.

The young Barrowsiders went down to the Lilywhites by 14 points after registering just 0-2 over the hour but responded last night by securing a 0-10 apiece draw against Laois after having led by three points in the closing stages.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after the game, Poacher lashed out at some of the "terrible press" the team has received recently.

"They drew 10-all after being absolutely trawled disgracefully through the media last week for a bunch of 16-year old lads," said the Down native.

"Getting destroyed because someone was trying to fulfil his own self needs and his own popularity. It's disgusting what goes on sometimes.

"I would love if some of these people would actually come and take a session and look at the work these lads do. Those young lads that got terrible press for their performance against Kildare, I watched them play the end of last year in Newry at U15 level and they beat Down by 10 points."

He added: "They were playing a Kildare team that was a full year, mentally and physically, bigger than them. Kildare beat Wexford the week before by 15 points. So, the lads only got a couple of points. So what? They are building for next year."

[Don Draper]

Carlow senior football coach Steven Poacher has hit out at the "disgusting" criticism the county's minor footballers received after their Leinster championship defeat to Kildare last week.

The young Barrowsiders went down to the Lilywhites by 14 points after registering just 0-2 over the hour but responded last night by securing a 0-10 apiece draw against Laois after having led by three points in the closing stages.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after the game, Poacher lashed out at some of the "terrible press" the team has received recently.

"They drew 10-all after being absolutely trawled disgracefully through the media last week for a bunch of 16-year old lads," said the Down native.

"Getting destroyed because someone was trying to fulfil his own self needs and his own popularity. It's disgusting what goes on sometimes.

"I would love if some of these people would actually come and take a session and look at the work these lads do. Those young lads that got terrible press for their performance against Kildare, I watched them play the end of last year in Newry at U15 level and they beat Down by 10 points."

He added: "They were playing a Kildare team that was a full year, mentally and physically, bigger than them. Kildare beat Wexford the week before by 15 points. So, the lads only got a couple of points. So what? They are building for next year."

A p***k of a man

[SpeculativeEffort]

Is he saying Carlow are playing U16 in minor cship?

[Don Draper]

Is he saying Carlow are playing U16 in minor cship?

No, 16 year olds are necessarily U16.

What he's saying is 'blah blah blah, me me me me me me, blah blah, I'm a ****, blah blah, look at me, blah blah'.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

[redsetanta]

Wicklow had a fine win against Dublin yesterday fairplay to them.

The manner of the defeat against Kildare is the worry as it was a big loss.

A county like ours is not going to produce world beaters every 2 or 3 years. We were fortunate that we had so many good players emerging at the same time back in the mid 90's.

No doubt more work has to go into coaching at early underage. The best we can hope for atthe moment is that each minor team can produce a couple of players who will improve and bring somethig to the senior set up in the next couple of years.

[Laois Rising]

Laois were blessed with how the two groups were drawn this year. In reality that Laois team would struggle to finish fifth if they had been placed in group A. Wicklow, Offaly, Meath and Dublin would all easy defeat our minor team. They beat Longford the first day out after getting off to a fast start. Longford were clearly the better team once they settled and had there been another couple of minutes left in that game probably would have claimed the victory. Still though with how results seem to be panning out there is every chance Laois will end up in the semi-finals. That was the goal at the start of the campaign and once there you never know what might happen. I have the feeling that Donnacha Phelan might fall into the bracket of a lucky manager rather than a good manager. As a supporter I would never say know to a bit of luck.

On a side note-Meath play Wicklow in their remaining group game. They are already guaranteed top stop. If they win Dublin will more than likely sneak second spot. If they lose then Wicklow progress. They have beaten Dublin once already in the competition-not easy to beat any Dublin side twice.