2019 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

[Don Draper]

Is Paudie Maher ok lads? He took an awful clatter I'd say, the poor owl divil.

I'd imagine he'll be out for the final !

Unlikely he'll ever hurl again  I'd say. Career ending injury if I ever saw one.

No, he'll be back for the Wexford match. They make them tough down in Tipp (so they say themselves, anyway).

He must have been made somewhere else so the way he fell over

[Don Draper]

Savagely proud of our boys. As for Tipp, tramps to a man

You are a despicable and cowardly excuse for a man. Everyone in Tipp is a tr**p, everyone in Offaly is a c*^t by your anonymous estimation.

So do include lads like Brendan Cummins, the Tipp players who clapped the Laois team off the field and the vast majority of Tipp people who have nothing but respect for Laois hurling?

That's an unwarranted attack, you hurt my feeling.

[Don Draper]

Savagely proud of our boys. As for Tipp, tramps to a man

You are a despicable and cowardly excuse for a man. Everyone in Tipp is a tr**p, everyone in Offaly is a c*^t by your anonymous estimation.

So do include lads like Brendan Cummins, the Tipp players who clapped the Laois team off the field and the vast majority of Tipp people who have nothing but respect for Laois hurling?

+1

But you'd be worse to be replying to that fool of a man who contributes nothing on here

Ah cmon now, you're not all that bad.

[MasterJ]

Savagely proud of our boys. As for Tipp, tramps to a man

You are a despicable and cowardly excuse for a man. Everyone in Tipp is a tr**p, everyone in Offaly is a c*^t by your anonymous estimation.

So do include lads like Brendan Cummins, the Tipp players who clapped the Laois team off the field and the vast majority of Tipp people who have nothing but respect for Laois hurling?

+1

But you’d be worse to be replying to that fool of a man who contributes nothing on here

Ah cmon now, you’re not all that bad.

Brendan Cummins is actually quite fond of Laois and in particular Enda Rowland. He keeps singing his praises on the Sunday game.

[Goku]

Hard to see Rowland not getting a nomination. I reckon he is in with a shout.

Serious performance by Laois again yesterday. Playing really efficient hurling. Overcame a couple of serious setbacks to keep hurling.
It was an emotional occasion.

There are a couple of "Key" things that need to be done now.
On the senior intercounty front the key is that these guys return in November in good shape and use the Winter to further their conditioning. The alternative is that 3 months work will be needed to get guys back to zero, and the physical gap further widens between us and our 4 companions in next years LSHC. The old connundrum, are you coming back fit to train or are you coming back training to get fit?

13 of the starting 15 can be key men over the next 5-6 years. Their example, leadership and now their experience, is crucial as a couple of guys come in each year.

There will be bad days ahead when everything falls into place for the big teams over the next couple of years. After this past few weeks they have created a template for themselves to light the way- keep doing what we do.
Rowland will be there for a long time. The game plan suits Cleere and suits Hartnett. We are going to have to find a third member of the full back line somewhere. Matthew obviously isn't the long term answer, but wouldn't be at all surprised to see him there next year.

Anyways, enough spoofing, fair play lads, they can hurl in Laois you know!

Leigh Bergin would be a good addition to the full back line, their is a few years left in Matt yet but think maybe half back is still his best position

[G@@]

Realistically, there are three games they will have a look at to nominate Laois players for All-Stars: the McDonagh Cup Final, the Dublin P-QF game and the Tipperary AIQF game.

That is enough material for the selectors, considering All Stars are usually picked for nomination from the Q Finals, S Finals and Final.

There will be a push to nominate some Laois players from many quarters of the media as we are the romantic story of 2019. As to whether or not a Laois player lands an All Star remains to be seen if our dazzling summer story can be eclipsed with an even more dazzling one such as, perhaps - Wexford winning the AI.

[G@@]

Leigh Bergin would be a good addition to the full back line, their is a few years left in Matt yet but think maybe half back is still his best position.

Agreed, Matthew is better at home with the No. 6 on his back - but what about Mullanney?

[Don Draper]

Realistically, there are three games they will have a look at to nominate Laois players for All-Stars: the McDonagh Cup Final, the Dublin P-QF game and the Tipperary AIQF game.

That is enough material for the selectors, considering All Stars are usually picked for nomination from the Q Finals, S Finals and Final.

There will be a push to nominate some Laois players from many quarters of the media as we are the romantic story of 2019. As to whether or not a Laois player lands an All Star remains to be seen if our dazzling summer story can be eclipsed with an even more dazzling one such as, perhaps - Wexford winning the AI.

I can see 3 nominations. Enda, Jack and one from Mark, Paddy or Aaron. That in itself would be massive. We'll obviously dominate the McDonagh, I could see 10 awards there.

Might be hard to win one on the half back line, Paudie Maher will no doubt get his posthumously.

[blueandwhite1]

Leigh Bergin would be a good addition to the full back line, their is a few years left in Matt yet but think maybe half back is still his best position.

Agreed, Matthew is better at home with the No. 6 on his back - but what about Mullanney?

You'd have to think that Mullaney will be centre back for Laois for the next 10 years if Podge Delaney doesn't push him off that slot. Superbly talented and great physical presence. Hopefully Leigh and Matthew will slog it out for full back but Leigh would be more likely to take the position long term, assuming he returns. Eric Killeen did himself no harm in there this year either. Looks better in central roles than in the corner or on the wing.

[SCFC]

Paudie Maher will no doubt get his posthumously.

Underrated post!!

[Mossy Bruce]

... Being made to play 3 weeks in a row. All Ireland champions Limerick would not have come through that. They don’t want the likes of Laois playing at this level. It’s a disgrace to be honest.
...

The current set up for how the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists merge into the All-Ireland Championship really is rigged against them as far as the tight scheduling between matches. A successful JMcD team (like our superheroes) must run a gauntlet of three matches in as many weeks, where the Leinster contenders are allowed to rest, be content, train, and plan at their leisure for two to three weeks before taking to the pitch against a battle-worn JMcD team. I’d like to believe this is just a gross over-sight by the GAA but…

[seafoid]

I'd say that it will be fine tuned over the winter. The result vs the Dubs was probably unexpected when the programme was being put together.

[Mossy Bruce]

I’d say that it will be fine tuned over the winter. The result vs the Dubs was probably unexpected when the programme was being put together.

One can hope.

Even so, the schedule was knowingly set up with seven days between the Joe McDonagh Final and the Preliminary Quarter-Finals--with the knowledge that two battle-worn JMcD teams would be taking the pitch to meet two successful Leinster panels who were well-rested, locked and loaded.

[Tony]

I'd say that it will be fine tuned over the winter. The result vs the Dubs was probably unexpected when the programme was being put together.

One can hope.

Even so, the schedule was knowingly set up with seven days between the Joe McDonagh Final and the Preliminary Quarter-Finals--with the knowledge that two battle-worn JMcD teams would be taking the pitch to meet two successful Leinster panels who were well-rested, locked and loaded.

I see your point, Mossy, but I have to say, as a player, you want to be playing week in, week out, and it's my opinion that the regular games and week turnaround in fact helped Laois and our match sharpness. Most players love games every weekend as opposed to training. Also, a week is plenty of time to recover from a game the week before. We saw great momentum between the Joe Mc to the Dublin game to the Tipp game, we could easily have taken the energy out of it and over analysed had it have been 2-3 week break.

[Mossy Bruce]

I'd say that it will be fine tuned over the winter. The result vs the Dubs was probably unexpected when the programme was being put together.

One can hope.

Even so, the schedule was knowingly set up with seven days between the Joe McDonagh Final and the Preliminary Quarter-Finals--with the knowledge that two battle-worn JMcD teams would be taking the pitch to meet two successful Leinster panels who were well-rested, locked and loaded.

I see your point, Mossy, but I have to say, as a player, you want to be playing week in, week out, and it's my opinion that the regular games and week turnaround in fact helped Laois and our match sharpness. Most players love games every weekend as opposed to training. Also, a week is plenty of time to recover from a game the week before. We saw great momentum between the Joe Mc to the Dublin game to the Tipp game, we could easily have taken the energy out of it and over analysed had it have been 2-3 week break.

Shows you how much I've played. 
Thanks for the insight, Tony. And you're right--there definitely was a momentum, there.