Patrick O'Sullivan of Laois celebrates at the final whistle after the Tailteann Cup Preliminary Quarter Final match between Fermanagh and Laois at Brewster Park in Enniskillen, Fermanagh. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
After a tough season, it looks like the Laois footballers finally have the momentum they’ve craved for so long.
They’ve taken some sore licks this year. Missing out on promotion from Division 4 because of the head to head rule, a very heavy defeat to Dublin in Leinster, and then draws with Offaly and London in the Tailteann Cup that saw them earn more criticism than praise.
But the players clearly never lost the faith, as evidenced by their Tailteann Cup Preliminary Round win away to Fermanagh last weekend that has earned them a tilt at Limerick in the quarter-final proper on Saturday.
“The players always kept believing in themselves,” says Laois selector Chris Conway.
“They've been getting criticism for a long time. Obviously the aim at the beginning of the year was to get out of Division 4 and we didn't manage to secure that.
“They're probably getting used to the criticism at this stage. You can use it both ways. You can let it get in on you and get you down or you can just take it on board and, I suppose, embrace it to help you with the next challenge.
“There's a lot of character in this group and, while we do have some experienced heads, it's worth remembering that over half the panel are 23 or under.
“Obviously there's a big rebuilding phase on. We played Fermanagh in the League last year and of the 20 players we used then there were only 10 of them available last saturday.
“So even within our two years with the team there's been a big changing of the guard.
“We were happy with the win over Fermanagh and the fact that the lads stuck at it after a poor third quarter and finished strongly. Particularly after letting leads slip in the previous two games against Offaly and London.
“It was a long overdue win for the lads and they deserve it after their hard work. We knew that performance was in them.
“Obviously people were critical of the result against London but the positive thing from our point of view was that when the lads went two points down in injury-time they didn't throw in the towel and kept fighting as a team to get a result to get them through to the knockout stages of the competition.”
Eoin Lowry of Laois is congratulated by supporters after the Tailteann Cup Preliminary Quarter Final match between Fermanagh and Laois at Brewster Park in Enniskillen, Fermanagh. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Just like they were against Fermanagh, Laois will be underdogs going in against a Limerick team that topped their Tailteann Cup group and played Division 2 football this year.
Conway is realistic about the challenge his players face, but hopes the momentum sourced from that win over Fermanagh can see them raise their game again.
“Limerick are a seasoned outfit," he says. "They've had great continuity over the last number of years down there. They've done well in the League the last number of years and ran Clare very close in the Munster Championship as well and we've seen since what Clare are capable of.
"They topped their group then in the Tailteann Cup and had a chance to rest players last week whereas we're playing for the third week in a row. Again, that can work for you or against you, obviously we're hoping to build on the momentum of the victory last weekend.”
