Laois county football team

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Laois
Laois GAA Crest 2005.jpeg
Sport:Football
Irish:Laois
Nickname(s):The O'Moore County
County board:Laois GAA
Manager:Vacant
Captain:John O'Loughlin
Home venue(s):O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
Recent competitive record
Current All-Ireland status:Leinster (SF) in 2020
Last championship title:None
Current NFL Division:2 (5th in 2020)
Last league title:1985–86
First colours
Second colours

The Laois county football team represents Laois in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Laois GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

Laois's home ground is O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. The team's manager is vacant.

The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 2003 and the National League in 1986. Laois has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship.

History[]

Further information: List of Laois county football team title winning teams

Laois contested the second ever All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) final in 1889.

In 1926, the county won the final of the first National Football League competition, defeating Dublin.

1936 brought Laois's only other appearance in an All-Ireland SFC decider.

Laois defeated Monaghan by a point in the 1985–86 National Football League final. Liam Irwin and Colm Browne both won All Stars for their performances that year.

During the 1990s Laois had a number of successes at minor and under-21 level, including All-Ireland Minor Football Championships in 1996 and 1997.

During the mid-2000s Laois football became a strong force at all age levels.

Under former Kerry and Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer, Laois finished as National Football League runner-up and Leinster Senior Football Championship winner in 2003. Laois would go on to contest the Leinster Senior Football Championship Final again in 2004 (lost after a replay) and 2005 (lost by one point). During the same period the minor county team won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship again in 2003 and the Leinster Minor Football Championship in 2004, 2005 and 2007, while the under-21 county team won the Leinster Under-21 Football Championship in 2006 and 2007.

In 2006, Mick O'Dwyer's management of Laois ended and former Limerick manager Liam Kearns replaced him. Sean Dempsey replaced Kearns as manager after two years in 2008. Dempsey, who had led the Laois minor team to the 2003 All-Ireland title, commenced a major re-building exercise in 2009 but did not achieve success and Justin McNulty replaced him for the 2011 season. After three seasons in charge, McNulty stepped down to be replaced by Tomás Ó Flatharta.[1]

Ó Flatharta lasted until 2015, resigning after a Leinster SFC quarter-final loss to Kildare and an All-Ireland SFC qualifier exit against Antrim.[2] Mick Lillis from Clare replaced him.[3] Lillis led Laois to the bottom of Division 2, a Leinster SFC quarter-final exit and then an All-Ireland SFC qualifier exit to Clare before he resigned in 2016.[4][5] He also used seven substitutes in a win, causing the game to be replayed, complained about a fixture against Dublin being held at Nowlan Park and dropped Gary Walsh when he cursed at him after being substituted.[6] Peter Creedon was the next manager; he too did not last long, exiting under heavy criticism from county board delegates, with Mick Lawlor claiming the county would be set "back by five or six years" if Creedon were not ousted.[7] He went, amid allegations of a drinking culture within the squad, Laois having been relegated to Division 4 and knocked out of the All-Ireland SFC by Clare.[8]

In September 2017, John Sugrue from Kerry was appointed senior manager of the Laois football team.[9] He spent two seasons with the county, guiding them to two promotions that brought them from Division Four to Division Two of the National Football League, making Round Four of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers in both years and bringing Laois to the 2018 Leinster Senior Football Championship final.[10]

In October 2019, Mike Quirke, another Kerryman, succeeded Sugrue.[11] Quirke resigned at the end of the 2021 season after a run of poor results.[12]

Current squad[]

Team as per Laois vs Dublin in the Leinster SFC semi-final, 15 November 2020

No. Player Position Club
1 Niall Corbet Goalkeeper Clonaslee–St Manmans
2 Trevor Collins Right Corner Back Graiguecullen
3 Mark Timmons Full Back Graiguecullen
4 Robert Piggott Left Corner Back Portarlington
5 Sean O'Flynn Right Half Back Courtwood
6 Patrick O'Sullivan Centre Back Portarlington
7 Eoin Buggie Left Half Back Stradbally
8 Daniel O'Reilly Midfield Graiguecullen
9 John O'Loughlin (c) Midfield Rosenallis
10 Gareth Dillon Right Half Forward Portlaoise
11 Paul Kingston Centre Forward Arles/Killeen
12 Brian Byrne Left Half Forward Graiguecullen
13 Evan O'Carroll Right Corner Forward Crettyard
14 Kieran Lillis Full Forward Portlaoise
15 Gary Walsh Left Corner Forward Ballylinan
No. Player Position Club
16 Matthew Byron Substitute Courtwood
17 Mark Barry Substitute O'Dempseys
18 Séamus Lacey Substitute Ballylinan
19 Ross Munnelly Substitute Arles/Kilcruise
20 Michael Keogh Substitute St Joseph's
21 Diarmuid Whelan Substitute Ballyroan Abbey
22 Alan Farrell Substitute Ballylinan
23 Shane Bolger Substitute Killeshin
24 Brian Daly Substitute St Joseph's
25 David Seale Substitute Portlaoise
26 Denis Booth Substitute The Heath

Currently abroad: Stephen Attride[13]

RET Player has since retired from the county team.
INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Current management team[]

Managerial history[]

Bobby Miller 1987–89

Richie Connor 1989–93

Colm Browne 1993–96

Mick Dempsey 1996–98

Tom Cribbin 1998–00

Colm Browne 2000–02

Mick O'Dwyer 2002–06

Liam Kearns 2006–08

Sean Dempsey 2008–10

Justin McNulty 2010–13

Tomás Ó Flatharta 2013–15

2015–16

Peter Creedon 2016–17

John Sugrue 2017–19

Mike Quirke 2019–21

All Stars[]

Laois has a total of five football All Stars.

Honours[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Laois appoint Ó Flatharta as football manager". The42.ie. 22 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Tomás Ó Flatharta steps down as Laois senior football boss". The42.ie. 24 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Laois confirm Lillis appointment". Hogan Stand. 6 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Mick Lillis announces Laois resignation in statement". Newstalk. 25 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Mick Lillis Steps Down As Laois Football Manager". Pundit Arena. 25 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Mick Lillis' Departure Leaves Laois In An All Too Familiar Position". Pundit Arena. 25 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Laois manager Peter Creedon heavily criticised at county board meeting". RTÉ Sport. 18 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Laois boss Peter Creedon steps down amid allegations of a drink culture in the squad". Irish Independent. 27 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Kerry native confirmed as the new Laois senior football manager". The42.ie. 27 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Laois announce surprise Sugrue exit". RTÉ Sport. 30 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Ex-Limerick boss added to Laois backroom team". The42.ie. 15 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Mike Quirke quits as Laois manager". RTÉ. 5 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Former Laois captain Attride hopes to represent county again when Down Under journey ends". Laois Today. 5 November 2020.
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