Laois hurling focusing on youth development

Four years ago, the Cuchulainn and Setanta Laois hurling development programmes that were started by Pat Critchley and Cheddar Plunkett were reactivated.

The programmes worked well the first time around, with the first batch off the production line reaching the Leinster minor final of 2013.

Following their reactivation in 2021, the development camps are continuing to harness young talent.

In the past week, they have just finished programmes for players from under-10 through to under-13.

They catered for 360 young hurlers in a six-week module.

"The great thing is that they are also developing coaches as well as players," says Laois hurling chair and former underage manager, camogie boss, county board delegate and Camross man Mattie Collier.

"Our under-13 group will now have their first game against Offaly this Sunday and they will be going to Croke Park afterwards for the Joe MacDonagh final against Kildare."

Sunday's final is huge for Laois.

They lost narrowly to Offaly in last year’s Joe MacDonagh Cup final, creating over 40 scoring chances but also having 19 wides.

Collier is hoping that the experience and pain of losing that game can spur them on this time around.

"It would be huge for the promotion of hurling in the county," he says.

"We struggle to get players from non-hurling areas but we have a club alignment programme now, where anyone who wants to play hurling, but comes from a football area, has a direct pathway to a hurling club. That will help participation in football areas.

"We also have a full-time head of athletic development in Tom Hargoves, whom all our squads have access to.

"We are very lucky to have appointed Shane Keegan as our head of games and development and he is doing great work.

"And in addition, we have a new games promotion officer programme in conjunction with the Leinster Council and at the moment we have eight coaches covering 13 dual and hurling clubs and hopefully we will have each one of them covered very soon.

"So, there is a lot of good work going on and slowly but surely they are all small steps in the right direction.

"It will take time. I remember Paudie Butler (former GAA head of hurling) saying that he was asked one day how an under-12 season went. 'Come back and tell me in 10 years’ was the reply. The work that is going on now will take time to pay dividends, but we are hoping it will.

"A win on Sunday would be a huge boost, though and it would put us back in the Leinster Championship, where we feel we belong.

"I would say well done to the Leinster Council with their ticket giveaway for kids. There will be a huge crowd there and for our kids to see Laois win a cup in Croke Park would be massive in a promotional way. You would be building on kids' dreams."

For the future development of Laois, Collier would like to see the tiered structure at senior level introduced at underage.

"It’s time to do it at minor and under-20 level now," he says.

"With Galway in the under-20, the chances of ourselves, Carlow, Westmeath or Kildare getting to a final are slim. But to play the likes of Kildare in a tier two final and get back into the championship proper would be better.

"For us any way we can get better is the way we should go. And we are doing that. Our under-15 team beat Limerick last year.

"This year’s under-16 Celtic Challenge side are playing their final against Meath in Abbotstown this weekend.

"Also, this year our minors won three group games and our under-20s beat Wexford before we lost to Kilkenny.

"At senior level, Tommy Fitzgerald and his management team are doing a great job and I suppose everyone in Laois would also like to wish Darren Gleeson (initially named Laois manager before stepping down to focus on his treatment) every best thought in his battle with illness.

"Sunday is a big one for us. Kildare are a really good team and it won’t be easy. But we have been there before and hopefully that could help the lads."

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