Leinster SHC quarter-final - Portlaoise, Sunday June 1st, 4pm, Referee; Cathal McAllister
Galway and Laois is throwing in at 4pm this Sunday in a double-header in Portlaoise, and it's live on Newstalk Sport. Dave McIntyre is on commentator duties, with Daithí Regan and Jamesie O'Connor alongside him...
2014 to date
Laois have played more games at this stage of the year than any of the other intercounty hurling sides. They finished fourth in Division 1B, making the quarter-finals of the league where they lost to Clare by just four points (2-19 to 2-23). En route to their All-Ireland win last year, Clare beat Laois in phase 2 of the qualifiers by 1-32 to 0-15, a 20 point margin.
Laois manager Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett was speaking to Off The Ball last night regarding his sides hectic schedule.
Laois have performed so well in 2014 without the likes of many of last year’s star performers like Zane Keenan, Cahir Healy and Gearoid Burke who are not involved. James Walsh and John Brophy have returned from injury in the past month while Brian Dunne is still out.
Galway had a decent league campaign where younger players like midfielder Padraig Breheny and St. Thomas club man Conor Cooney stood up. They drew with Clare, lost to Waterford and Kilkenny, and beat Dublin and Tipperary in 1A, beating Limerick in the quarter-finals before losing to Kilkenny in the league semi-finals.
Joe Canning, named as the Galway captain for 2014 missed the majority of the league campaign due to Portumna winning the All-Ireland club championship and a hamstring injury. He came off the bench against Limerick and captained the side against Kilkenny.
2013 Championship
Laois gave Galway a real scare in the Leinster hurling championship semi-final in Portlaoise last June. Tommy Fitzgerald’s 57th minute goal had them leading by 1-10 to 0-12.
However, 30 seconds later, Eoin Reilly’s fantastic save from Joe Canning’s goal bound effort fell straight to Davy Glennon whose goal put Galway back in the lead. Canning’s tally of 0-11 was crucial as Laois tired towards the end.
Galway went on to lose the Leinster hurling final to Dublin before exiting the race for the Liam McCarthy to Clare, the eventual winners.
Laois beat Antrim and Carlow before meeting Galway. They then entered phase 2 of the hurling qualifiers, where they lost to Clare by 20 points. Kilkenny and Tipperary were the other sides in the pot for phase 2.
Galway - Played 3 - W1 - L2
Leinster Semi-Final - Galway 2-17 1-13 Laois
Leinster Final - Galway 2-13 2-25 Dublin
All-Ireland quarter-final - Galway 2-14 1-23 Clare
Laois - Played 4 - W2 - L2
Leinster first round - Laois 1-16 0-13 Antrim
Leinster quarter-finals - Laois 2-18 0-13 Carlow
Leinster Semi-Final - Laois 1-13 2-17 Galway
All-Ireland qualifiers phase 2 - Laois 0-15 1-32 Clare
Team News
Niall Healy has been ruled out for Galway for the rest of the year after injuring his cruciate ligament in a club championship game last weekend, while Andy Smith is also out with medial ligament damage. Joe Cooney is injured as is Cyril Donnellan.
Nine of the Laois senior panel played in Parnell Park on Wednesday night as the Dublin u21 hurlers knocked them out of the Leinster Championship by 1-17 to 1-10.
Talking Point
This will be the fifth weekend in a row that the Laois senior hurlers have played. Along with the u21 quarter-final defeat to Dublin last Wednesday night (where nine of the senior panel started) and it will be six high intensity inter-county games of hurling in the space of 29 days.
Does this hectic schedule help preparations for playing a Leinster Championship fixture against a side like Galway as Anthony Cunningham, the Tribesmen manager suspects. Or will the Laois players be dead on their feet come throw-in?
* The winners will face Kilkenny or Offaly on June 22nd in the Leinster SHC semi-final.
