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We’re less than four days away from the Leinster semi final and excitement is building.
Laois are back in the last four of the competition for the first time since 2009 and this will be the third time they will play Carlow this year.
John Sugrue’s men met them twice in the National Football League. In the Round Robin stage, Laois went to O’Moore Park where a Gary Walsh goal led them to a 1-6 to 0-8 win.
Here is a reminder of the team that played that day:
LAOIS: Graham Brody; Stephen Attride, Mark Timmons, Gareth Dillon; Trevor Collins, Colm Begley, Robbie Piggott; John O’Loughlin, Kieran Lillis; Alan Farrell, Benny Carroll, Brian Glynn; Evan O’Carroll, Gary Walsh, Donie Kingston. Subs: Darren Strong for Piggott (27), Eoin Lowry for Walsh (49), Daniel O’Reilly for Carroll (59), Ross Munnelly for Glynn (61)
Then, a week later, the pair met again in the league final in Croke Park on March 31.
In a far more open game, Laois built up an early lead and never looked back as they went on to win by 0-15 to 0-11.
Here is a reminder of the team from that day:
LAOIS: Graham Brody; Stephen Attride, Mark Timmons, Gareth Dillon; Trevor Collins, Colm Begley, Robert Pigott; John O’Loughlin, Kieran Lillis; Alan Farrell, Benny Carroll, Brian Glynn; Eoin Lowry, Donie Kingston, Ross Munnelly. Subs: Danny O’Reilly for Carroll (51), Darren Strong for Glynn (59), David Conway for Munnelly (62), Niall Donoher for Piggott (65), Jamie Farrell for Kingston (71), Finbarr Crowley for Collins (71)
In total, Sugrue used 23 players over those two games. Now since then, two of those, Robbie Pigott (gone to America) and Danny O’Reilly (injured) are no longer available.
However, a number of players have returned to the fold that did not play in either game. Chiefly Paul Kingston, Damien O’Connor and Denis Booth.
Selection decisions
After nine consecutive wins, the defence is probably the most settled part of this Laois team.
Graham Brody will be in goals while Mark Timmons and Gareth Dillon are sure to start in the full back line.
Colm Begley and Trevor Collins will surely be in the half back line so the question facing manager Sugrue is where he places captain Stephen Attride.
In the two previous games against Carlow, Robbie Pigott operated at wing back but he has since departed the panel to spend the summer in America.
Captain Stephen Attride played at corner back in the Westmeath win and that meant that teenager Finbarr Crowley came in at wing back where he shackled Kieran Martin brilliantly.
The guess is that Sugrue will keep faith with that back seven. However, should he decide to make a change, Darren Strong, Ruaidhri C-Fennell, Denis Booth, David Holland and Shane Nerney are all waiting to come in.
The Front Eight
Kieran Lillis is enjoying arguable his best season in a Laois jersey while his partner at midfield, John O’Loughlin, is also motoring well so it is hard to see any change there.
But the battle to fill the remaining six place on the starting team is intriguing.
Paul Kingston scored a hat-trick in the win over Westmeath while his older brother Donie is Laois’s talisman – so both of those can expect to start at 11 and 14 respectively.
Timahoe’s Damien O’Connor missed all of the league with a shoulder injury but has started both of the Leinster championship matches so far and has barely put a foot wrong.
This potentially leaves three places to be filled by up to nine players.
Against Westmeath, Alan Farrell, Benny Carroll and Ross Munnelly were in the starting team with Brian Glynn, Niall Donoher, Evan O’Carroll, David Conway and Gary Walsh all on the bench – while Eoin Lowry missed out with injury.
Of those three, Alan Farrell is probably most in danger as he was substituted in the first half with Niall Donoher coming on and scoring two points.
Benny Carroll started corner forward but was given licence to roam against Westmeath. He was replaced 12 minutes from the end by Evan O’Carroll who went on to score 1-1.
Ross Munnelly was also replaced late on by David Conway. However, with his experience and the performance he gave in Croke Park at the end of March, it seems unlikely he will be dropped.
But with Brian Glynn now fully recovered from injury and Eoin Lowry also reportedly flying in training, it will be very interesting to see who gets the nod in the end.
The team is set to be named on Friday night and Laois will then take on Carlow at 2pm on Sunday in Croke Park.
SEE ALSO – Mark Timmons on what it’s like to be living in the middle of the #CarlowRising
