Round 3 of the Laois Shopping Centre senior hurling championship will take place this weekend – but only three matches will take place.
Group A concludes on Saturday but only one of the two matches will go ahead following a walkover.
Rosenallis have conceded their game against Clough-Ballacolla as the game is a complete dead rubber.
Clough-Ballacolla won their first two games against Abbeyleix and The Harps meaning that they are already qualified for the semi finals.
While Rosenallis lost to the same opponents meaning that they will finish bottom.
That is because even if they defeated Clough-Ballacolla, they cannot finish ahead of either The Harps or Abbeyleix on the head to head rule.
Now this situation is not unusual in Laois as the exact same scenario arose in Round 3 in both groups last year.
However, there is no relegation this year. Ordinarily, Rosenallis would have faced the bottom side in the other group in a playoff.
But with the increase to ten teams in 2025, there is no relegation for this year meaning that Rosenallis have no value in playing against Clough-Ballacolla to prepare for a playoff.
It means that Clough-Ballacolla will go seven weeks between their win over The Harps and their semi final.
To be fair to Rosenallis, they were in this situation in Division 2 of the football league earlier this year.
They played Mountmellick in the final game despite already being safe themselves and they won it – upholding the integrity of the competition and relegating Mountmellick in the process.
Another factor in Rosenallis’ decision is surely their involvement in the Laois SFC.
They have 14 dual players who are set to face O’Dempsey’s in Round 3 of the competition next week.
Rosenallis have a realistic chance of reaching a quarter final and if not, they will head for a Senior B quarter final anyway.
In Group B of the SHC, Castletown are out but their game against Rathdowney-Errill will go ahead as it does have an impact on the competition.
That is on Sunday after the meeting of Camross and Portlaoise.
If Rathdowney-Errill win, they will finish top and claim a semi final place with Camross and Portlaoise hoping for a slip up so they can take advantage.
SEE ALSO – In Pictures: Some of the best images from the 2024 Electric Picnic
