The series returns this year after a one-year break with the first test fixed for Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds on October 23 and the second test pencilled in for Croke Park a week later
By Steven Miller, Leinster Express

The league stages of the Australian Football League (AFL) season finished last week with North Melbourne finishing just outside the top eight and so won’t play in the final stages of the competition.

Meredith had been playing with North Melbourne’s feeder club, Werribee Tigers, but struggled to nail down a regular place with their first team. They are, however, involved in the finals of the Victorian Football League (VFL) which means that Meredith won’t be home for another couple of weeks yet.

It remains to be seen whether he opts to find a new club or return home

By Steven Miller, Leinster Express

Dublin beat Laois for the second time in championship football this year, having also won the Leinster decider, and the Sky Blues showed true grit to pull a hard-fought All-Ireland semi-final out of the fire on a 1-8 to 0-9 scoreline.

Laois had a player-of-the-match performance from Aileen O’Loughlin and after the inspirational midfielder kicked two first-half points to help the O’Moore County lead by 0-4 to 0-2 at break, the game sparked to life in the second period.

As Dublin fought their way back after the restart, Laois were rocked by a yellow card for wing-back Mags McEvoy but held firm nonetheless.

With 12 minutes remaining, Laois stormed three points clear as Tracey Lawlor grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and Dublin were badly in need of inspiration.

It arrived with just over seven minutes remaining when Lyndsey Davey netted a fine goal to put Dublin 1-6 to 0-8 clear at a crucial stage in proceedings.

In a dramatic finish, Laois responded with an equalising point from Gemma O’Connell but All Star Sinead Ahern, quiet until then, exploded into life with a magnificent score with just over four minutes remaining.

Dublin then lost Lindsey Peat to a yellow card but the Metropolitans still managed to notch the final score of the game as Ahern landed the insurance point.

- Irish Independent

Laois proved that momentum through the qualifiers counts for a lot as the O’Moore County secured a 0-12 to 0-9 victory against the beaten 2008 All-Ireland finalists.

At half-time, Laois led by 0-6 to 0-3 after the sides had been level three times in the opening twenty minutes.

Then, scores from captain Angela Casey, Mary Kirwin and dominant midfielder Tracey Lawlor helped Laois to a three-point half-time advantage.

It was a lead they would hold all the way to the finish and Monaghan never looked like finding a way through a resolute Laois defence, with Lorraine Muckian and Aisling Quigley particularly good in the full-back line.

Three minutes from time, and with Laois leading by 0-11 to 0-7, top scorer Noirin Kirwan sensibly popped over a penalty after the 21-year-old forward was fouled by Grainne McNally.

Sub Caoimhe Mohan and a strangely subdued Ciara McAnespie hit points in the final minute but they were mere consolation efforts as the O’Moore County booked their place in the last four for the first time in three years.

- Lynn Publications

A smile beamed from ear to ear as she shook Joe Higgins hand on the sideline, a victory was in sight and with this a quarter-final spot. Her team had comfortably beaten Kildare and showed an improved performance and attitude.

They had played as a team, the main characteristic of any winning side.

The Timahoe club woman spoke to us ahead of the game. “We’ve knuckled down since the Leinster final and training is going quite well. We’re playing a lot of matches at training. It’s quite competitive as there’s a lot of places up for grabs as you can imagine. It’s a very competitive team now. We’ve been training hard and doing a lot of work. It paid off against Kildare but we know we’re going to have to do a lot more work against the likes of Monaghan because they’d be in a different calibre to Kildare really.”

Every team wants to be in the deciding stages of the championship.

“This is what you train for all year, big matches in the championship. We were delighted that we were able to prove ourselves again against Kildare because we were very disappointed after the Leinster final and we felt we needed to prove to ourselves and other people that we weren’t that bad. Still, we have more to prove because just beating Kildare is not good enough either.”

Laois showed an improved performance against Kildare, in their team work especially. “Joe and Martin have been doing a lot more with our work rate and keeping possession, which were our two main faults in the Dublin game. In fairness to the girls possession wasn’t given away cheaply unless you were in trouble and also the whole thing of working hard, breaking tackles and working for each other. So, that’s what we’re going to try and keep up. We’ll definitely have to be at a higher level the next day and hopefully be able to perform on the day.”

There is strong competition for places and many changes occurring in the team. The Kildare game saw Mags McEvoy, Alison Taylor and Aisling Kehoe all take a spot on the first 15. “It’s great for the team. Some people would say you should have a settled team for the championship and obviously in certain places you should but I think it’s great the way the lads have given lots of opportunities for the girls to prove themselves and different girls got different opportunities in different places, which in other years they mightn’t have got.

It’s great that there is so much competition and other girls are back from injury and proving themselves and it’s great to have those younger girls on the team too, they’re a huge asset. Their attitude alone, they’re great girls I have to say.

It’s a pity more minors don’t come on board. We’ve only three or four this year. We could do with more than that really coming in each year.”

Angela knows that a tough challenge lies ahead. Laois drew with Monaghan in the league already this year where Monaghan finished fourth and Laois third. It will be a tight and interesting game.

“We’re under no illusions, we know how good they are. They won their provincial title, we didn’t and we played them in a practice match and we drew with them, a month or two back. But we know the quality of players they have. It’s not going to be easy if we’re to win the game. It’ll be tough work but hopefully we can put in the performance, that’s the main thing. I know that if we do put in a performance we can win and it’s all about attitude at this stage because we have the work done so it’s the player’s attitude at this stage that’s going to count.”

By: Siobhán Walsh, Laois Nationalist

Brother Ryan has been a visible presence in Laois hurling for a number of years now, including his involvement with Portlaoise and the Laois senior hurling set ups through to his coaching with the Setanta development hurling squads.

Mick Scully,  Liam Clancy, Peadar Burke will join Br Phil on the Minor management team. for the first time ever all three appointed from the development squads. U17, U16 and U15 respectively, as Laois GAA attempt to harness properly the talent coming through their ‘Setanta’ hurling programs.

Roe had pitched for the job in recent weeks and was one of three names which had been officially nominated.

But for the third time he has been frozen out having missed out on the position in 2006, when Liam Kearns was appointed, and again two years ago when Sean Dempsey took the reins.

However, Roe isn’t bitter about the decision to approve McNulty, who has managed club teams successfully in Cavan and Dublin.

“I’m disappointed but that’s life,” he said. “I wish Justin well. All that matters to me is that Laois prosper.

“I would have loved the job but it’s not to be. Whether I’ll be U-21 manager next year, that’s something I’ll have to consider but it’s something the Laois Board will consider too,” added Roe, who has managed in Wexford, Carlow and Offaly.

- Irish Independent

The Mullaghbawn native was ratified by the Laois GAA Executive last night, having been formally proposed for the role by Football Committee Chairman Andrew Broderick.

McNulty, who is succeeding Sean Dempsey, received the full backing of clubs at the monthly meeting of the Laois County Board.

In welcoming the appointment of the outgoing Armagh selector, Laois GAA Chairman Brian Allen said: “I would like to formally welcome Justin on board and wish him the best.

“As supporters and county officials we must give him a chance to embed into the team. No doubt we will reap rewards in the future.”

McNulty was full-back on the Armagh team that achieved a historic first All-Ireland title for the Orchard County in 2002.

His managerial CV includes leading Mullahoran to a Cavan club title in 2006 and guiding St. Brigid’s to an appearance in the 2007 Dublin SFC decider.

Allen outlined the process of easing McNulty into the Laois set-up.

“The plan starting out is to pick 60 players approximately for what he is calling ‘county training sessions’. These won’t be development squads,” he explained.

“Justin is asking us to get four people to oversee four teams, and over a couple of these games a panel will be finalised.

“One of those in charge of the teams will be chosen as a selector. Justin will bring in one other selector and a back-up coach - obviously a forwards coach, as he was a defender himself.”

A similar process of picking a county squad has been deployed in Dublin in the past couple of seasons with North, South, East and West Dublin squads playing a series of trial games around the Christmas period, with a view to finalising a squad of 30 players for senior inter-county action.

Among the people who had been linked with the Laois managerial role were outgoing Laois Under-21 boss and former Offaly and Wexford manager Pat Roe, legendary Galway forward Padraic Joyce and retired Kerry great Darragh O Se.

McNulty’s appointment will come as a huge disappointment for Laois native Pat Roe, who was overlooked for the position in both 2006 and 2008.

He allowed his name to go forward for a third time recently, with Mick O’Dwyer and 1997 All-Ireland minor-winning manager Ollie Phelan also nominated to become Dempsey’s successor in the position.

Laois will be now hoping that McNulty can mirror the success that his 2002 All-Ireland SFC winning team-mate, Kieran McGeeney, has been having of late with Kildare.

McNulty will get an immediate chance to witness some of the Laois players in action with their clubs this week.

The second round of the Laois Senior Football Championship begins tonight with county champions Portlaoise taking on Crettyard.

It is expected that McNulty will take in some of those games at O’Moore Park this week and be available to meet with club representatives.

- Breaking News

McNulty’s name will go before the Laois GAA executive and then a full county board for ratification tonight, but this can be viewed as a rubber-stamping procedure that will culminate in the Armagh All-Ireland medallist taking up his first appointment as an inter-county manager.

It also represents a bitter pill for Pat Roe, who has now challenged three times for the top job in his native county - without any success.
IMPETUS

“We looked at a lot of options and we felt he would be the best man for the job,” Allen told the Evening Herald. “We feel he will bring a new impetus to our set-up and bring us to the next level. A lot of good work has been done, but we feel this is the right thing to do at this point, to move Laois onwards and upwards.”

McNulty was full-back on the Armagh team that achieved All-Ireland history in 2002, while his managerial CV includes leading Mullahoran to a Cavan club title (2006) and St Brigid’s to an appearance in the Dublin SFC final (2007).

He came on board as as Armagh selector under Paddy O’Rourke this season, but that connection will now be severed as he seeks to re-establish Laois as a Leinster force after unsuccessful two-year stints under Liam Kearns and, more recently, Seán Dempsey.

Allen cited McNulty’s previous achievements as one of the reasons he was pinpointed by their five-man committee, adding: “Plus he’s a new name on the block. We felt he had the groundwork done, and also had an insight into what it takes at this level to win.”

The Laois chief offered a diplomatic response to last week’s critical comments from Roe, who complained of the process: “It’s bizarre that it’s taking so long … the vacuum has been filled by rumours and that isn’t a good situation. Obviously the county executive can take as long as they want and they want to get it right, but I believe I am the best man for the job and I find it very frustrating.”

Allen replied: “I have made it clear all the time that I was going to make sure we got, in our opinion, what was best for Laois football - if it took two weeks or two months.”

Roe served as Laois U21 boss this season, having previously managed Carlow, Wexford and Offaly. Other high-profile outsiders linked with the post (and reportedly all unavailable) included Galway talisman Pádraic Joyce, retired Kerry icon Darragh ó Sé and reappointed Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney. The senior hurling vacancy has yet to be filled, but Brother Phil Ryan is set to be installed as minor hurling manager tonight.
- herald.ie