Laois GAA and Laois Camogie teams set for action-packed Leinster Club Championship weekend

With the Laois Shopping Centre Club Championships behind us bar the U-20 hurling and football competitions, the focus now switches to the county champions representing the O'Moore County in the Leinster Club Championships.

The Senior, Intermediate and Junior Laois football champions will be in action as well as the Intermediate and Junior Laois Camogie champions. All three football games will take place in Portlaoise.

Senior Football champions Portarlington, fresh from winning a fourth title in five years, welcome Tinahely to Laois Hire O'Moore Park after they ended a 40-year wait to be crowned Wicklow champions.

Portarlington reached the semi-finals the last two times that they won the Laois championship in 2021 and 2022. The same team beat them on both occasions and that was Kilmacud Crokes who are the reigning Leinster champions having won the last three provincial championships. Their reign as Dublin and Leinster champions came to end however as Cuala won a first ever Dublin Senior Football title in October.

A victory for Pat Roe's side on Sunday afternoon will tee up a clash with Offaly champions Tullamore in Portlaoise next weekend. The Leinster Express/ Laois Live will be providing a live blog with the game also been shown on Clubber. Tickets for the game can be bought here.

Portarlington v Tinahely in Laois Hire O'Moore Park Portlaoise on Sunday, November 3 from 2.30pm.

The Intermediate champions Crettyard have had plenty of time to celebrate and get ready for their Leinster campaign with five weeks having passed since they defeated Mountmellick to return the top table of Laois club football. Noel Delaney's side had been beaten in the 2023 decider by Ballylinan but they regrouped to secure their Senior status for the first time since 2019.

They will come up against Fr Manning Gaels after the Longford got the better of Sean Connolly’s in last Saturday's Intermediate decider. Crettyard have fond memories of playing Longford teams in Leinster as they famously captured the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship in 2005 having gotten the better of Rathcline which was also the last time that they won the Laois Intermediate Championship.

A victory on Saturday for Crettyard over Fr Manning Gaels would mean a trip to either the Louth champions Dundalk Gaels or Dublin's Naomh Mearnog in the quarter-finals next weekend. The Leinster Express/ Laois Live will be providing a live blog with the game also been shown on Clubber. Tickets for the game can be bought here.

Crettyard v Fr Manning Gaels in Laois Hire O'Moore Park Portlaoise on Saturday, November 2 from 4pm.

Laois Junior champions Kilcavan are back in the Intermediate grade after their victory over St Joseph's on Monday, October 21. The game was supposed to take place on the day before but Storm Ashley had other ideas which meant the game had to be played on the Monday evening instead. It was the club's fifth time to be win the Junior Championship with their last triumph coming 11 years ago in 2013.

They face a tough task in the Leinster Club Championship as they're set to take on Dublin's Craobh Chiarain. The Dublin side are more known for their hurling exploits with the club operating in the Senior Hurling Championship. Kilcavan have had a great year and are still waiting to see if they'll be crowned ACFL Division 3 champions with their final against Clonaslee St Manman's having not been played yet. 

Kilcavan's reward for getting the better of Craobh Chiarain will be a home game against the Kilkenny champions Conahy Shamrocks or European champions Barcelona. The game will be shown on Clubber while tickets can be bought here.

Kilcavan v Craobh Chiarain in Laois Hire O'Moore Park Portlaoise on Saturday, November 2 from 2pm.

The Laois Intermediate Camogie champions St Brigid's will be looking to secure a place in this year's Leinster final when they travel to Meath to face reigning Leinster champions and All-Ireland finalists Na Fianna. 

Brian Bowe's side got the better of Camross in the county final two weeks ago and also defeated Myshall of Carlow last weekend in the quarter-final of the provincial championship. Laois Camogie fans will know a lot about Meath's Na Fianna as they got the better of O'Moore's in the Leinster final on route to that All-Ireland final last year.

Victory in Sunday's semi-final will see them face either Westmeath's Raharney or Kildare's Naas in the Leinster final in two weeks time. Tickets for the game can be bought here.

St Brigid's v Na Fianna in Baconstown GAA (A83RX92) on Sunday, November 3 from 2pm

The fifth and final Laois team playing this weekend is the Junior Camogie champions Portlaoise. They face reigning Leinster champions Knockananna from Wicklow for a place in the Leinster decider. Similar to the St Brigid's game, Knockananna defeated a Laois team to be crowned Leinster champions as The Harps lost out to the Wicklow side in Kilcormac-Killloughey GAA Club.

The winners of the Portlaoise game will face either Navan O'Mahoney's or Clane in the Leinster final next weekend. Tickets for the game can be bought here.

Portlaoise v Knockananna in Tinahely GAA Club on Sunday, November 3 from 2pm