'They’ve been coming for a while'- Laois hurling boss not surprised by Kildare rise

When Tommy Fitzgerald took over the Laois senior hurling team at the end of 2024, it was under anything but ordinary circumstances.

Yet, despite the abrupt transition, the objective was always clear: get Laois back into the Joe McDonagh Cup final, and this time, go one better.

“Ultimately, it was, it's all about the Championship, and that's the Championship we're in. Especially after last year's disappointment, I'm sure that for the players, that was a goal as well: to get back here and try to go a step further,” he said.

Laois have been through a Joe McDonagh Cup campaign that had no shortage of drama. Comfortable wins over Westmeath, Down and Kerry had them well positioned, but a bruising defeat to Kildare in Portlaoise threw everything into uncertainty. The pressure was firmly on going into the final round against Carlow, and it took a goal in the dying seconds to snatch a draw and keep their season alive.

“When does it ever? I'm sure anyone involved in sport will tell you that. Ups and downs along the way, but look, effort has been top class throughout the year, and no matter how the games were going, the boys came in every week with a top-class attitude. This was always the time of year that we were aiming towards, so we're just about on track,” said Fitzgerald.

That draw in Carlow meant Laois scraped into the final, and while there were mistakes made, Fitzgerald was mostly just glad they were still in the competition.

“Relief was probably the outstanding feeling, but even looking back at the game, we made mistakes, but we did a lot of good things as well, and the effort was top-class. As I said to the lads, sometimes when you work really hard and you leave it all out in the field, you get that break at the end. Looking forward now to the next day,” he said.

They now face a Kildare side who dismantled them just a few weeks ago. Fitzgerald is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge.

“More of the same, to be honest with you, you couldn't be but impressed by them the last day. I think I said after the match, they out-hurled us, out-fought us and out-ran us, so look, we've a lot to do ourselves to fix those issues. They're a really good side and they'll be full of confidence coming in next Sunday, I'm sure,” he said.

And for those surprised by Kildare’s rise, Fitzgerald isn’t one of them.

“They've been building over the years. They were actually very close under David Herity, they nearly beat Offaly in the Division 2 final when he was in charge. They ended up in the Christy Ring last year, but they blitzed their way through, and then they came through Division 2 this year. They've been making progress each year, I think, and they're probably a good age profile now with a really good management team. They're probably being spearheaded by the Naas club as well and supplemented by a few other clubs, but look, anyone who's following Naas over the last couple of years has seen how strong they are. They have been coming for a while, so it's not a huge surprise to be honest,” he said.

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The previous meeting between the sides left Laois second best across the field, and Fitzgerald didn’t attempt to downplay the performance.

“Absolutely, yeah, all of the above. Really well conditioned, they brought real intent that day, and you can say all those things, but they also out-hurled us that day. Their hurling was sharper and crisper. They're a good side, but look, we've some good players as well, so it should be a good contest,” he said.

While it’s easy to focus on that defeat, Fitzgerald says they’ve spent the past two weeks examining their own performance and searching for improvement.

“It's hard to know, like maybe we weren't let hurl. There were definitely aspects of our play that we weren't happy with, and we've been looking back over that the last week or two. We'll be hoping to improve in a number of areas, but I'm sure Kildare will be too, and they'll be confident after the last day too I'm sure,” he said.

For Laois, memories of last year’s Joe McDonagh Cup final loss to Offaly still linger. With that disappointment and the Kildare result as motivation, Fitzgerald knows his players won’t be short on incentive, but he says this final is about more than just settling scores.

“I don't know, to be honest with you. When the ball is thrown in, I don't know, it's what both teams are aiming towards all year. There's a huge prize at stake, it's not even so much the trophy, to be honest with you. It's a ticket back into the Leinster Championship, and that's where we feel Laois as a hurling county wants to be. It's where we always were in the past, and certainly, the onus is on us and the group of players wearing the jersey at the moment to try and get back to Leinster Championship hurling,” he said.

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As for the team’s health heading into the final, Fitzgerald delivered a cautiously optimistic update. Some key players are back, but others remain in doubt.

“They're still tight, so we'll have to see. We have nine days, so we don't know yet, to be honest with you. They're still not fully back, so it's going to be very tight. Eoin Gaughan and Jordan Walshe are back in full training, so that's a good boost, but Cody (Comerford) and Fiachra (C-Fennell), it's still up in the air,” he said.

Fitzgerald also shed light on the shoulder injury that Fiachra C-Fennell suffered against Kildare, an issue that went largely unnoticed at the time.

“AC injury. From the beginning of the game and we probably didn't realise the extent of it in the Kildare game. He played on through it, and we pulled him halfway through the second half, but the damage was done at that stage,” he said.

Ballinakill’s Cha Dywer, who started against Carlow, has been removed from the panel by the management with Fitzgerald admitting that ‘sometimes these things happen’.

“It was unfortunate to be honest with you. I’ve been involved with a lot of teams, so sometimes these things happen, and you just have to make a decision. You move on and our full focus is now on what's coming down the tracks next Sunday. Huge game for us,” Fitzgerald said.

Before signing off, Fitzgerald had a word for the Laois supporters. Their presence, he says, could make all the difference.

“It does make a difference. I know from being a player myself, when you have that support behind you, it does lift you, it does inspire you. There's huge goodwill out there among the hurling public in Laois towards our county senior hurling team. I know they're all rooting for us, but we'd love to see them come in big numbers and have lots of blue and white around the stadium next Sunday. It would definitely help, and hopefully, they can have something to cheer about on the day,” he ended.

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