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21 Jan 2026
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21 Jan 2026
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Pictures Credit: Denis Byrne and Paul Dargan
The Laois Shopping Centre Senior Football Championship heats up this weekend with a vital Round 3 double-header. The stakes couldn’t be higher, with the winners advancing to the quarter-finals where Portlaoise, Ballyroan-Abbey, Arles-Killeen and Graiguecullen are already waiting.
These Round 3 ties bring together sides who either lost in the Round 2 Winners’ section or who fought their way back through the Qualifiers, meaning for all involved, it’s knockout football from here on. The losers of this weekend's game will drop into the Senior 'B' competition.
Portarlington v Rosenallis at 5.15pm
Reigning champions Portarlington are aiming to steady their defence of the title when they meet Rosenallis in the opening clash on Saturday evening.
Port fell to Graiguecullen by two points last time out, 1-12 to 1-10, with Lee Walker hitting 1-6, including a decisive penalty in the 46th minute. It was a setback for Pat Roe's side after they had opened their campaign with a win over The Heath.
Rosenallis, meanwhile, arrive buoyed by their emphatic victory over Ballyfin in the Qualifiers. They rattled in 6-17, with Brian Fitzpatrick producing a standout display of 3-3. That firepower came after they were edged out by Arles-Killeen in a 3-17 to 3-15 Round 1 thriller.
Prediction: Portarlington to win by four points and get their bid for a fifth championship in six years firmly back on track.
Emo v St Joseph’s at 7pm
The evening’s second tie sees Emo go head-to-head with St Joseph’s, the 2023 county champions.
Emo showed great resilience in Round 2, bouncing back from their loss to Ballyroan-Abbey by coming through an epic battle against Stradbally. They struck goals at crucial moments to claim a 3-16 to 1-18 win and keep their season alive.
St Joseph’s, on the other hand, started brightly with a 16-point dismantling of Ballyfin, but their momentum stalled against Portlaoise. That defeat carried added weight given Portlaoise knocked them out of the 2024 championship at the quarter-final stage, just a year after St Joseph’s had lifted the county title against the same opposition.
Prediction: St Joseph’s to shade it by three points and continue their pursuit of another championship run.
You can follow all of Saturday's action live on the Leinster Express/Laois Live blog from Laois Hire O’Moore Park.
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