Highs and Lows: Laois Senior Hurlers' 2024 campaign

Last Saturday brought the curtain down on another year of inter-county action for the Laois senior hurling team after they were defeated by Wexford in the preliminary quarter-finals. They had qualified for this stage of the competition by virtue of them reaching the Joe McDonagh Cup final.

In terms of the year as a whole, that McDonagh Cup final will live long in the memory of many Laois fans and most certainly the players on the Croke Park pitch but for the wrong reasons. Laois were competing in the final for the first time since 2019 having been relegated from the Leinster Championship in 2022. Offaly's goals came at the right time on the day with Laois caught napping at the beginning of both halves. Laois rallied however and had clawed back a seven-point deficit but couldn't get that point ahead as Offaly finished with a flurry to raise three late white flags.

Their league campaign was impressive to say the least as they went straight back up to Division 1 having been relegated by Westmeath in 2023. Laois got better as the league went on as they begun with two wins against Down and Kildare but didn't show any signs of improving from game to game. The Carlow defeat in Round 3 in Portlaoise was the catalyst for Laois' season as from then on in they blitzed past both Kerry and Meath scoring eight goals, four in each game, on their way to reaching a league semi-final against Down. A 1-24 to 0-13 win over Down saw them face Carlow in the league final in Netwatch Cullen Park. This was probably Laois' best performance of 2024 as they breezed past Carlow to be crowned Allianz Division 2A Hurling champions and seal their spot in the newly formed Division 1B for 2025 alongside Antrim, Carlow, Dublin, Offaly, Waterford and Westmeath.

The league in 2025 should provide a great platform for Laois to push on and lift the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2025 as they'll be facing up against fellow Joe McDonagh sides in the form of Carlow and Westmeath as well as being able to hopefully compete against Dublin and Waterford.

Another year in the Joe McDonagh Cup might end up being a good thing for Laois as it'll once again allow them to integrate more youngsters in the team and it's not yet known who'll leave the panel in terms of retirements and non-committals so 2025 will prove a crucial stepping stone if Laois are to get themselves back competing with the stronger counties and hopefully regain their place in the Leinster Championship which would mean winning the Joe McDonagh Cup. There's also no certainty on Willie Maher's future with the Laois boss having served his two-year term and Laois GAA having the option of a third year. Maher had this to say after the Wexford game, "I don't know, being honest, we'll have to reassess. We'll have to have a conversation with the county board, I'll have to have a conversation with my employers, my wife. It's a huge commitment, it's a huge honour for me to get and I've really enjoyed it but time has been really difficult to find to do anything in the last while because this was taking up nearly everything."