Laois GAA hurlers set for GAA+ showdown with Tipperary in Portlaoise

The Laois senior hurlers are back in championship action this weekend as they prepare to host Tipperary in the All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Final. 

Tommy Fitzgerald's men enter the tie on the back of a ten-point defeat to Kildare in last Sunday’s Joe McDonagh Cup final at Croke Park, their second successive loss in the decider after falling short to Offaly in 2024. It’s a familiar turnaround for Laois, who also contested this stage last year and lost out to Wexford by 12 points.

Their opponents, Tipperary, arrive in Portlaoise after finishing third in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship. They opened their campaign with a 2-23 to 2-23 draw against Limerick, who were chasing an historic seventh provincial title in a row. A Round 2 loss to eventual Munster champions Cork followed, with Tipperary reduced to 14 men after just one minute when 2025 All-Ireland U-20 winner Darragh McCarthy was sent off.

In Round 3, they defeated reigning All-Ireland champions Clare and backed it up by defeating Waterford to finish their group campaign on five points. However, they were denied a place in the Munster final as Cork’s win over Waterford in Round 5 ensured they advanced ahead of Tipperary by virtue of the head-to-head result.

Saturday’s fixture revives memories of Laois’ remarkable summer in 2019, when they lifted the Joe McDonagh Cup and followed it up with a famous win over Dublin in the preliminary quarter-final, still the only time a Joe McDonagh Cup team has won a preliminary quarter-final since the competition began in 2018.

That victory set up a quarter-final showdown with Tipperary in Croke Park. Laois battled bravely but eventually fell on a 2-25 to 1-18 scoreline. Goals from Jason Forde and Seamus Callanan gave Tipperary a four-point lead at the break, and a red card for Laois’ Aaron Dunphy early in the second half ended hopes of another shock result. Tipperary would go on to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup, defeating Wexford and Kilkenny en route to the title.

Galway await the winners of Saturday's game in the quarter-finals after they lost out to Kilkenny in the Leinster final last Sunday. 

Tickets for the game can be bought on Ticketmaster.ie. This game is also serving as the first game of a double-header with Cork taking on Roscommon in Round 3 of the All-Ireland Football Championship at 4.15pm

The Laois v Tipperary match takes place this Saturday at 1.45pm in Laois Hire O’Moore Park and will be streamed live on GAA+, with a one-off purchase costing €12. A €49 Mid-Season Pass is also available, granting access to this game along with all four Football Preliminary Quarter-Finals and two All-Ireland Football Quarter-Finals.

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