PREVIEW: Laois footballers set to welcome The Dubs to Ratheniska in Round One O'Byrne Cup

With the New Year just three days old, it marks the start of the Laois senior footballers' inter-county campaign for 2026.

They're set to take on Dublin this afternoon in Ratheniska in the opening game of the O'Byrne Cup, which is making its return after not being played in 2024.

This game will also serve as Ger Brennan's first game in charge of his native Dublin. He was in charge of Louth in 2025, where he famously took them to their first Leinster Senior Football Championship title since 1957.

Justin McNulty’s footballers experienced a solid, if unspectacular, 2025. They finished sixth in Division 3 with three wins from seven outings, remaining in the promotion hunt until the final round. A Leinster Championship win away to Wexford was followed by a narrow defeat to eventual champions Louth in the quarter-finals in Newbridge.

In the Tailteann Cup, Laois beat Waterford and edged past Offaly in a dramatic group finale, sealed by a Mark Barry injury-time penalty. They lost against Wicklow in Round 2 to finish on four points. However, scoring difference saw them finish third in the group before suffering a heavy defeat away to Westmeath in the preliminary quarter-final.

Now entering his third and final year of his initial term, McNulty will be targeting a top-half finish in Division 3 and a renewed push for promotion, alongside a deeper Tailteann Cup run.

The game throws in at 1.30pm. Those unable to attend can follow all the action on the Leinster Express/ Laois Live's blog from Ratheniska.

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