Starting 15 unchanged as Laois senior footballers head to Enniskillen to face Fermanagh

The Laois senior football team for Saturday evening’s Division 3 clash in Enniskillen has been confirmed, with the management opting to stick with the same starting 15 that secured a nine-point victory over Westmeath in Portlaoise two weeks ago.

There are only a few jersey number changes: Aaron McEvoy has been handed the number 6 shirt, Kevin Swayne moves to number 10, while Simon Fingleton, who wore 6 against Westmeath, will wear 7. Jack Lacey and Trevor Collins have also swapped numbers, with Lacey taking 3 and Collins wearing 4.

Laois captain Brian Byrne is named to start on the bench after he missed the Westmeath game through suspension. Conaire Gee from Ballyroan-Abbey has also been named in the Laois matchday panel for the first time in 2026.

Following the win over Westmeath, Justin McNulty stressed the importance of approaching the next game with focus, highlighting the challenge that awaits in Enniskillen.

“Listen, there's no doubt, if we in any way underestimate Fermanagh, we'll be in serious bother. There could be a sting in their tail. We've got to go up there prepared for battle, the same way we were prepared for battle tonight. Even more so because we're away from home and Fermanagh will be trying to earn some respect and some more pride in their performance in the league because they're coming into that game with zero points, so there might be a sting in their tail and we've got to be prepared for that,” McNulty said after the Westmeath game.

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Laois and Fermanagh last met in the final round of the league in 2025. Fermanagh staged a late comeback from five points down with nine minutes remaining to win by two. The result mattered little for Laois, who had already secured their league safety.

A win for Laois would move them onto seven points and could secure their Division 3 status for 2027, depending on other results. A win could also give them a chance of promotion in their final game against Down on Sunday, March 22, though this is likely to rely on other results going in their favour.

LAOIS: Killian Roche (Killeshin); Jake Darcy (Annanough), Jack Lacey (St Joseph's), Trevor Collins (Graiguecullen); Paddy O'Sullivan (Portarlington), Aaron McEvoy (Ballyroan-Abbey), Simon Fingleton (Park-Ratheniska); Rob Tyrrell (Courtwood), Conor Heffernan (Killeshin); Kevin Swayne (Portlaoise), Ronan Coffey (Portarlington), Darren Brennan (Portlaoise); Rioghan Murphy (Portarlington), Daragh Galvin (Portarlington), Evan O'Carroll (Crettyard).

SUBS: Matthew Byron (Courtwood), Ciaran Burke (Crettyard), Brian Byrne (Graiguecullen, Captain), Niall Corbet (Clonaslee St Manman's), Mikie Dempsey (St Joseph's), Conaire Gee (Ballyroan-Abbey), Josh Hogan (Portlaoise), Paul Kingston (Arles-Killeen), Cathal Lee (Clonaslee St Manman's), Alex Mohan (Portarlington), Eoghan Slattery (Courtwood).

Throw-in from Brewster Park is at 6pm. You can follow score-by-score updates on the Leinster Express/Laois Live live blog from 5.50pm.