Leinster Express Senior Hurling Team of the Championship so far

Following three rounds of Laois Senior hurling championship group stage action and as we

head into the quarter-finals, we have decided to put out our very own team of the

championship thus far. The two group winners, Clough-Ballacolla and Rathdowney-Errill,

unsurprisingly lead the way with four selections each. Borris-Kilcotton is next up with two

selections, while Camross, Castletown, Rosenallis, Ballinakill, and The Harps each have

one player on the team. Below is the side we have selected. Don’t be afraid to let us know

whether you think we’ve made any mistakes!

1. Eoin Fleming (Borris-Kilcotton)

The 2020 and 2021 defeated finalists, Borris-Kilcotton, have not enjoyed the best of years so

far. While they scraped over the line against Ballinakill in the first round, they were swept

aside by Rathdowney-Errill in round two.

Their lackluster performances so far though have not been the fault of their goalkeeper

though. A former Laois Senior keeper, Eoin Fleming has enjoyed a decent year in the goals

so far.

Fleming’s finest display was against Ballinakill in round one where he made a few crucial

saves to help Borris-Kilcotton get over the line that day. Without him, Borris-Kilcotton could

have easily been fighting a relegation decider this season.

2. Eoin Doyle (Clough-Ballacolla)

Clough-Ballacolla has several unsung heroes and one of them is corner-back Eoin Doyle.

He has stood out in every single match Clough-Ballacolla has played this season and was

one of the easiest selections on this team.

Doyle has been tasked with marking dangerous forwards such as Mark Dowling and John

Brophy this season, and the Clough-Ballacolla man has more than held his own when it

came to those battles.

3. Stephen Finan (Borris-Kilcotton)

Borris-Kilcotton’s backs were against the walls in their final group game against Rosenallis.

In truth, Rosenallis should have had a few points to spare in that one, as they dominated the

second half.

However, Borris-Kilcotton dug in and almost managed to snatch the victory. Full-back

Stephen Finan was rock solid that day for Borris-Kilcotton and takes his place on this team in

front of his number one, Eoin Fleming.

4. Diarmuid Conway (Clough-Ballacolla)

With his fellow club corner-back Eoin Doyle in one corner, Diarmuid Conway takes his place

in the other corner to complete this full-back line.

Clough-Ballacolla has enjoyed a comfortable passage through to the semi-finals, with their

win over Camross in round two being the only time they were under any pressure.

Camross was on top of them in the opening period of the second half, but Conway helped

clear some dangerous balls to help Clough-Ballacolla get back on top.

5. Jack Kelly (Rathdowney-Errill)

Laois Senior hurler Jack Kelly has been one of the county’s best players in recent years, and

he has enjoyed an excellent year with his club again as well.

Rathdowney-Errill look poised to return to the county final this season, with their

performance against Borris-Kilcotton in round two a real sign of intent.

Kelly was on fire that day from wing-back. He chipped in with four points from play and set

up a goal to help Rathdowney-Errill on their way.

6. Paddy Purcell (Rathdowney-Errill)

Rathdowney-Errill has opted to play Paddy Purcell in a different role so far this campaign, as

he has operated at center-back for them.

That switch had paid dividends thus far, with Purcell looking rejuvenated at the number six

position. Purcell scored arguably the goal of the championship against Ballinakill, as he used

those powerful strides to surge through and rattle home.

7. Fiachra C Fennell (Rosenallis)

Rosenallis have enjoyed another reasonably successful season at the top flight of Laois

hurling, and they could yet find themselves in a semi-final this year.

Stephen Kelly, Aodh Bowes, John Maher, Paddy Keating, and John Lennon have all shown

flashes of brilliance for them this season, but their most consistent performer has been

Fiachra C Fennell.

Fiachra C Fennell was immense for Rosenallis against both Ballinakill and Borris-Kilcotton to

help his team secure second position in the group and a meeting with Castletown in the

quarter-finals.

8. Ryan Mullaney (Castletown)

Ryan has been an absolute stalwart in the middle of the field for Castletown this year. We

imagine he is the first man on John O Sullivan and David Cuddy's team sheet.

Mullaney was described as Magic Mullaney for his performance against the harps that

helped Castletown avoid any relegation trouble. That day he put away 2-4 and was really

running the show from midfield. He put in a solid performance against the county champions

Clough- Ballacolla as well when many around him folded. He is without a doubt the stand-

out performer for Castletown this year.

9. Aidan Corby (Clough-Ballacolla)

Aidan Corby enjoyed a superb season for Clough-Ballacolla last season, helping them make

it all the way to the Leinster Senior club hurling final.

He looks like he is going from strength to strength every year, and this season has been no

different. Aidan Corby put in a man-of-the-match display against The Harps in the final group

game, scoring 1-3 from midfield while also setting up a goal for his brother, Brian.

10. Brandon McGinley (Rathdowney-Errill)

Brandon McGinley has a case for player of the championship so far, as he has racked up 2-

15 for Rathdowney-Errill in just three rounds of Senior club hurling.

He scored goals against Borris-Kilcotton and Ballinakill which helped them towards

comprehensive victories. With Ross King possibly sideline for the remainder of the season,

Rathdowney-Errill will require McGinley to continue this rich vein of scoring form.

11. Dylan Carroll (Rathdowney-Errill)

Dylan Carroll has been very consistent for Rathdowney-Errill at center-forward over the last

few seasons and he had had another solid campaign this year as well.

As well as being very accurate from placed balls, Carroll has contributed a goal in all three of

Rathdowney-Errill’s group matches to help them to the top spot.

Both McGinley and Carroll are still very young and could be worth a look for the Laois

Seniors next season.

12. Cha Dwyer (Ballinakill)

Ballinakill has not had an easy time in their return to Senior hurling after earning promotion

straight back up last year.

They have lost all three of their games against Borris-Kilcotton, Rosenallis, and

Rathdowney-Errill. However, that has not been the fault of the classy Cha Dwyer.

Dwyer has top scored for his side with 2-16 in the half-forward line. If Ballinakill is to avoid

the drop straight back down to Premier Intermediate, they will need a big game from their

talisman.

13. James Duggan (The Harps)

The Harps have struggled again this season and will once more have to win a dreaded

relegation final to retain their Senior status.

They have shown flashes of brilliance at different stages of their three games though, with

their talented corner-forward James Duggan causing problems for opposing defenses.

Duggan is one for the future, but The Harps will probably need him to score heavily if they

are to get the better of Ballinakill in the relegation decider.

14. Stephen Maher (Clough-Ballacolla)

After dealing with injury issues in the early part of the year for the Laois Seniors, Clough-

Ballacolla was delighted to have Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher back for the club championship.

Maher has looked unstoppable during the three games so far. He scored 1-7 against The

Harps, 0-16 against Camross, and 0-10 against Castletown in three excellent displays.

If a team is going to end Clough-Ballacolla’s run in the Laois championship this season, you

feel they are going to have to find a way to curb ‘Picky’s’ influence on proceedings.

15. Dan Delaney (Camross)

Camross could probably find themselves unfortunate that they only have one player on this

team, as they have looked dangerous at times.

Andrew Mortimer, Odhran Phelan, Zane Keenan, Tomas Keyes, and Ciaran Collier have all

played well this year and were close calls for this team, but just miss out.

We couldn’t ignore Dan Delaney’s displays though. Delaney started against both The Harps

and Castletown, scoring a combined 1-11 to help Camross safely advance in second place

in group A.