Performance levels number one priority for Quirke and Laois footballers

Mike Quirke took over the Laois footballers in 2020 and what a baptism of fire it was. Covid-19 added yet another hurdle to the first season syndrome but all in all, Laois came out of it in good health and are now looking to kick things on.

They hung on to their Division two status with a dramatic comeback win over Fermanagh in the last round of the league and once again showed huge spirit to come back and record a championship win over Longford.

They eventually fell to Dublin in the Leinster semi final but Mike Quirke is a man that always looks for the positives and despite shipping a heavy beating from the ‘Dubs’, he learned a lot from it.

“Last year, given the situation we found ourselves in with lads not playing for different reasons, we were looking at the year as a very positive one. We stayed in Division two and maybe with an extra bit of luck and an extra few weeks before the Westmeath game, we could have found ourselves in an even better position had we got the win there.

“From the Dublin game (Leinster semi final defeat) onwards, we were able to identify a lot of things and say we need to make a lot of improvements and a lot of those would have been starting with the physical side of things.”
When asked about the physical condition of the squad and the comparison between May 2020 and May 2021, the Kerry man simply answered “no comparison”.

He has been delighted with the application shown by his squad over the lockdown period and praised their strength and conditioning Coach Tom Hargroves.

“For fellas in the GAA circus who go from club to county and county to club, you never get a block like the lads are after having to focus in on physical deficiencies. From that point of view, it has been a great for them and to get to work with someone like Tom Hargroves has been absolutely brilliant. We couldn’t have asked for any more from the players.

“They are in great shape. It’s amazing when you execute the basic skills of the game really well, how much better you look as a team. Our emphasis has always been on improving our skill level. Gaelic football is still about the ball and the decision making at crucial times.

"On top of that, you have to marry that with being able to run very fast, jump high and be robust enough to take challenges and not get injured.

“Other teams have stolen a march in that regard and we were a long way short of that last year. Some of our guys that we thought were really fit last year, have made incredible improvements in their conditioning and power during this last block of training over the last few months.

“I am really pleased and excited about their physical condition. While it’s great having a really fit guy, we now need to improve our skills and our decision making.”

The panel has a lot more depth to it this year also. Last year saw the likes of Donie Kingston step away while injuries to the likes of Colm Begley, a suspension to Kieran Lillis all hampered them but this year; Quirke has been delighted with the level of buy in from the players.

“We weren’t crying into our cornflakes last year when lads couldn’t play or got injured, we got on with it and other fellas came in and did a great job.

“But it’s great to have lads back this year now and it’s all about trying to get all these fellas together now on the field and seeing how it works.

“We have as full a hand as we could have hoped for this year and they are all in good shape. It’s a great place to be in at the moment.

“There is nobody new as such. Colm Murphy, Sean Byrne, Paul and Donie Kingston, Finbarr Crowley, Marty Scully, Aaron Carroll, Benny Carroll, James Kelly, Colm Begley back from injury, those guys are all back in. We have 35 on the panel and we haven’t picked up any injuries at the moment.”

They are in Division two South and it really could go either way. Laois, Clare, Kildare and Cork make up the group and it looks like being the most competitive league of the lot. Four evenly matched sides but Quirke insists he is not getting bogged down on results or opposition but simply getting the best out of his charges.

“From our point of view, it is just about trying to get better every night in training and not get too worried about playing Clare, Cork or Kildare. When we get to the games then, we will worry about the games. If Covid has taught us anything, it’s not to look too far ahead.

“Clare will be a tough game but there are no easy games. We had a good win down there last year. I am not really overly bothered about Clare or anybody else to be honest, if we can get the most out or our fellas and focusing on ourselves, we will be happy.

“It will be about teams who can perform best on the day. At this stage, trying to predict what will happen in games, I just think these games are going to be so dictated on the day and if we get the best out of ourselves, whatever the league table says at the end of it, that’s fine.”

Quirke is a traditionalist in many ways with the intelligence to understand that the game has moved on from his playing days.
“It has always been about football for me. I have always been a football before barbell guy. You don’t win the games by lifting weights but it is ignorant to ignore that it is a very important part of the game."

Laois will be a more settled outfit in 2021 and there is now familiarity between the management and players.
Competitiveness won't be a problem and in Mike Quirke, Laois have a manager who knows what it takes to succeed in the GAA world.
Watch this space.