David Dooley believes past Joe McDonagh Cup pain can help Laois deliver at Croke Park
Laois captain says defeats to Offaly and Kildare have fuelled the county's latest bid for Joe McDonagh Cup success
Laois captain David Dooley admits the pain of the last two Joe McDonagh Cup final defeats is providing plenty of motivation as the O'Moore County prepares to face Carlow in Saturday's decider at Croke Park.
Having captained Laois in last year's final defeat to Kildare, Dooley would love nothing more than to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand and lift the trophy this weekend.
“Yeah, jaysus, I would. I suppose getting there last year and getting a taste of captaining your county on a big day has probably spurred us on a small bit this year again to get back there and right the wrongs from what happened there last time.”
The scars of defeats to Offaly in 2024 and Kildare in 2025 have not disappeared, but Dooley believes those experiences can help Laois when they return to headquarters once again.
“It's probably always going to be in the back of your head a small bit. Setting out at the start of the year, our goal was to get back to Joe McDonagh final and we've succeeded in that. It's just about getting over the line this time.”
We don't want to come back down empty-handed again. As Tommy said, we're learning from the last couple of years and hopefully that experience will get us over the line.
Laois head into the final in strong form, with their only defeat across league and championship coming against Carlow in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh Cup. While Tommy Fitzgerald's side lost just once all season, Dooley feels that setback served as an important reality check after a league campaign where Laois were rarely pushed.
“It is, but the standard in the league was quite poor and we feel we weren't really tested throughout that. We kind of got a shock to the system against Carlow on our first day out but we've responded really well since and hopefully we can keep the momentum going on.”
READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: Laois GAA hurlers welcomed by fans in Portlaoise ahead of Joe McDonagh Cup final
Competition for places has been fierce throughout the campaign and Dooley acknowledges that selecting a matchday squad for the final will be one of the toughest jobs facing the management team this week.
However, he believes the strength in depth throughout the panel has played a major role in helping Laois reach another final.
“I certainly don't, it's a very tricky job for the lads but that's ultimately the way we want to have. It means the squad's in a good state. Anyone who's lucky enough to put on the Laois jersey on Saturday week and inside the 26 with a chance of playing, they've earned that right to and it's going to be a big day for all.”
As one of the leaders in the squad, Dooley also feels last year's experience can help the players handle the occasion better this time around. While a final in Croke Park inevitably brings added attention and pressure, he insists the key is not allowing the day itself to become a distraction.
“There's obviously aspects of it, like not to get overwhelmed by the occasion and stuff like that. We're trying to treat it like any other game as well. I know it's easy to say but obviously finals carry that bit more weight. You have to treat it like any other game and go through the same processes and prepare the same way so, that's what I'm just trying to do and I think we are as a group as well.”