Laois SFC Preview and Predictions: Two winner-takes-all clashes await

Clonaslee St Manman's v The Heath & Crettyard v Park-Rateniska | Denis Byrne & Paul Dargan

placeholder image — Clonaslee St Manman's v The Heath & Crettyard v Park-Rateniska | Denis Byrne & Paul Dargan

Round 2 of the Laois Shopping Centre SFC gets underway tonight

The Round 2 Qualifier section gives clubs one final opportunity to keep their championship hopes alive, with defeat bringing an end to their SFC campaign and sending them into the Senior ‘B’ Championship and a potential relegation battle. That battle has become even more intense this year, with three teams set to be relegated instead of just one.

The game in Laois Hire O’Moore Park sees Clonaslee St Manman’s take on The Heath.

Clonaslee St Manman’s gave Portlaoise a run for their money in their Round 1 clash, leading at half-time before Portlaoise’s second half performance saw them eventually come through in Annanough two weeks ago.

The Heath, meanwhile, faced county champions Portarlington in Round 1 for the second year in a row, with Portarlington running out comfortable winners on a scoreline of 2-18 to 0-11.

A victory here would not necessarily guarantee either side avoiding the Senior B Championship, but it would provide a major boost and give them a chance to push on in Round 3, with a quarter-final place still a possibility.

Prediction: Clonaslee St Manman’s

The other game on Thursday sees the last two Intermediate champions go head-to-head as 2024 winners Crettyard face 2025 champions Park-Ratheniska.

Crettyard were arguably the best-performing side among the eight teams defeated in Round 1, pushing 2023 SFC champions St Joseph’s all the way in Stradbally.

With Evan O’Carroll, Cormac Murphy and Ciaran Burke among their key players, another strong showing from their main men could see them edge past Park-Ratheniska.

The 2025 IFC champions will feel they let an opportunity slip away in their Round 1 defeat to Arles-Killeen. They enjoyed plenty of possession in Portlaoise but struggled to convert that dominance into scores, with Arles-Killeen’s greater efficiency proving decisive.

Prediction: Crettyard

Both games throw in at 7.30pm, with The Heath and Clonaslee St Manman’s meeting in Laois Hire O’Moore Park, while Crettyard and Park-Ratheniska clash in Stradbally.