Portlaoise GAA name former Laois star as new Senior Hurling manager for 2025
It comes after Tommy Fitzgerald took the role of the Senior county side
Former Portlaoise GAA dual-star and Laois hurler Cyril Duggan has been officially ratified as the new manager of the Portlaoise Senior Hurling team for the 2025 season.
The role became available after another former Portlaoise player Tommy Fitzgerald vacated the role in November 2024 to take charge of the Senior county team.
Fitzgerald had an impressive campaign as Portlaoise's manager in his two years in the role. In his first year, he took Portlaoise back to the Senior grade when they defeated Ballyfin in the Premier Intermediate Hurling final in 2023. Fitzgerald took The Town into the Senior Hurling Championship in 2024 for the first time since 2019 where they were beaten by Abbeyleix in a quarter-final. Themselves and Rathdowney-Errill played out the game of the championship when a last-gasp Ross King free saw the game end level at 3-23 to 2-26.
Duggan's backroom team has also been confirmed. Laois' only hurling all-star Pat Critchley will join Damien Lynch and Paul Conroy in assisting Portlaoise's new hurling manager.
Portlaoise will once again play in the Senior Hurling Championship for 2025 albeit the format will be different from previous years. There are now 10 Senior teams set to compete in the championship with Premier Intermediate champions Borris-Kilcotton and beaten finalists Ballinakill moving up to the Senior grade alongside the eight teams that took part in the 2024 Senior Championship.