PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS: Saturday's Laois GAA SFC quarter-finals

This weekend the Laois Shopping Centre Senior Football Championship reaches the quarter-final stage with a double-header of action on Saturday evening, followed by two games on Sunday.

Stradbally take on Courtwood and Killeshin face Portlaoise.

Stradbally v Courtwood

The first game gets underway at 5.15pm when last year’s beaten finalists and 2026 ACFL Division 1 champions Courtwood take on 2016 champions Stradbally. The latter are competing in a quarter-final for the first time since 2021 having spent the last three seasons in the Senior ‘B’ competition. They were beaten by Clonaslee St Manman’s in Round 3 in 2022, when Clonaslee were managed by the now Courtwood boss Mark Bates.

Courtwood have had a five-week break since their last game against fellow quarter-finalists Ballyroan-Abbey. They hammered Martin Murphy’s side 5-16 to 0-15 to progress straight to the quarter-finals, having followed up on their Round 1 win over fellow quarter-finalists and neighbours O’Dempsey’s.

Mark Bates’ side were crowned ACFL Division 1 champions for the first time in the club’s history in July. They were sluggish in their win over O’Dempsey’s in the first round, but there was no repeat of that performance five weeks ago as they blew Ballyroan-Abbey away.

Courtwood have been around this stage of the championship in recent years. The one exception was in 2024 when they had to survive a relegation semi-final against Ballyfin before going on to reach the club’s first ever SFC final in 2025. They lost to Portarlington in the last eight in 2023, while O’Dempsey’s beat them in the semi-finals in 2022. Ballyroan-Abbey also knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in 2021.

Stradbally are finally back competing for the Jack Delaney Cup after the 2016 champions had been playing in the Senior ‘B’ Championship, the John Conway Cup, for the first three years it was in operation.

They won the inaugural John Conway Cup in 2023, were beaten in the semi-finals in 2024 and reached a second final in three years when they lost to Emo on penalties in 2025. Padraig Clancy will be delighted that his side have finally made that jump, but he’ll want to go even further now that Stradbally are in the last eight.

The sides played out a cracker in the semi-finals of this year’s ACFL Division 1 where extra-time was needed to separate them, with Courtwood eventually coming out on top. Courtwood also beat them in Round 6 of the league, four weeks before their semi-final clash.

I reckon Courtwood’s experience of winning big games at this stage will be crucial and I predict them to reach their third semi-final in five seasons.

Prediction: Courtwood

The game throws-in at 5.15pm on Saturday, September 12.

Portlaoise v Killeshin

The second game on Saturday evening sees Portlaoise take on Killeshin.

Portlaoise have had five weeks to prepare for this quarter-final after winning their first two games. They recovered from a poor first half to beat Clonaslee St Manman’s in Round 1 in Annanough before securing their quarter-final place with a 0-26 to 1-12 win over Arles-Killeen in a Round 2 Winners’ game.

Killeshin have had to come through the back door after they were beaten by Stradbally in Round 1 in a 42-score epic in Ratheniska, 2-22 to 2-16. They then played Rosenallis in a Round 2 Qualifier with their Jack Delaney Cup hopes on the line. In that game, they recorded the lowest winning score of the championship so far when they beat Rosenallis 0-13 to 1-8.

Killeshin’s Round 3 was one for the history books as they finally broke their hoodoo by beating parish neighbours Graiguecullen for the first time in the Senior Football Championship. Graiguecullen had beaten Killeshin at the quarter-final stage in each of the last three years too.

I don’t see any upsets in Portlaoise on Saturday evening and I expect Portlaoise to reach the last four as they look to finally get their hands back on the Jack Delaney Cup, something they’ve not done since 2019 when they beat Saturday’s opponents Killeshin in the county final. The Town have won the Jack Delaney Cup 36 times.

Prediction: Portlaoise

The game gets underway at 7pm on Saturday, September 12.