PREVIEW: League action begins as Laois hurlers travel to Mayo and Laois Ladies host Fermanagh
The hurlers are in Division 2 and the ladies are in Division 3 for 2026
It’s a busy opening weekend of league action for Laois teams, with the senior hurlers making the long trip west to face Mayo in Tooreen, while the Laois Ladies begin their Division 3 campaign at home to Fermanagh in Heywood.
The Laois senior hurlers, under the guidance of Tommy Fitzgerald in his second year in charge, head into the Allianz Hurling League off the back of a busy pre-season campaign. They played three matches across the space of a week, beginning with a Walsh Cup clash against Wexford in Rathdowney, where The Yellowbellies scored eight of the final nine points as they emerged with a six-point victory.
That result set up a Walsh Shield quarter-final against Carlow on the Thursday night in Stradbally, where Laois came out on top. However, their pre-season came to an end the following Sunday when Kilkenny visited Rathdowney, racing into a 1-5 to no score lead inside six minutes before going on to record a comfortable win.
Laois are back competing in Division 2 for the second time in three years, having been relegated from Division 1B in 2025. They had won Division 2 the previous season in 2024, but last year’s league proved difficult, with just one victory, against fellow relegated side Westmeath. A chance to preserve their 1B status slipped away following defeat to Antrim in Belfast, and a loss to Carlow the following week confirmed their relegation.
Another Joe McDonagh Cup campaign also awaits Laois, after suffering a second consecutive final defeat in the competition. Kildare denied them in 2025, following Offaly’s victory the year before.
Sunday’s opponents Mayo arrive as Division 3 champions from 2025, but endured disappointment in the Nicky Rackard Cup, losing out to Connacht rivals Roscommon. This weekend’s contest marks the first-ever competitive hurling meeting between Laois and Mayo.
Laois v Mayo throws in at 1pm on Sunday, January 25, in Adrian Freeman Park in Tooreen.
Allianz Hurling League Division 2
Sunday January 25
Mayo v Laois Adrian Freeman Park in Tooreen at 1pm
Sunday February 1
Laois v Derry in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 1pm
Saturday February 21
Laois v Kerry in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 2pm
Sunday March 1
Westmeath v Laois in Cusack Park, Mullingar at 2pm
Sunday March 8
Laois v Meath in Laois Hire O'Moore Park at 2pm
Saturday March 21
London v Laois in McGovern Park, Ruislip at 1pm
LAOIS LADIES
Meanwhile, the Laois Ladies get their Lidl National Football League Division 3 campaign underway at home to Fermanagh in Heywood. Stephen Duff enters his second season in charge following a positive 2025, despite a mid-table league finish.
Laois ended last year’s league in fifth place, recording three wins, three losses and a draw. Duff had been open about using the competition to introduce new players, with league results taking a back seat. That approach paid dividends later in the year, as Laois reached both the Leinster and All-Ireland Intermediate finals, losing out to Westmeath and Tyrone respectively.
Speaking ahead of the new campaign, Duff reiterated that the championship remains the primary focus, but stressed the importance of a strong start.
“First and foremost, the championship is our priority. I did a bit of work recently, and I noticed that in Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3, not many teams have won their division and gone on to win an All-Ireland, or even get to an All-Ireland final. It's a long year, it's an exceptionally long year. It's hard to maintain performance levels for the guts of nine months of the year.
“We're really just looking at that Fermanagh game first. We've got a couple of new players we want to get into the team, and we've got a couple of players who are coming back into the group. We want to make sure we get a win in that game against Fermanagh. Last year, we didn't get a win in our first game against Louth, and it kind of hampered us going forward, so we want to make sure we get a win against Fermanagh. Then we'll focus on Down, and then we'll focus on, I think it's Clare, after that. So, I'm not going to put a target on the league. What I want is results, and continuing improvement on our performance levels from last year that can put us in a place where we can compete for an All-Ireland Championship and get back to senior level,” Duff said.
READ NEXT: LISTEN: Laois Ladies boss Stephen Duff looks ahead to Division 3 clash against Fermanagh in Emo
Lidl Ladies Football League Division 3
Laois v Fermanagh in Heywood at 2pm
Laois v Down in Laois venue
Sunday February 8
Limerick v Laois in Limerick venue
Sunday February 22
Clare v Laois in Clare venue
Laois v Roscommon in Laois venue
Sunday March 22
Antrim v Laois in Antrim venue
Sunday March 29
Louth v Laois in Louth venue
Laois v Fermanagh throws-in at 2pm in Heywood. The Leinster Express/Laois Live will be providing a free live blog from the game.