THE national league kicks off this weekend, when Laois ladies travel to Monaghan on Sunday afternoon to take on the home side.
The O’Moore ladies will be hoping to go one step further than last year when they reached the league final and lost to Cork.
This competition will start Joe Higgins’ third season at the helm of the Laois ladies senior outfit and Joe will be joined by Frank Finn on his management team this year.
Frank is from O’Dempsey’s GAA Club.
In Joe’s third year in charge he will be looking to make more improvements.
Under Higgins Laois has had two successful years, making some big improvements, developing the team and introducing new blood into the set up.
In year one, Higgins brought Laois back to their home of Leinster final day in Carlow where they lost to the Dubs, reached the semi-final through the backdoor and almost took the final spot over eventual All-Ireland champions Dublin.
Year two saw Laois reach the league final against Cork and stick with the Rebels for the first three quarters of the game before slipping away.
July brought Joe’s team their first silverware when they lifted the Mary Ramsbottom Cup but Cork once again denied the Laois ladies in the All-Ireland semi-final.
This year Joe will no doubt be hoping to go one step further and make it to Croke Park but the league will be the St Joseph’s man’s first priority.
A good league campaign will be first on his agenda and with all the top teams in the country competing in Division 1A the O’Moore ladies will be straight into action with top quality matches at the beginning of the season.
The first step on their way will be a tough one but a great game to open the league.
Laois drew with Monaghan in the group stages last year and went on to beat the Division 1 table toppers in the semi final on a sunny day in Ballymahon in an unexpected outcome, with the O’Moores coming from a poor start to the league campaign to reach the final.
The Laois ladies will play seven games in total, stretching into April, when the semi-finals will take place and the final showdown will take place in May.
Following the Monaghan game Laois will face Tyrone and Donegal at home, travel to Kildare and Cork and meet the Royals at home before travelling to the Big Smoke for their final group game against Dublin.
Monaghan have the added advantage of already playing in competitive games this season as they and other Ulster teams compete in the Dowd Cup, a competition similar to the O’Byrne Cup.
Monaghan won this competition in 2011 and got off to a winning start in 2012 when they beat Fermanagh convincingly in their opening game.
Can Laois go that one, or even two steps further this season is the question.
Higgins has developed a good squad and young players introduced to the panel last year have grown in confidence and found roles on the team as well as increasing competition for places, which is something that is badly needed in every team set up.
Laois are becoming less dependent on certain players and will only progress if they are dependent on a team performance, something that can be seen in the county team now.
New players need to be continually coming through the ranks and that looks like something that Joe is focusing on, so the first test is on Sunday and Monaghan are the opposition.