Ballyroan, Sarsfields, St Conleth’s and Portlaoise chase last-four places
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THE Laois Ladies Senior Football Championship reaches the knockout stages tonight, with two quarter-finals down for decision as Ballyroan take on Sarsfields and St Conleth’s face Portlaoise.
Ballyroan have already shown they are capable of mixing it with the leading teams and will enter their quarter-final against Sarsfields with plenty of confidence.
They announced themselves with a big result in the opening round, defeating defending champions Portlaoise by 1-11 to 1-8. They were subsequently well beaten by Timahoe but bounced back with victory in their final group game to secure their place in the knockout stages.
Sarsfields had a more difficult route to the quarter-finals.
They began with a 3-14 to 4-4 defeat against St Conleth’s before narrowly losing 1-11 to 1-9 against St Joseph’s. Those results meant they needed a win in their final outing against Park/Ratheniska to keep their championship ambitions alive.
They duly delivered, producing their best performance of the competition to win 2-12 to 1-5 in difficult conditions.
Sarsfields also have plenty of knockout experience, having reached the semi-finals last year, while Ballyroan’s victory over Portlaoise shows the level they can reach.
There shouldn't be a huge amount between them, but Ballyroan's more consistent group-stage form could just give them the edge.
There is plenty of intrigue surrounding the meeting of St Conleth’s and Portlaoise.
St Conleth’s began their campaign strongly, beating Sarsfields 3-14 to 4-4 before making it two wins from two with a 3-10 to 1-13 success against Park/Ratheniska. The latter wasn't without difficulty as Park/Ratheniska fought back strongly after St Conleth’s had built a sizeable first-half lead.
Portlaoise, meanwhile, have endured an up-and-down championship.
The defending champions were beaten 1-11 to 1-8 by Ballyroan in their opener but responded impressively, putting 4-13 past Graiguecullen in a comprehensive victory.
They then faced Timahoe with a direct semi-final place at stake. Portlaoise were in a good position at half-time, only for Timahoe to take control after the restart and win 2-10 to 1-6.
St Conleth’s have shown greater consistency to date and have carried a significant goal threat, scoring three against both Sarsfields and Park/Ratheniska.
Portlaoise have the experience and quality to make this extremely competitive, but on the evidence of the championship so far, St Conleth’s look marginally better placed to advance.
