Byrne will savour leading Laois out in their first championship of 2025

LAOIS captain Brian Byrne was handed the honour of leading his county earlier this year. As he reflects on the role, he believes it hasn't changed his approach much but acknowledges the responsibility that comes with it.

"It's a great honour. I guess throughout the year and the league, I feel it hasn't changed (my approach). Probably the first lesson I learned, you have to worry about yourself first and your performances, or you won't be playing essentially. So that's probably the best leadership you can give.

“I think we have a good group of us there with the three vice-captains as well. And even outside of it, like Trevor (Collins) from my own club, he was a captain with Laois, and even new lads like Ronan (Coffey) has captained Portarlington. From a personal perspective, it's really essentially worrying about myself to a degree first of all, I think that's the most important."

Leading the team out for their first championship game on Saturday is a moment to savour, but Byrne knows the focus has to be on the task ahead. The challenge in facing Wexford away is significant, and Laois must be prepared for everything their opponents throw at them.

"Leading the team out next Saturday, first championship game. You have to put a lot of that behind you. Yes, it's a big game, but it's just another game. It's down in their backyard. They'll be throwing everything at you.

“Laois have gone there before and we've done okay down there. But I suppose everything is wiped this time. It's a clean sheet and you know you're facing a top team who've been, as Justin said, ‘been probably the best team in the league this year’. Unscathed in every game they've played, apart from their final."

The introduction of new rules has made an impact on the game, particularly for a player in Byrne’s position. The increased speed and emphasis on one-on-one defending have forced adjustments, but he believes the best players are adapting well.

"Probably at first it was maybe a baptism of fire, but I guess that's across the board for every team in the country. The big thing probably is just the pace of it, and maybe going back to skills when you're probably a young lad, like the one-on-one defending.

“In your head the last few years, there probably is a bit more cover and that, and it's really challenged us back to the basics of the game. Even looking at the finals in Croke Park at the weekend, it's kind of benefited the most skilful players, and I think in a lot of sports that's what you want, that's what people want to see.

“I think the same with the structures of the championship and the rules as well, we really just get on with it as players. It's as simple as that, you have to adapt to it to survive, but in an overall sense, I'm enjoying it."

Reflecting on his own performances in the league, Byrne sees areas for improvement. He has been tested defensively and has had to adjust to different roles within the team.

"There are a couple of areas to improve, and like I was saying about being back in defence, the one-on-one defending is definitely an area I was looking to improve on. You're getting challenged in that every game. At training, we have the right lads to test you there, so I feel like I'm getting better there. I guess playing up in the forwards, I've been lucky enough with the club, I play a good bit up in the forwards, so it's a different level at Inter-County, you have to adapt again. But yeah, once I'm playing and I'm lucky enough to play, I'll get on with it really."

Laois endured a mixed league campaign with some tough defeats, but Byrne and his teammates remained competitive throughout. Learning from those losses has been key as they now turn their focus to the championship.

"I guess it's a skill to read the room, and when to say it to certain lads, and maybe one-to-one or whatnot, but like I said at the beginning, we have a good group there to drive it on. Most league games, we were very competitive in nearly every single one of them, bar the Kildare game comes to mind. That was sobering enough that night, but a lot of teams maybe have a performance like that in the league, and we kind of responded pretty well to that. Even in the last two games, to a degree, we performed fairly well, but it was just the last five and ten minutes there, and we were probably pretty disappointed the last day that we didn't fully learn from the Clare game how to see out the game. Justin summed it up perfectly. It was a relatively solid enough campaign, but we probably have a good balance of being solid but equally disappointed going into the weekend, and we feel like we have a point to prove and a lot of improvement to do."

The support of Laois fans remains crucial, and Byrne hopes for a strong turnout on Saturday. Having grown up watching the county team, he knows how much it means to play in front of the Laois supporters.

"I grew up going to games in the Leinster Championships and seeing Ross play. That's where I probably got the buzz from, wanting to go and play with Laois. Hopefully, on Saturday evening, people might be off work and have a few hours free to take a trip down because it means a lot to us as players coming out onto the field. Even when we're playing the league games here, and to see some of the young lads waving us onto the field, it gives us a great boost there. It'll be a needed Saturday."

Laois have undergone a transition in personnel, with new players stepping into key roles. Byrne has been impressed with how seamlessly they have adapted to inter-county football.

"100% and it's a tough thing to come straight into inter-county, it probably does take a while to get up to the level and the pace and not just survive, but to excel at the level of the game. In fairness, a lot of that comes from the training environment, and we're lucky there's a very good culture there of lads pushing each other on. If something needs to be done or something needs to be said, we try and drive it ourselves. There are a lot of very good players in Laois, at club level as well, and in fairness to them, it's a huge commitment. Every single lad has stepped up to it. I’ve a lot of confidence and belief in the lads."