Championship debuts for Fionn Holland and Cathal lee
Cathal Lee and Fionn Holland
Preview – Tailteann Cup Rd 1
LAOIS will get their 2025 Tailteann Cup campaign up and running in Laois Hire O’Moore Park this afternoon at 3pm. The home side go into this game against Waterford as raging hot 1/20 favourites.
This should come as no great surprise but favouritism brings its own pressure along with it.
The sides have only three times in the past, all games in the national League. Last year Laois travelled to Fraher Field and trounced Waterford 5-19 to 0-9. The previous year Laois had home venue and won on a 2-13 to 1-5 scoreline. The closest Waterford came to getting the better of Laois was back in 2018 when they ran Laois to four points, 0-18 to 1—11 in O’Moore Park.
All that will count for nothing when Justin McNulty and his team take to the field in Portlaoise this afternoon.
The selected team shows three changes from the side which lost to Louth in the Leinster quarter-final. There will be championship debuts for O’Dempsey’s Fionn Holland and Clonaslee/St Manman’s Cathal Lee. Lee Knowles (Stradbally) is the other change at corner-back.
The three to miss out are Simon Fingleton, who injured his shoulder against Louth, Padraig Kirwan and Danny O’Reilly. Kirwan is included in the subs while O’Reilly misses on the matchday panel. Shaun Fitzpatrick returns from injury and is included on the bench but Benny Carroll and James Kelly miss out through injury.
Laois are fortunate that the opener of their three games in the league section is a home. Next Saturday evening they must travel to Aughrim to take on Wicklow. Their final game, against Offaly, will be played at a neutral game on the June Bank Holiday weekend.
: Killian Roche; Ben Dempsey, Trevor Collins, Liam Knowles; Paddy O’Sullivan , Seamus Lacey, Fionn Holland; Damon Larkin, Conor Heffernan; Niall Corbet, Brian Byrne, Kevin Swayne; Ronan Coffey, Cathal Lee, Mark Barry.
Subs: Conor Brown, Ryan Brady, John Brennan, Jake Darcy, Michael Doran, Shaun Fitzpatrick, Pa Kirwan, Aaron McEvoy, Sean O’Neill, Jack Lennon, Jonah Kelly.
