Fitzgerald highlights wastefulness in front of goal

LAOIS senior hurling manager Tommy Fitzgerald reflected honestly on his side’s defeat to Kildare in the Joe McDonagh Cup final, highlighting wastefulness in front of goal and Kildare’s physical edge as decisive factors in the 2-26 to 1-19 loss at Croke Park.

Although the teams were level at 0-11 apiece at the break, Laois had racked up 11 wides and saw several efforts fall short. Fitzgerald felt those missed chances, combined with difficulties on restarts, allowed Kildare to take control in the second half.

“11 wides in the first half and a few dropping short as well. A lot of them were good scoring opportunities. I don’t know how many times we went wide on the near post. They definitely hurt us. Still, we were in a decent position. We got the goal at the start of the second half. We probably struggled on our own puck-outs, to be honest with you, that's where they really hurt us. They upped the intensity, and I thought physically they finished very, very strong. They probably had a little bit of an edge in terms of size and athleticism and power,” he said.

Fitzgerald admitted that, despite efforts to prepare in training, Laois were unable to adjust quickly enough once Kildare began to assert dominance in key areas of the pitch.

“It's difficult when you're in-game as well to try and solve it and figure it out. We did a lot of work on puck-outs the last two weeks. But look, they're a well-coached team, they're well-conditioned, and they're a good side. They punished us today,” he added.

Ahead of throw-in, Laois made two notable changes to their starting team, bringing in Jordan Walshe and James Keyes. Fitzgerald acknowledged how hard those decisions were to make, particularly given the contributions of the experienced players who missed out.

“It's extremely hard. It’s the hardest part of the job, to be quite honest with you. You referenced those two, and they're two brilliant, brilliant people. They come in every night and give their heart and soul for Laois. Of course, they were bitterly disappointed. There were others very disappointed as well, not to start. It was very difficult to pick a team every day we went out. We have a lot of fellas around the one level, and everybody's putting in the same effort. You just have to pick a team based on the particular game that you're playing, the opposition especially, and you're trying to get match-ups right and what have you. It is difficult, and nobody likes not playing in the final as well,” he explained.

With little time to regroup, Laois now face the daunting task of meeting Tipperary in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final next weekend. Fitzgerald expressed frustration at having such a quick turnaround after a physically demanding final.

“Just after coming out of the dressing room there, it's just all too raw at the moment. But look, we will regroup in a day or two. It's important that we represent the jersey and the county as well as best we can next Saturday, which is a bit of a joke to have next Saturday, to be honest with you,” he remarked.

Looking further ahead, Fitzgerald is optimistic that the panel, which features a promising age profile, will largely stay together, with only a small number of players possibly considering retirement.

“You want the group to stay together. There's actually not that many, I would say, possibly one or two, maybe, who might be coming towards the end, but they'll have a decision to make. But apart from that, the age profile is actually quite good. So look, we'll be hoping as a group that they can develop and stick together and try and build something over the next couple of years,” he ended.