Fitzgerald knows Kildare will be a very difficult nut to crack

WHEN Tommy Fitzgerald unexpectedly stepped into the Laois senior hurling hotseat, the main target was clear from the outset: get back to Croke Park and fight for a return to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. After a rollercoaster campaign, that opportunity is now just one win away.

“Ultimately, it was, it's all about the championship, and that's the championship we're in. Especially after last year's disappointment, I'm sure that for the players, that was a goal as well: to get back here and try to go a step further,” he said.

Their route to the Joe McDonagh Cup final has been anything but straightforward. Dominant wins over Westmeath, Down and Kerry had them flying, but a heavy home loss to Kildare threw everything into doubt. It meant Laois had to get a result away to Carlow on the final day, and they only managed it thanks to a last-minute goal that sealed a dramatic draw and sparked wild scenes of celebration.

“When does it ever? I'm sure anyone involved in sport will tell you that. Ups and downs along the way, but look, effort has been top class throughout the year, and no matter how the games were going, the boys came in every week with a top-class attitude. This was always the time of year that we were aiming towards, so we're just about on track,” he said.

Looking back on that final round clash in Carlow, Fitzgerald says one overriding feeling stood out when the dust settled, relief.

“Relief was probably the outstanding feeling, but even looking back at the game, we made mistakes, but we did a lot of good things as well, and the effort was top-class. As I said to the lads, sometimes when you work really hard and you leave it all out in the field, you get that break at the end. Looking forward now to the next day,” he added.

Standing between Laois and silverware are a confident and well-drilled Kildare side, the same team who dismantled Laois in O’Moore Park just a few weeks ago.

“More of the same, to be honest with you, you couldn't be but impressed by them the last day. I think I said after the match, they out-hurled us, out-fought us and out-ran us, so look, we've a lot to do ourselves to fix those issues. They're a really good side and they'll be full of confidence coming in next Sunday, I'm sure,” he said.

Fitzgerald doesn’t buy into the idea that Kildare are surprise finalists either. He believes their recent rise has been building for some time.

“They've been building over the years. They were actually very close under David Herity, they nearly beat Offaly in the Division 2 final when he was in charge. They ended up in the Christy Ring last year, but they blitzed their way through, and then they came through Division 2 this year. They've been making progress each year, I think, and they're probably a good age profile now with a really good management team. They're probably being spearheaded by the Naas club as well and supplemented by a few other clubs, but look, anyone who's following Naas over the last couple of years has seen how strong they are. They have been coming for a while, so it's not a huge surprise to be honest,” he said.

That day in Portlaoise, Laois were outgunned across all departments. Fitzgerald doesn’t try to sugarcoat it.

“Absolutely, yeah, all of the above. Really well conditioned, they brought real intent that day, and you can say all those things, but they also out-hurled us that day. Their hurling was sharper and crisper. They're a good side, but look, we've some good players as well, so it should be a good contest,” he said.

Could Laois have done more to match them? Fitzgerald isn’t sure, but admits they’ve looked hard at what went wrong.

“It's hard to know, like maybe we weren't let hurl. There were definitely aspects of our play that we weren't happy with, and we've been looking back over that the last week or two. We'll be hoping to improve in a number of areas, but I'm sure Kildare will be too, and they'll be confident after the last day too I'm sure,” he said.

Many of the current squad still carry the sting of last year’s Joe McDonagh Cup final defeat to Offaly. Combine that with a desire to put things right after the recent Kildare loss and Laois should have no shortage of motivation, but Fitzgerald believes it goes beyond revenge.

“I don't know, to be honest with you. When the ball is thrown in, I don't know, it's what both teams are aiming towards all year. There's a huge prize at stake, it's not even so much the trophy, to be honest with you. It's a ticket back into the Leinster Championship, and that's where we feel Laois as a hurling county wants to be. It's where we always were in the past, and certainly, the onus is on us and the group of players wearing the jersey at the moment to try and get back to Leinster Championship hurling,” he said.

In terms of injuries, Fitzgerald gave a mixed update. The good news is that Eoin Gaughan and Jordan Walshe are back in full training, but others are touch and go.

“They're still tight, so we'll have to see. We have nine days, so we don't know yet, to be honest with you. They're still not fully back, so it's going to be very tight. Eoin Gaughan and Jordan Walshe are back in full training, so that's a good boost, but Cody (Comerford) and Fiachra (C-Fennell), it's still up in the air,” he said.

He also explained the nature of the injury Fiachra C-Fennell suffered, and how it happened so early in that Kildare game that no one even realised the damage at the time.

“AC injury. From the beginning of the game and we probably didn't realise the extent of it in the Kildare game. He played on through it, and we pulled him halfway through the second half, but the damage was done at that stage,” he said.

The panel has seen some changes too, with the experienced Cha Dwyer no longer part of the group heading into the final. Fitzgerald was philosophical about the decision.

“It was unfortunate to be honest with you. I’ve been involved with a lot of teams, so sometimes these things happen, and you just have to make a decision. You move on and our full focus is now on what's coming down the tracks next Sunday. Huge game for us,” he said.

As the build-up intensifies ahead of Sunday’s showdown, Fitzgerald had one final message, not for his players, but for the Laois supporters.

“It does make a difference. I know from being a player myself, when you have that support behind you, it does lift you, it does inspire you. There's huge goodwill out there among the hurling public in Laois towards our county senior hurling team. I know they're all rooting for us, but we'd love to see them come in big numbers and have lots of blue and white around the stadium next Sunday. It would definitely help, and hopefully, they can have something to cheer about on the day,” he ended.