McNulty’s first thoughts are for the O’Neill family in Stradbally

THE Laois senior footballers were forced to settle for a draw in Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday evening, as a late rally from Limerick meant Laois needed a last-minute point from Niall Corbet to earn a share of the spoils.

After the final whistle, Laois manager Justin McNulty began his post-match reflections by paying tribute and offering his condolences to the family of Stradbally footballer Ciaran ‘Nelly’ O’Neill, who passed away on Friday last. O’Neill represented Laois at underage level up to minor and also lined out with his club at senior and junior grades.

“There’s a family in Stradbally, a young fella who played Laois minor, Ciaran ‘Nelly’ O’Neill, and I guess that puts the performance and the result into perspective. My thoughts go out to his family, the Stradbally club, the community, and to all the Laois players who played with and grew up with him. That's a big, big blow for Laois, the GAA in Laois, and the Laois family in general, so my sympathies are with them,” McNulty said.

Turning his attention to the contest itself, McNulty acknowledged that Laois had done enough to win the game, while also pointing to encouraging aspects of the performance that can be built upon as the campaign progresses.

“Obviously, a match this evening that we could and should have won. A huge performance from the Laois team. We dominated so many elements of the game, kick-outs, turnovers, win-backs, shots, but just didn't convert, and that's what cost us tonight. I’m very, very proud of the effort of the players.

“Very proud as they were outsiders coming into tonight's game, and to deliver a performance like that, given those circumstances, I think the players should be proud. They know that we have improvements to make and all the little tweaks that can be very easily fixed, but the biggest thing was the bravery that the players showed and the trust they had in each other and the trust they had in the game plan, and that's massive for us,” he said.

Park/Ratheniska’s Cian Nolan and Portarlington’s Darragh Galvin both made their league debuts for Laois, with McNulty stressing that their inclusion was based on merit rather than sentiment.

“It wasn't a question of us having faith in them; the boys put their heads up and demanded a starting place by how they've committed themselves, and how they've applied themselves since they came in. They're very, very proud Laois lads. They want to play, and they want to put their hands up in the dressing room after a match and say I played well and they're determined to do that. I think those lads did, and they should be proud of that, and I think the majority of our players can sit in the dressing room afterwards and say hands up, I had a good game.

“There were a few errors, yes, we can rectify those, missed scores we can rectify that, but the character the guys demonstrated, I think they should all be very, very proud of that, and we can build on that. We know we've got a big, big task ahead of us next Saturday night down in Wexford Park, and we know we need to improve on so many facets of our game, but I think from a team growth perspective, this evening's game was massive,” he added.

Laois were unable to fully capitalise on their periods of dominance, never extending their lead beyond three points and allowing Limerick to remain within striking distance. A series of missed goal opportunities proved costly, while Limerick’s two two-pointers kept them firmly in contention. The second of which put them ahead with two minutes to play.

“You'd be scratching your head, wondering how we weren’t further ahead. I think we had four or five clear-cut goal chances, none of which we converted. Obviously we got one, but we could have had another four or five, it felt, and if you're looking at the stats, you'd be scratching your head in terms of who won the game, in terms of the dominance on kick-outs, the dominance on shots, the dominance on win-backs and that's what I'll be focusing on and nothing else,” the Laois manager said.

Laois’ midfield pairing saw Crettyard’s Ciaran Burke line out alongside Courtwood’s Rob Tyrrell. Burke returned after missing the entire 2025 inter-county season through injury, and McNulty is hopeful he can enjoy a more settled year ahead.

“Talent's not enough; it has to be about effort and character. Ciarán knows that, and he showed huge character getting back from injuries that he has had, which have plagued him for the last number of seasons. For him to get through most of the game and be a force in the middle of the park was enormous, and credit to him and likewise to Rob. Likewise, to the team who, when that last gasp two-pointer goes over for them, you know, everybody in the park would have said Limerick are going to win this match. But our guys showed huge bravery and trust in each other, and we should have won the match. We know that, but we'll take confidence from the style and the manner in which we played and performed for most of the game,” he commented.

Laois also have a new Maor Uisce on the sideline, with experienced full-back Mark Timmons taking on the role, and McNulty was keen to highlight his value to the group.

“Mark has been a huge servant for Laois football. He knows the game inside and out, to have that wisdom along the line and to guide and direct players as appropriate on the sidelines, what better man, and we're delighted to have Mark back on the scene,” he said.

Attention now turns to next weekend’s trip to Wexford, where Laois will be hoping to pick up their first win and make it three points from the first two games.

“We know we have massive improvements to do before next Saturday; we can't begin to think about competing. We need to be on our game so much more efficiently over several facets of the game, but we'll take huge encouragement from the character our guys demonstrated tonight,” he concluded.