The club season may be over, but the real work is only beginning for those involved with Laois ladies football

SATURDAY evening’s double-header at Laois Hire O’Moore Park brought the curtain down on another year of club action, with St Conleth’s reclaiming the senior crown and Shanahoe securing an immediate return to the top tier. There were plenty of reasons to celebrate, but there is also no escaping the fact that Laois has some serious questions to answer heading into 2027.

It has been a difficult year for the county team. Relegation from Division 3 of the National League was followed by a heavy defeat in the Leinster Intermediate Championship, while their All-Ireland campaign threatened to become another disappointment.

Laois eventually did enough to beat Wicklow on the final day and preserve their intermediate status for 2027, but that was a far cry from the heights reached just 12 months earlier, when they contested the All-Ireland Intermediate final against Tyrone.

That contrast is stark. Reaching an All-Ireland final should provide a platform to build on, yet Laois found themselves fighting to avoid further setbacks this year. The challenge now is to ensure that 2026 becomes a turning point rather than the beginning of a slide.

There were signs of encouragement at club level over the weekend, however, and the senior final in particular demonstrated the importance of having ambitious clubs capable of challenging for silverware.

St Conleth’s returned to the summit of Laois ladies football by winning their third Senior Championship in six years. Their sixth consecutive final appearance underlines their consistency, with previous titles coming in 2021 and 2024.

Their experience showed in Sunday's final against St Joseph’s, where they raced into a 3-4 to no-score lead after 25 minutes. The contest was effectively decided by that stage, with St Joseph’s struggling to settle into their first senior final.

For St Joseph’s, reaching the decider was still a significant achievement. Winning the Intermediate Championship just two years ago and progressing to the senior final demonstrates what can be achieved when a club continues to develop and build momentum.

The occasion may have got to them, but the experience of playing on that stage should stand to them in the years ahead. St Conleth’s have set the standard for consistency, and the challenge for the chasing clubs is to close that gap and turn final appearances into championship wins.

The intermediate final offered another interesting story, with Shanahoe making an immediate return to senior football after their relegation in 2025. Their 5-6 to 1-13 victory over Killeshin was an emphatic response to last year's disappointment.

Killeshin, meanwhile, had been aiming to make it back-to-back championships after winning the Junior title in 2025. Their progress is another example of the opportunities available to clubs willing to build from the lower grades.

The movement between the three grades is important for the health of the overall competition. Clubs need to have something to aspire to, and the prospect of reaching senior football provides a tangible reward for sustained progress. Equally, those relegated must have the determination and structure to fight their way back.

But club success alone cannot disguise the problems facing the county team. Player retention and commitment will be central to the work ahead, as Laois look to establish a more consistent level of performance and ensure they are making the most of the talent available.

The new management team will have had a useful opportunity to assess that talent over recent weeks. Manager Tony Reilly, head coach Shane McCormack and performance coach Enda Moran were in attendance at Saturday's finals, having also watched games across the senior, intermediate and junior grades over the past few weeks, Reilly and McCormack were part of the Meath management team in 2025, guiding the Royals to the All-Ireland final, which they lost to Dublin on the same day Laois were beaten by Tyrone in the intermediate decider.

Their experience at that level will be valuable, but the challenge in Laois is to turn that knowledge into tangible progress. With the new management team coming from outside the county, there may be changes to the panel and fresh competition for places as they assess the options available to them.

That process will require difficult decisions, but it also offers an opportunity for players to make their case. Saturday's finals were a reminder that talent exists throughout the club game. The task is to identify those capable of making the step up and create an environment in which players want to commit to the county setup.

There is no quick fix for the challenges facing Laois, and one disappointing season does not erase the progress made in reaching an All-Ireland final in 2025. Equally, that achievement cannot be used as a reason to overlook the shortcomings exposed this year.

The coming months will be important in setting the tone for the new era. A clear plan, consistency in selection and a strong connection between the county setup and the clubs will all matter if Laois are to move forward.

The club championships have now concluded, with silverware distributed and another season consigned to history. For Laois Ladies football, though, the bigger test lies ahead.

The foundations are there. The challenge for the new management team is to build on them and ensure that the disappointment of 2026 gives way to a more promising chapter in the years to come.