‘The energy, commitment demonstrated by the players has been phenomenal’

JUSTIN McNulty and his Laois footballers are set to get their Division 3 campaign underway this weekend when they take on Leitrim in Ballinamore.

The Armagh native admitted that his side’s preparation for the league hasn’t been ideal with challenge games cancelled due to the weather and no counties allowed to play games pre-Christmas.

That said, he has been impressed with his panel’s determination and application since they returned to training.

“Our preparation hasn't been ideal, it's been disrupted. Pre-Christmas, we had games scheduled which were called off last minute, out of our control. We've had a week of disruption from the weather but in terms of the attitude and the energy and the commitment demonstrated by the group of players we have, it's been phenomenal.

“They're a credit to themselves in terms of how determined they are to step up every session and improve and be better. They're hungry to play for Laois, they're very proud fellas, they're proud Laois men and they want to represent their county to the best of their ability and I'm excited about what lies in prospect for the team to see what they can deliver, starting from Saturday,” he said.

Laois and Leitrim faced each other in the league phase of Division 4, a game which Leitrim won, but Laois ended up getting their own back when they were crowned champions in Croke Park against the same opposition.

McNulty admits his players have points to prove in 2025 and he’s excited to see how that fares.

“That's something we spoke about on the pitch tonight, the fellas know that Leitrim will have an axe to grind, having been defeated in the league final. Some of our fellas have big points to prove as well, new guys into the squad who want to get game time. Fellas who have been on the fringes have big-time points to prove. We know we're up against it going to Leitrim, obviously well-coached by Stephen Poacher. He's a well-renowned coach and he'll have them well-organised; he'll have them as fit as fiddles. There are no gimmick games like there were in Division 4. But there's only one match worth thinking about and that's Saturday against Leitrim.” McNulty addressed the changes in the Laois panel for 2025, acknowledging the absence of some players from last year while expressing confidence in the fresh energy and potential of the current group.

“It’s not something that I was expecting. We approached everybody who was in the squad last year to be involved this year. It’s just circumstances dictate that some of them are not available because of injury, travel and all the commitments and we wish them well with that. But what we have is 37 fellas in with us now, who are young, energetic, fit, capable, huge potential amongst them. They've got a bit of cut about them, a bit of teeth about them, they're determined to prove themselves, they're determined to show us what they've got. We're excited about what potential the group has and we're just really looking forward to seeing what they can deliver for us on the pitch in the games.” He also reflected on the broader opportunities available to young people today and how these sometimes lead players to step away from county football.

“I think for young people they have huge opportunities for themselves outside of football. This generation has got great possibilities in so many different arenas and some players just decide that county football is not for them. Sometimes they take a gap year, and sometimes they just never come back. Our door is always open and if the opportunity arises for people to change their minds and step back into the breach, we'll certainly consider keeping the door open for them.” The new rules come into effect from weekend and McNulty shared his perspective on adapting to them.

“I guess there's nothing that we probably didn't foresee. It’s been a steep, steep learning curve for us as coaches and for the players. For referees, it's a hugely steep learning curve. There's a degree of chaos around it and I probably anticipate chaos in the first round of the league to a certain degree. We have to control that chaos and we must keep structure, we must keep organisation, we must keep a huge communication, we must keep a formation on the pitch which is effective in the circumstances. We have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to get a performance that our players can be proud of as individuals and as a team.” He also admitted a preference for the game as it was, but acknowledged the impact of the new rules, particularly in opening up attacking opportunities.

“I liked the game just the way it was, would you believe? There's huge disruption in these rules. I think there probably has to be a degree of more openness in attack. Kick-outs are much more difficult. There's going to be much more contests around kick-out time based on the wider arc. I'm not so sure that there will be much more kicking. The long-range scoring is going to be interesting to see, I think on these heavy pitches at this stage of the year that’s not going to be very prevalent yet.” McNulty expressed support for the new discipline rule, emphasising the need to address the unacceptable norm of abuse toward officials.

“I do like the discipline one. I do think it has become an unacceptable norm in our sport for abuse of officials and it’s not acceptable so that nails that.” The absence of the O’Byrne Cup in January was a silly move according to Justin as it would have afforded teams the chance to see the rules in action in a somewhat competitive environment.

“That was sort of silly to have taken away the pre-season and also, to have had that diktat around the pre-Christmas games as well was silly. We need game time to get the full rehearsal of the rules. I think some counties just ignored and ploughed on pre-Christmas, so we won't mention any names, but we know that's the reality.” There are players coming into McNulty’s second year in charge that haven’t got to play under the Laois manager as they were injured for 2024, most notably, Padraig Kirwan and Ryan Brady.

“Pa is back at full tilt and Ryan's not far away, so we're excited to see what he can bring. It's about the squad and we know there's going to be injuries. Other players will get injured throughout and there will be opportunities and possibilities for players to step up. Some players have been showing huge potential, and huge prospects for Laois going forward.” Thankfully, there are no major injury concerns for McNulty. He’s hoping to have a fully fit squad to choose from come the second or third round of the league.

“There are a few niggles there but we're working through them all and hopefully fellas will be available, if not for the first league game, but for one or two league games then they will be available.” When asked about his side’s ambitions in Division 3, the Laois boss says they’ll take each game as it comes and their sole focus is on Leitrim on Saturday.

“We're not looking beyond Leitrim. That’s been our entire focus since we started training, our laser focus is on Leitrim.” Evan O’Carroll, Laois’ captain in 2024, will be unavailable after he sustained an ACL injury while playing for Leinster in the Inter-Provincial games which were used to showcase the new Gaelic Football rules. No decision has been made as to who will take that role for 2025.

“We have quite a few options. There's good maturity amongst the group. There are lots of fellas putting their hands up, which is very, very positive.” The loss of O’Carroll will be significant for Laois, as the new rules would have highlighted the Crettyard forward’s biggest strengths: direct running and an ability to kick long-range scores.

“I think these rules would be right up Evan's street in terms of two-pointers and his ability to take men on and throw people out of the way and get goals. That's a huge loss for us, no doubt, but thankfully his operation has gone well and hopefully, he'll make a full recovery. He's been in and around the environment as well, so fair play to him. We wish him well for his rehab.” Laois goalkeeper Killian Roche had a superb year in the blue and white jersey in 2024 which led to him being named Inter-County Footballer of the Year in Laois. One of his main strengths is his ability to become a roaming goalkeeper which will be hampered under the new rules as he must be inside the opposition’s half to receive the ball or inside the smaller square at his goals.

“I'm certainly not going to give you details of our tactical formations but there's no doubt Niall gives us options. Several other players give us options and it's great to have different strengths from different positions and different players. We'll try to explore the full limitations of all our players and see where we can go with that.” The Laois people have been great supporters of the football team in McNulty’s eyes and he’s hopeful that his group can deliver performances in the upcoming league campaign.

“Every player likes to be well supported as a footballer and every team likes to be well supported. Laois have been very loyal supporters for this team and the players are very grateful for that. We're not going to focus on things we can't control, we're focused entirely on our preparation, everything around our preparation and everything focused towards our performance. Hopefully the players can deliver a performance that Laois supporters can be proud of and most importantly the players can be proud of and the team can be proud of.” The Laois and Leitrim game will go down in GAA history as being the first inter-county game to be played under the new rules and McNulty is excited by his team going on ‘a voyage into the unknown’.

“A huge element of this is that it's a voyage into the unknown. I guess that's very, very exciting, that uncertainty and that chaos but we've got to try and stamp our authority on that chaos and control it to the best of our ability. We have smart footballers across the board, young, new, inexperienced players who are smart footballers who seem to be able to manage things very effectively and that bodes well, but it's no guarantee. We know we're going to have a really tough, well-organised team in Leitrim but we're excited by the opportunity to go and stamp our mark and get control of the new dispensation in our sport and show ourselves what we've got.”