To right a few of the wrongs from last year is Laois ladies’ target

STEPHEN Duff’s Laois Ladies will welcome Fermanagh to Emo GAA in Division 3 on Sunday afternoon as they get their Lidl National Football League campaign for 2026 underway.

Ballyroan’s Faye McEvoy has become an integral part of the Laois team and says that preparations ahead of the game against Fermanagh have gone well.

“It's been going well. We've got a few new players on the panel now this year as well, which is obviously nice. It's given people who were in previous years a push on as well, and just raising the standards.

“There's plenty of competition for spots. It’s a good thing, it’ll lead us fresh into the first round. There's no one’s place set in stone yet. Everyone's still fighting for positions, which makes training good and competitive as well,” she said.

This time of year is particularly busy for McEvoy, who is also lining out with DCU in college football. With Duff also managing DCU, the Ballyroan defender admits the dual role has helped make balancing both commitments more manageable.

“At the start of the week, I set out my schedule. Obviously, Stephen's over the O’Connor Cup and the Laois team, so that makes it a bit easier. He is quite compliant with, say, Laois football and that as well. If we are getting our two sessions in college during the week, and then we're home for our sessions with Laois, then on Friday and Sunday.

“We have a good management team in with Laois now as well this year. So, if we have any questions or say gym work or anything like that, they're all very easy to reach out to if there's anything that we do need. We've nutritionists on board and stuff as well.

“We've plenty of support for making sure that we're looking after ourselves as well as getting our college work done and then getting our work in Laois at the weekends. So, we have a good support team behind us anyway to give us help with that,” McEvoy added.

Laois’ Division 3 league campaign tailed off in 2025 after a strong start that saw them record three wins from their opening four games. Defeats to Limerick, Cavan and Wexford followed, with the latter two progressing to the league final. Laois, however, enjoyed a strong championship run, reaching both the Leinster and All-Ireland finals, although they fell short on both occasions.

“I think there was obviously a bit of a sour finish to what was a good championship campaign last year. I think people will be gunning to get back up there. Obviously, it was my first time playing up there as well and to get the experience up there, Jesus, we'd be hoping to get back up and try to right a few of the wrongs from last year and get a win up in Croke Park. It would be the main goal, which would be savage. I think everyone's heads are set in that direction.

“Obviously, the aim is the league first anyway, so we'll have our sole concentration on that first. I think we started off the league pretty strong last year and kind of died out a little bit towards the end of it. We started, I think, with nearly three wins in a row and then drew and suffered two losses after that. We finished fifth on the league table. So, obviously, it would be another goal of ours after doing so well in the championship last year to try to up the standard in the league a little bit as well,” the Ballyroan defender said.

McEvoy also highlighted the strong leadership within the Laois panel, noting that captain Andrea Moran and vice-captain Shifra Havill are setting the tone alongside a number of experienced players.

“There are plenty of leaders on the team. Andrea (Moran) and Shifra (Havill) got announced as captain and vice-captain, and the two of them are just savage. They are such a driving force behind the team as well, along with a few of the older girls with great experience as well.

“You go into every training learning something new, or you've done something, and they might say, we’ll do it this way or try to implement this into your game, and everyone's fiercely encouraging each other. If you do something well, someone is shouting at your back, like, oh, well done, keep that going. So, no, it is great. No one's afraid to not say something when it needs to be said, and then encouraging others when they're doing something well, which is great. Everyone's putting their best foot forward in training and coming out learning something new,” she commented.

Sunday’s meeting with Fermanagh will also mark Laois’ first competitive outing under the new LGFA rules. With several changes mirroring those introduced in the men’s game, McEvoy believes the revised tackle laws, in particular, will suit her defensive style.

“I have to say I'm a big fan of them. I think the 3v3 will suit us well enough. We kind of play our game that way anyway. Then, obviously, as a defender, the tackle rule is great. We're getting away with getting a lot more contact with each other.

“I think the solo and go will be difficult enough. If someone is coming at you at pace and you've just held them up, the next thing they can do is solo and go, and you have to just let them go. The fitness levels are going to have to be upped again; it'll be a bit more demanding that way. Tackling and being able to get hands-on and more physicality in the game is what we've been looking for; that's definitely something I'm a big fan of anyway,” she said.

The introduction of two-pointers has also added a new competitive edge to training, with several players eager to make their mark.

“There are a few of them now competing to kick the first one. I think there are maybe three or four who definitely have the distance on it. So, they'll be looking to get their name down on a sheet somewhere to say they kicked the first one. There's a bit of competition there as well, but I think it is great as well for teams that have players who can kick two-pointers. It's a great advantage to get one score for it to count as two points on the board. There'll definitely be a few eyeing up that prize,” McEvoy said.

McEvoy concluded by providing an update on Laois’ injury situation, with recent weather conditions forcing the squad to train on astro-turf pitches.

“We've had a few niggles now so far at the start of the year. I suppose we're training on astro some nights as well, which is obviously tough enough on the body when you're on it a few nights a week. We have a great physio team in with us as well, and they're doing their best to keep everyone healthy and modifying people's sessions and stuff if they need it, coming up to the matches and stuff. The main aim will be getting everyone on the team sheet healthy with no knocks or niggles, so hopefully, we can keep everyone going that way,” she concluded.