NO TIERS IN LAOIS CAMP FOR OPENER
LAOIS boss Peter Creedon says it’s inevitable the Championship will be split in half after the decision to bring in the ‘Super Eight’ next year. Creedon’s side kick off their provincial campaign at home to Longford tomorrow in a battle between one Leinster county that was relegated to Division Four – Laois – and one that just missed a drop to that bottom tier. “It’s a great development,” said Creedon (right) of the ‘Super Eight’, which will see the All-ireland quarter-finals transform into a round-robin series. “I know a lot of counties will be saying, and quite correctly, that it’ll suit the panels that are bigger and stronger. “Obviously if Laois made it they’re working off 18 or 19 players to sustain a run over a three week period – and if you come through the back door, you’re out for six weeks running, which is hard. “I think they’re moving towards two 16s. That’s the first step along the way. “I still can’t fathom why there’s a reluctance to do it. There’s just no getting away from it. There’s too much investment going into county teams and realistically outside the top five or six, there’s no chance of winning it.” For now, Laois’ focus is solely on beating a Longford side that overcame Monaghan in last year’s qualifiers. “We had a poor League campaign and struggled to get a regular 15 onto the field. “We beat Longford in the league but last season they had a very good Championship campaign, they got some good results. “If we play really well it’s a game we can win. If we don’t produce a performance, they’ll take care of us.”
VERDICT: Draw