LAOIS MEN WON’T RUE DAY SAYS ACE JOHN

Laios v Monaghan Navan, Tomorrow, 2pm

JOHN SUGRUE is banking on Laois keeping their 100% Championship record against Monaghan - and grabbing a golden ticket to the Super 8s. Sugrue (above) was part of Laois’ backroom team in 2012 when they beat Monaghan 2-12 to 0-12, the one and only time they’ve met in the Championship.

Laois went on to reach their last All-ireland quarter-final that season while resurgent Monaghan have reached that stage four times since.

Malachy O’rourke’s (inset) Monaghan also count themselves unlucky to have crashed out of Ulster to a late goal by Fermanagh so Laois, the Division Four champions, appear to have it all to do.

But Sugrue said: “This game is a big opportunity for us to measure ourselves and see where we’re at. Monaghan are obviously a quality side, they won Ulster titles recently and that cannot be ignored but in saying that they’re in the qualifiers along with ourselves and let’s see who comes out on top.”

Laois’s 10-game winning streak came crashing to a halt when they were hammered by Dublin in the Leinster final.

But Sugrue isn’t downbeat about that result, noting that they kept pace with the three-in-a-row All-ireland winners for 30 minutes before being burned off.

The Kerry man said: “The scenario in the recent past is that teams have been beaten and been out the gap after 15 or 20 minutes against Dublin, we got ourselves to 30 minutes in that game.”

The former Laois physio and coach said he’d love to cap a successful first season in charge by reaching the Super 8s.

He said: “The Super 8s, I’m not sure about them as a concept in the grander scheme of things. But if we win one game now you’re guaranteed three more which is obviously a big carrot for teams.

“It’s all about that one game now and seeing if we can get ourselves there.”