We know how good Leitrim are stresses Laois captain Evan O'Carroll ahead of Croke Park clash

This weekend is a big one for all involved with the Laois Senior Football team as they make the trip to Croke Park to face Leitrim in the Division 4 decider.

Laois captain Evan O’Carroll has been in superb form with the Crettyard star firing on all cylinders throughout the league. Speaking ahead of the game in Croke Park, O’Carroll had this to say about Laois’ promotion.

“It was very important for us to achieve promotion. Last year, we were very disappointed because our goal was to get out of Division 4, so I suppose it's something we had to build on and make sure that we put in the work and make sure we got promotion and thankfully we got that on Sunday against Waterford,” he said.

Laois know they’re in for a serious battle as Leitrim were the only side to take points off Laois in the league. O’Carroll feels that Laois need to focus on their own performance this time around.

"We know how good they are and it's going to be a massive battle and we have a lot of improving to do since then I suppose. We were disappointed about our performance and the mistakes that we were making but look we're going on to Croke Park and trying to get a performance against them," he said.

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When Justin McNulty named O’Carroll as captain for the 2024 campaign it came as no surprise as he had been joint-captain for the last two years. The Crettyard player says his main focus is helping the team out and making sure they’re performing to their best: "I suppose there's an extra responsibility but I think over the last couple of years I've tried to improve as a player. The captaincy puts maybe a small bit more emphasis on that but I've made sure that I'm working hard in all the areas that I can and just helping the team out.

"Previously it might have been a little bit different before I had the captaincy even being joint captain the previous two years but look as long as the team is performing and the team is doing well that's the main thing and the main emphasis for us."

Laois have introduced plenty of new stars to the panel with those players getting their first taste of a league final in Croke Park this weekend. O’Carroll has been impressed with how fast the new players have moulded into the team after such a short space of time: "To bring fresh faces and youth into any squad it's very important. The major positive is that usually it kind of takes a couple of years for lads to make that breakthrough where the lads have come into the panel and look like they've been there for a number of years.

"They're really good fellas first of all and they're really good footballers as well. There's good footballers in Laois and there's good young lads there so seeing them get plenty of game time and make a positive impact on the team. It’s a positive for Laois football. It’s crucial that they are the ones that are setting standards and that we follow them and if there's any way we can help advice wise, Timmo and Lillis would have a couple more years under their belts than some of us.

"You’d be naive not to take advice from a couple of lads that have been around for a couple of years so if there's any insight or anything we can give. I think the lads will be willing to learn from that as well."

A big feature of Laois’ play throughout the campaign has been their ability to get scores from all over the field. The Laois captain knows that it’s important to have so many lads being able to get a score all across the field: "Not that there's been massive emphasis on it, I just think the lads have stepped up and Sean Fitz, Damon Larkin, Conor Heffernan and a few of the others have just stepped up and made sure that they're contributing to the scores.

"They've got great pace and legs and as I said they're good footballers so it's good to see them kind of bringing a bit more attacking threat so that other teams are not just focusing on maybe just the forwards. There’s a good eight or nine players that are chipping in with scores every couple of games so I suppose it's positive,” O’Carroll said.

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O’Carroll was quick to reiterate that it’s all about Laois’ performance on the day and that it doesn’t matter about the opposition that their focus is about going to Croke Park and making sure they don’t leave with any regrets: "There’s a good few lads on the panel who haven’t played in Croke Park before and then you’ve lads who have played so the excitement doesn't go with that but we're excited about going to Croke Park and putting in a performance.

"Our big focus is on the performance up there and we know it’s going to be difficult because Leitrim are a good side. Look we see this as an opportunity to develop and grow as a team, we'll focus on the match, it didn't really matter who we were playing, it's more about making sure we go up to Croke Park and we get a performance and I suppose enjoy the occasion but definitely focus on the performance that we bring as a team, that's our major emphasis."