Manager Quirke hoping for ‘fair play’ from clubs as Laois footballers recommence training

Laois senior football manager Mike Quirke is hoping that clubs will cooperate with him as his side recommence training collectively tonight.

Laois were permitted to begin training last week but Quirke decided to delay that for a week as all of his players were involved in championship action last weekend.

Speaking on the LaoisToday Talking Sport Podcast, they Kerry native revealed how his side will train this week and then he will return players to their clubs next week to allow them prepare for the senior quarter finals.

After that, there will be four senior teams left in the competition – and they face a wait until whenever Laois are knocked out of the championship before they can resume club action.

Asked about whether he thinks some players on those teams will not commit to Laois or if there will be pressure applied from their clubs not to do so – manager Quirke hopes the answer is no in both cases.

He said: “I don’t (envisage issues like that), I don’t but maybe there will be. I’m not too sure.

“My understanding of it is once Laois are finished, there will be a two week break to allow the clubs the opportunity to prepare for them games.

“In Kerry, it’s always the way, you finish whether it’s an All-Ireland semi final or final the clubs get a couple of weeks and then they are back at it.

“I think we have been very fair with clubs. Again we could of done something on Wednesday or Tuesday night of last week to try and get everyone together, we just felt it wasn’t the right thing to do.

“We didn’t do anything during lockdown. We could have been getting lads together on the sneak trying to do stuff, maybe we should have been – to honest I don’t know.

“At this stage we are looking for fair play, I don’t think what we are asking for is too much to be honest.”

Manager Quirke says that the majority of players he has spoken to are eager to get back and they want to finish what they started earlier in the year.

He said: “The guys I’m talking to are still very very much about representing Laois and really want to see (how it goes).

“We would have been fairly content where we are in the league. The two games we have left, we could lose but they are winnable games that we really would have targeted.

“Guys just want to finish out the league and see exactly where we are in the pecking order and to stay in the division would obviously would be great but to win both of them and see where that takes you, it would be a massive carrot for lads too.

“You know the guys we are dealing with, they are ambitious fellas and it’s a good opportunity. They want to see where we can finish in the whole thing.”

You can listen to this week’s Talking Sport episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Podbean or below on Soundcloud.

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source https://www.laoistoday.ie/2020/09/22/manager-quirke-hoping-for-fair-play-from-clubs-as-laois-footballers-recommence-training/