I consider myself to be a rational individual and not prone to over exaggeration but in my opinion this game is potentially our biggest game in the championship since our magnificent breakthrough in 1980.
Our hurling decline has been well documented on this forum and elsewhere.
At underage level we now lie seventh in Leinster behind Kilkenny, Dublin, Wexford, Laois, Westmeath and Carlow and eventually this has to feed through to senior level. Our team of the 1990s feared no other team as they had beaten Kilkenny regularly in Leinster at minor and under 21 level and beat Munster teams to win 3 minor titles in 4 years. Similarly now no minor from Laois, Westmeath or Carlow will fear the Offaly jersey at senior level in the next few years.
Regrettably we are looking at slipping into the qualifying group in Leinster in the next few years. People scoffed at Dathai Regan when he said in 2012 that we could be playing Christy Ring hurling in 5 years time. What do we think now ? Look at Antrim who appear to be in free fall. We just about beat them last year. If there was natural justice Kerry would have been in division 1B this year and not us.
We are in deep deep trouble and there is no short term solution as we all know.
I hope to God we beat Laois and I am desperately trying not to be negative but I am worried.