Edging closer to football’s top table

THE players’ lounge underneath Croke Park’s Hogan Stand has been open for business for five years now and rarely will two sets of players have had as much to talk about as those from Laois and Donegal after tomorrow’s match.

The Division Two final will be their second meeting in the space of a fortnight but it is the copious links and similarities between the two counties these past 10 years that should ensure a never-ending source of conversation.

Back in 2003, both looked to be on the cusp of greatness. Laois had won a first Leinster senior title in 57 years under Mick O’Dwyer while their Ulster colleagues stretched their summer all the way to an All-Ireland semi-final.