Matthew Whelan says Laois' brave display against Galway shows that they are getting there.

Whelan produced a superb display as the midlanders almost shocked the Tribesmen in Portlaois on Sunday and he hopes they can now build on that effort:

"We came agonisingly close, losing a game like that when it was in the melting pot in the last ten minutes," the O'Moore County star says in The Irish Examiner.

"You need a bit of luck, you need things to go right for you but Galway had that bit of experience, finished stronger.

"The last few years we didn't turn up for the big games. Cork gave us a big trimming in 2011, Dublin and Limerick did the same last year. [Sunday] was going to be a yardstick for us and I think it showed that when we prepare properly, we're not that far off the big teams.

"There was a great atmosphere in the camp and going into the Galway game we felt we had nothing to lose, no-one giving us a chance.

"We prepared hard, analysed what we needed to do. Our intensity levels were right. Hopefully now we'll continue to move forward.

"Players want to play for their county. They want to be part of it, but the set up has to be right too. Every day of the week you're doing something, whether it's gym, training, recovery, and if you're going to give that time and commitment, then the set up has to be right.

"This management has put everything in place to help maximise the performance." Tweet

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