Major blow as Higgins and Kelly opt out of Laois panel

Laois GAA is coping with the news that Joe Higgins and Tom Kelly will not be returning to the county panel for the forthcoming National League and championship campaigns.

It had been known that the players had been considering their futures with the county and manager Liam Kearns confirmed yesterday that neither would be involved with the team this year.

The St Joseph's pair had a meeting with Kearns over the weekend but have now decided to opt out of the county panel. The departure of the two players will be a huge blow for Laois as they embark on a season in Division One of the National Football League and also aim to win the Leinster championship for the first time since 2003.

"The reality is they won't be coming back to us," said Kearns "We put a lot of work into trying to get them back but the door will be always open for them. They are two of Laois's highest-profile players and they are also All Stars. We thought they would have a change of heart but they didn't."

This is a major loss for Kearns, as a big gap has been left in his defensive cover for the forthcoming year. Higgins and Kelly received All Star awards in 2003 when Laois were crowned Leinster champions for the first time since 1946.

Higgins, who was regarded as one of the best corner backs in the game, first emerged in 1997 as part of the Laois minor team that retained the All-Ireland championship. In 1998 he also added a Leinster under-21 title to his list of honours with the team that went on to reach the All-Ireland final where they lost to Kerry.

Tom Kelly has also been a star performer for Laois in his centre-back position and he played a key role in Laois's victory over Kildare in the 2003 Leinster final and was also selected for the four most recent International Rules series, 2003-06.

"It is a serious blow to Laois and no county can afford to lose players of their calibre," said Kearns. "We have lost some experienced players like Chris Conway, Fergal Byron and Gary Kavanagh. We (Laois) were a side in transition but now we are a side in a serious transition," he concluded.