By Kevin Murphy
A team bonding exercise by the Laois hurlers had a happy ending for goalkeeper Eoin Reilly at O’Moore Park at the weekend.
Manager Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett had encouraged each player to bury a meaningful picture the night before their qualifier clash with Dublin.
The idea was to help the team feel a personal connection to the grounds.
O’Reilly had buried a picture of himself and his deceased grandfather from a county final victory for his club Abbeyleix back in 2007.
“I buried it with surgical precision on Friday night. Now it rained that night and I was worried that would make if difficult to find.
“I went looking for it after the game, but couldn’t find it. This is a picture that means a lot to me and was one of the last pictures of the two of us together,” Reilly told the Irish Examiner.
“A couple of young lads spotted me looking for it and curiosity drew them over. Thankfully, I got it in the end.“
Unfortunately the manager’s unusual motivation methods weren’t enough to keep Laois in the Championship, they lost to .