As if the time for recovery wasn't short enough, beaten Leinster finalists Laois have a litany of injuries ahead of Sunday's football qualifier against All-Ireland champions Tyrone. Several players came out of Saturday's replay against Westmeath with fresh doubts about their fitness, while captain Chris Conway remains on the absentee list after his appendix operation.

Certain to miss out is defender Joe Higgins, who suffered serious medial-ligament damage to his left knee in the replay. The exact extent of the injury is unclear but his discomfort after Saturday's game left it obvious only a miracle would see him fit by Sunday.

Ross Munnelly is still nursing the ankle injury sustained in the drawn game last Sunday week; Michael Lawlor is again doubtful because of the thigh muscle that gave out after 30 minutes last Saturday; and Beano McDonald is suffering from a pelvic injury. Also doubtful is young forward Donal Brennan; he is on minor duty with the county in Saturday's quarter-final against Cork.

Tyrone, in contrast, report a clean bill of health - as do Dublin for their game with Roscommon, the first game in Sunday's qualifier double at Croke Park.

The strain of playing three weekends in succession was evident with Limerick's footballers last Saturday. Like Laois, they were forced into qualifier action just a week after losing a provincial final replay and were unable to rise to the challenge of Derry at Dr Hyde Park, losing 0-10 to 0-7.

Sports psychologist Brendan Hackett worked with the Limerick panel through the season and saw up close the effects of that severe schedule. He called on the GAA to further address the situation where beaten provincial finalists are so soon sent into qualifier action.

"I believe the demands are in fact more emotional than physical," said Hackett. "I know Limerick put a lot of energy into winning the Munster title. Both the drawn game and the replay were roller-coasters, and of course that took a physical toll. But it was also a big emotional drain.

"When they didn't realise that goal there was a real element of disappointment, almost grief.

"Given enough time teams can recover from that situation, but I don't think a week is enough.

"We've seen in other situations how teams like Tyrone and Armagh have recovered but they've had time to do so. That's never been the case with beaten provincial finalists."

There are other reasons, says Hackett, why the GAA player needs extra time for recovery: "Most players are back at work the following morning, often doing physical work. But even if you are sitting behind your desk you don't really get a mental break. That is so different to say the professional rugby player, who would spend two or three days after a big game purely recovering.

"So all these things accumulate and take their toll. The travelling, the loss of sleep, all those things. And that's what I saw in the Limerick players on Saturday.

"With five minutes to go they were still in the game and needed to lift themselves, but they just couldn't do it. You could see it in the way players were running for the ball; they were just drained. And that was unfair."

These are the demands, added Hackett, that are driving some of the older players out of the game. In fact Limerick's John Quane announced his retirement yesterday, at the age of 32. Quane had played 14 seasons with Limerick, having started back in 1991, and was one of the select few Limerick players to have won a Railway Cup medal.

"People were talking about John Quane as if he was an old man," added Hackett. "But there's no reason why players can't go on well into their 30s. There certainly isn't that much of a physical difference, but I think they are more emotionally drained because of the commitments. And the back-door system in football has clearly increased those commitments."

An almost identical situation now lies in store for Laois, who go in against a rested and rejuvenated Tyrone side just eight days after the huge low of Saturday's Leinster final replay:

"I know with Limerick there was a feeling after the first game with Kerry that they had left it behind them," says Hackett. "Apart from losing the second game, that's also what killed them, and why it was so difficult to come again against Derry."