Offaly captain Lee Pearson relishing Laois test in Leinster opener

Lee Pearson is a young captain, but when it comes to the role of team leader he looks to the manor born.

The Edenderry man won an All-Ireland Under-20 football championship medal just three years ago and quickly progressed to the senior side, operating in the full-back line.

Offaly manager Declan Kelly knew Pearson well from their successful collaboration with that U20 squad and at the start of the year he elevated him to the key leadership role with the seniors.

It was no shock – before that Pearson had served as Offaly U17 captain for 2019. Incidentally, that was the third year in a row an Edenderry man captained the Offaly minors with Rory Egan leading the side in 2018 and Cian Farrell having the mantle the year before.

Captaining the senior side is merely a natural progression for a player that people naturally gravitate towards.

"I am young, but I don't feel young in and around the lads in the dressing room," he explains.

"We all get on well, but there is experience there too and at this stage I’m in and around the place three to four years now so I would like to think I’m one of the senior lads in there."

Offaly finished near the bottom of Division 3 but ended that campaign strongly to avoid relegation.

They endured a tough opening to the competition and Pearson says they cannot afford a similar beginning to Championship ’24.

"We had a rough enough start in the league, losing a few games on the bounce and starting slow is something we need to work on," he states.

"Championship games don’t usually allow you a slow start and you have to earn the chance to win right from the start.

"We want to be winning these games in Leinster. Each game is like a final for us and the more we get the better. Last year we took great pride in