With the GAA season being condensed to try and accommodate both the county and club scene, it adds a bit more intensity to it all. 

The games come thick and fast. Any type of break is to be welcomed to recharge and recover.

That is what is on offer this Saturday for Fermanagh as they take on Laois in the final Tailteann Cup group game.

Avoid defeat and Fermanagh will top the group.

This means a home quarter-final tie but also an extra week of rest as those who finish in second and third places play in preliminary quarter-finals.

Fermanagh and Laois met in one last year with the Leinster side putting an end to Fermanagh's season.

"That’s the major carrot," said Fermanagh manager, Kieran Donnelly on the prospect of topping the group. 

"You get an extra week break and a home quarter-final so I think both teams will that'll be their key priority on Saturday."

Donnelly knows that to reach this "carrot" his side will need a high-quality performance to overcome Laois.

"We do know quite a bit about them. We played them last year and played them in the league the year before so we have crossed paths. We are very aware of their strengths.

"They are a very traditional team. They are a very physical team, they play a lot of direct ball. That would be their key strength."

Donnelly name-drops Laois forwards Mark Barry, Evan O'Carroll and Paul Kingston  as threats that his side will need to be aware of.

"They have key playerss and are probably a team that plays off a bit of their history as well. They've always had a good history down through the years, always competed at a good level so we'll be very aware of the challenge going into Saturday."

Fermanagh's two wins over Wicklow and Carlow in the group have thrown up contrasting games.

A high scoring victory over Wicklow was followed by a battling performance against Carlow.

Donnelly is happy to see his side being able to adapt to different challenges but he expects Laois to come with a mindset similar to Carlow this weekend.

"Carlow probably seeing we had racked up a heavy scoreline against Wicklow sat in really compact against us and we found them hard to break down.

"The good thing in that game was we were patient and we got some good scores in the second half. But we've been forced to play both styles.

"Going into this game you will probably see Laois doing something similar. The way they played against Wicklow they were quite defensive as well which is sometimes a change from their normal style.

"Justin McNulty seems to have went with this format with them in this championship. I think that is what we can expect on Saturday."

One thing that may give Fermanagh the upper hand is their bench.

In the two games so far, substitutes like Conor Love, have made an impact once introduced.

For Donnelly it is pleasing to see the competition and hunger in players to make an impact and in the modern game he feels it is vital to have those options.

"The bench has been a big thing. We have a strong bench currently. We have a lot of pace and size on the bench as well. The way the game is gone anyway it's very much a 20-man game played at such a high pace and players covering so much ground.

"We are going to need everybody on Saturday and that could be a major strength of ours going into the game," concluded Donnelly.