Much of the talk surrounding the opening round of the Leinster football championship has been of second chances, and how the counties that lose on Sunday can, for the first time, look forward to at least one more day in the sun.

For Laois manager Colm Browne, however, it is a moot point. "Once you mention the championship to any team," he says, "they are immediately conditioned to think about winning. It will probably take some time for teams to get around this idea of having a second chance."

So the sense of purpose for Sunday's meeting with Wexford remains unfiltered. The winners go through to play Offaly on May 27th, the losers go back into the losers' group. Browne is thinking solely about winning.

"It's not just that we want to get off to a winning start. And the second chance takes no pressure off us. This is a championship match, and we don't see it being any different to last year. So we certainly won't be looking beyond this game."

There was just the single outing for Laois last year. For the first time since 1970, they lost a championship to match to Westmeath and the disappointment in the county was palpable. Browne took over the ropes a couple of months later and even though the league didn't provide much relief, the team has settled and refocused.

"It is fair to say that our league season was inconsistent. But now we have to think about Wexford, even though it's been a long time since Laois have played them. I think the last championship meeting was back in the 1960s. "

At least some of the motivation for Sunday's trip to Carlow will come from the way their league concluded. A committed performance in Navan saw them pull off a win over Meath and for a few brief moments it looked as though they would maintain their division one status. But Clare stole a point against Mayo and instead both Laois and Meath were relegated.

Preparations for Sunday have been hit by a few setbacks. Colm Parkinson, widely regarded as one of the most talented players in the panel and who this season made a telling move from wing back to full forward, is almost certain to be sidelined with a thigh injury. It had been a problem for a couple of weeks but just when it seemed to have healed, Parkinson aggravated it again at training on Monday.

Browne will make a final decision on Parkinson's fitness after their final training session this evening, but he is known as a manager not to take chances: "He is almost certain to be out. In fact it will probably take a miracle for him to be able to play. It is unfortunate but it is just one of those things that you will have to live with."

The county's hurling side make a trip to Tullamore on Monday knowing that they truly have one chance only. Opponents Meath closed down on Kildare in last Sunday's tense preliminary game and ended with victory by a solitary point. Like Laois-Wexford, it's been a long time since Laois-Meath was a feature of the championship. The winners there earn the right to play Dublin on May 20th.