Laois manager Eddie Brennan says his players can't feel sorry for themselves as they prepare for a relegation four-pointer with Carlow next weekend.

Both sides are yet to pick up an Allianz League point after three rounds of the competition, with the bottom side in each division set to go into a relegation play-off.

Laois were beaten by Clare yesterday at Ennis, despite trailing by just two points late on, and with a strong gale blowing behind them.

For Brennan, it's a case of moving on a quickly as possible in advance of Carlow's visit.

"It's do-or-die," the Laois manager told RTÉ Sport's Marty Morrissey.

"I think every match is that way when you're trying to make the jump, and get up there and stay up there.

"So there's a huge value in this."

Laois came into this year's league campaign off the back of a run to the All-Ireland quarter-final last summer.

They knocked Dublin out of the Championship along the way, before losing to eventual winners Tipperary, but Brennan has spoken to RTÉ Sport about some key players opting out for 2020.

A relegation dogfight wouldn't have been on the plans, particularly with a run at the Leinster Championship to come this summer, and Brennan admits that the game at O'Moore Park is massive for his team.

"A lot of people probably would have said from a long way out, maybe the start of the league, that this was going to be the case, that it was going to come down to this.

"We have to get our heads tuned in, get the bodies fresh, and just get ready for that next weekend.

"Carlow are going to be coming strong and hungry. It is on our own patch, so we have to dust ourselves down, re-set the heads, and getting going again.

"The league is compressed, so that's why you don't have time to feel sorry for yourself."