Five-in-a-row proved beyond Portlaoise who were defeated by old rivals Camross in the 1985 final on a score line of 1-5 to 0-7.
Laois made some progress in Division 2 of the league during 1986-87, including a defeat of Doyle's native county Tipperary at Semple Stadium, however, they failed to gain promotion to the top tier.