by Ivan Smyth at Kinnegad
After a year of heartbreak that saw Laois endure devastatingly close defeats in the Very Camogie League, Leinster and All-Ireland finals, the O’Moore County finally put silverware on the board on Saturday afternoon in Kinnegad, leaning on their defensive strength to pick up a 0-14 to 1-6 in this year’s League decider over Roscommon in Kinnegad.
It’s a panel that will have bigger fish to fry as the year progresses, but for manager Pat Collier, getting this trophy onto the mantle was an important step in their journey as it justifies the efforts made so far.
“It is great reward for this group,” said Collier. “Laois camogie wasn’t in a good place for three or four years but in the last 14 , this group came in and they have absolutely turned Laois camogie around. We were unlucky in three finals last year but that is sport. It’s a huge win for the county.”
Early in the contest it looked as if Roscommon could add to the Laois litany of woe. Sarah Dooley came close to registering an early goal and both she and Orla Connolly put points on the board for the Rossies, but the remainder of the first half was one-way traffic.
Team captain and centre-back Clodagh Tynan was the anchor as the midlanders moved 0-11 to 0-3 ahead by the interval, with Susie Delaney arcing over five from play. Meanwhile, eight Laois wides was a pointer that they could have scored even more.
“For me ,our full back line was absolutely tremendous,” said Collier. “The blocking, the tackling, the hooking, and the half-back line too were great. I am not taking away from our midfield or forwards but our back line has to be tough when the chips were down.
“The breeze definitely helped us when picking off points. We had a couple of goal chances and we fluffed them so that kept Roscommon in the game. This is a very good Roscommon team, we expect to meet them in an All-Ireland semi-final or final later this year.”
Two dead-ball scores from Connolly cut the gap to six early in the second half but in what turned out to be a tough defensive battle where there were was an 11 minute scoreless spell, Sarah Dooley’s goal came too late to be the foundation for any comeback.
“The first half, it really was us struggling to win our own puckout and that was putting a lot of pressure on our full back line,” said Roscommon manager Mary Grehan.
Roscommon manager, Mary Grehan (INPHO/Leah Scholes)
“The girls themselves knew at half-time that they were better than what they played and they showed that in the second half. That is all you can ask from your players, to go out and give a performance and they did.
“This is all a learning curve for us. Championship is next, we will be playing Laois again and hopefully we will be playing them twice, with one in Croke Park. That is the way we have to keep thinking. We have to keep thinking about how we can be the best we can be and challenging the best,” said the former player.
“The girls realised there is a different physicality at this standard. We will be ready for that the next time. That is what we have to work on.”
Having laid the 2024 league final demons to rest, the challenge for Laois now is to see can they go one step better in their provincial series, a championship that Collier is eager to take on.
“We go up a grade now for Leinster, into the intermediate championship. It will be tough this year,” he said.
“You have Meath back down, Kilkenny, we have one of those in the first round. We are under no illusions that will be a big task but we will give it a rattle.”
