Late Daly goal helps Laois down Armagh to win junior final

RTÉ News​

3 days ago

Laois are the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie champions, banishing the heartache of last year, courtesy of a 2-15 to 0-12 win over Armagh.
It is a third defeat for Armagh in the decider since their triumph in 2020 and there were periods when it looked like they would get over the line this time.
Once Laois solved the conundrum of Eimear Hayes cutting out so many of their deliveries and getting passages of play going that led to Rachael Merry and Sinéad Quinn being such a threat, they began to get a real toehold in proceedings, however.
The unrelated Delaneys, Gráinne and Susie were outstanding, the latter on a day her aunt, Jovita was being honoured as part of the Tipperary jubilee team.
Aimee Collier, who had endured a tough day from placed balls 12 months ago, was unerring this time around, and apart from finishing with seven points, her ball-winning and offloading when moved to the wing was pivotal.
The final piece of the jigsaw was the impact off the bench, as minor recruit Amy Daly rattled the net in the 50th minute. Lucy Conroy had pointed earlier, her piledriver glancing off the upright.
It was the best possible start in the game for the side managed by Pat Collier and Rob Jones, when Gráinne Delaney goaled after 54 seconds. The Camross attacker and official player of the match was set free by Susie Delaney and with her marker seemingly expecting her to cut back onto her left immediately, she drove directly into space before firing off the ciotóg to the net.
Eimear Hassett pointed sweetly immediately after but a converted free by Rachael Merry settled Armagh.
PJ O'Mullan's crew hit seven of the next eight points to move two clear. Merry slotted two frees either side of an excellent score from Niamh Forker to draw level.
After Collier split the posts from a free at the other end, Merry's two frees were followed up by an outstanding effort from Quinn, whose mother Geraldine Haughey was All-Ireland winner in the orange and white when Galway were defeated in a replay in 1993.
It was Laois' turn to hit a purple patch though with three points from inspirational skipper Clodagh Tynan, Collier (free) and Gráinne Delaney to edge their noses in front before Merry restored parity just before the interval.
The Orchard outfit enjoyed the ideal resumption, Quinn taking a pass from Merry to raise a white flag and Corinna Doyle striking the game's marquee point, leaving a trail of Laois defenders in her wake under the Hogan Stand before hitting the target from wide on the right and just inside the 45.
That made it 0-10 to 1-5 and just 33 minutes elapsed but that was as good as it got for Armagh as Laois found another couple of gears.
An unbroken run of a goal and six points enabled them to overhaul their valiant opponents and establish enough of a lead that given the flow of play as the game evolved, just did not look likely to be reeled in.
Collier, Kaylee O'Keeffe and Conroy were on target before Daly blasted to the Armagh net.
There didn't look loads on, when Susie Delaney sent Collier into the corner. The tall attacker held it up well and looked around, opting for a stick-pass back out the field. It actually overshot the mark a small bit but that proved ideal for Gráinne Delaney, who had open country to use her speed.
Suddenly she had created overlap and with the execution of the hand-pass to her young and diminutive teammate perfect, Daly made no mistake with only Ciarrai Devlin to beat.
There was no way back from that for Armagh, and though they fought to the end, Merry converting two frees after a glorious Susie Delaney point, it was Collier that had the last say with a point from play and monster of a score from a free before the celebrations kicked into gear.
Laois: A Lowry; F Scully, E Conroy, L Finaly; A Walsh, C Tynan (0-01), S Creagh; A Tynan, Líadan C Fennell; G Delaney (1-02), K Keenan, E Hassett (0-01); K O'Keeffe (0-02), A Collier (0-07, 6f), S Delaney (0-01).
Subs: L Conroy (0-01) for Keenan (28); A Daly (1-00) for E Hassett (42); L Keyes for Walsh (54); S Jones for Fennell (60+1).
Armagh: C Devlin; M O'Hare, G McCann, E Hayes; ML Loughran, M McCone, A McEntee; G Gaffney, C Hill; M O'Callaghan, K Convie, N Forker (0-01); R Merry (0-08, 7f), S Quinn (0-02), C Doyle (0-01).