‘We feel like we let the fans down' – Laois star Podge Delaney hoping to restore some pride in the jersey after tough week
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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Collier credits friend Brian Cody for speech which gave Laois belief at start of season
All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie final: Laois 2-15 Armagh 0-12 Pat Collier and Rob Jones sat in the same seats as last year but their faces painted a very different picture. Twelve months on from losing the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland premier junior camogie final by a point, having led by four at the interval, their Laois panel, which included daughters Aimee and Shona, was basking in the glory of a redemptive triumph over a valiant Armagh, by 2-15 to 0-12. The margin was perhaps a little unreflective of how the game tilted and turned, but the most significant and sustained period of dominance was the last one, and in the end, there was no doubting the merit of the blue and whites' victory. A goal from player of the match, Gráinne Delaney after 54 seconds sent them on their way but Armagh were the better side for much of the first half, Eimear Hayes proving very influential as a sweeper and Rachael Merry and Sinéad Quinn dangerous up front. It was level, 0-8 to 1-5 at half-time and Armagh went two clear within a few minutes of the restart, with points from Quinn and a scorcher by Corinna Doyle. But by the time they scored again, they were seven points in arrears, Aimee Collier unerring from frees and having a hand in the 50th minute goal by sub and this year's minor, Amy Daly. Delaney made the crucial run and pass before the teenager provided the match-deciding conclusive strike. 'It's been a long journey,' said Pat Collier. 'Last year we were here and were interviewed, we lost by a point. This year, it's just marvellous, the change in feelings. 'It's all about the panel. Laois camogie weren't in a great place but them girls have really stood up to the plate and I'm just thrilled for them as a group. They train as hard as any men's team I ever had anywhere and I'm privileged and honoured to be over them with Rob.' Rob takes up the baton. 'I would look at the first half we were in top possession-wise. We just weren't taking opportunities, you know? So look, we went in at half-time, in a good place. We told them to not panic. And in the third and fourth quarter, we pushed on. 'And I think it was up to our subs that came on too, and we got a goal at a crucial time. I say to the girls all the time, the whole panel, it always takes 20 girls to win it and it showed today.' They paid more attention to the breaking ball in the second half but away from this day and this match, Collier pointed to a hurling hero of yore, giving the players a speech at the start of the year that infused them with belief. 'For me, huge credit goes to a man called Brian Cody, who is a good friend of mine. We brought him up the first night we met, in January 28. I won't forget it, he came up and he gave a speech. 'There's a selector of ours, he is a character. And he said to us after, if you were in the graveyard, you'd get up and hurl. The girls really bought into what he spoke about, unity and all that. And it had a huge bearing on us getting the ball rolling.' PJ O'Mullan had experienced the joys of All-Ireland success as manager of Derry in the intermediate final a couple of years ago. He had a big impact on Armagh, as they blooded a lot of young players this term. He had no arguments about Laois' superiority, was proud of his players but just disappointed that they were unable to produce their best on the most important day. 'We're disappointed as much as they kept going to the end and died with their boots on,' said O'Mullan. 'I am so proud of them but we didn't play the way we can play. We gave the ball away too much and you can't do that when you're in Croke Park. You have to use the ball better and take your chances, and we probably had as many chances as they had, but we couldn't score. And if you don't score, you don't win. 'It's a very young team and people don't realise that. The two corner-back that started today were 19, we brought on three 18-year-olds. They're good enough but it's going to be a learning curve. 'We had our homework done. We trained well. Our preparations were good. We had plenty of support from the county board. But we were beaten by the better team. There's plenty of players coming through though from minor and U16 so we will take the learnings. 'We had a great start the second half, we come out and really went for it, and we were two up, and missed two or three easy chances. And if you get one or two more, if you get five or six or four or five in front… but they go up he field the first two shots, point, point. But they were the better team.' How Laois came back can surely motivate Armagh. But they must wait until next year. To the winners the spoils and on this day, those spoils went to Laois. Scorers for Laois: A Collier 0-7(6fs); G Delaney 1-2; A Daly 1-0; K O'Keeffe 0-2; E Hassett, C Tynan, S Delaney, L Conroy 0-1 each Scorers for Armagh: R Merry 0-8(7fs); S Quinn 0-2; N Forker, C Doyle 0-1 each LAOIS: A Lowry, F Scully, E Conroy, L Finaly, A Walsh, C Tynan, S Creagh, A Tynan, Líadan C Fennell, G Delaney, K Keenan, E Hassett, K O'Keeffe, A Collier, E Hassett. Subs: L Conroy for Keenan (28); A Daly 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, R Merry, S Quinn, C Doyle. Subs: F Loughran for L Loughran, E McGeary for Gaffney (both 42); L McConnell for Forker (54) Referee: E Loughnane (Galway)
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- RTÉ News
Late Daly goal helps Laois down Armagh to win junior final
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).
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Gráinne Delaney gets Laois off to flyer as O'Moore County beat Armagh to clinch premier junior crown
In a game that ebbed and flowed, Laois started and finished well to banish the heartache of last year's one-point defeat and earn a deserved victory in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland premier junior camogie final.
