Laura Hayes' 2024 awards bash gamble paid off as Cork ace eyes up more glory in latest All-Ireland tilt vs Galway
REBEL RETURN Laura Hayes' 2024 awards bash gamble paid off as Cork ace eyes up more glory in latest All-Ireland tilt vs Galway
LAURA HAYES' gamble paid off when she flew home from Thailand to be crowned 2024 Camogie Player of the Year.
The Cork ace was shortlisted for the gong after the Rebels stormed to back-to-back All-Ireland titles last August.
But Hayes booked a trip to Asia when the ceremony was due to take place at Croke Park on November 15.
Up against team-mate Saoirse McCarthy and Galway's Aoife Donoghue, she took a risk and booked a ticket — before being rewarded with the ultimate prize.
The St Catherine's star said: 'I never expected it. I had flights booked to Thailand and Vietnam, so I was going in November.
'I was nominated for Player of the Year and I was away for them.
"I had a decision to make but my grandparents and stuff were going to go and I thought it would be a special thing.
'It was one of those things that could work out or not, so I actually booked a flight home for it. It was a risk but it was well worth it.'
Hayes, her travels over for now, has been a key cog in Cork's run to Sunday's clash with Galway — in a repeat of last year's showpiece.
No team since Wexford in 2012 has won three camogie titles in a row.
And the Tribes will be driven by last year's loss but Hayes knows winning can be just as powerful when it comes to motivation.
She said: 'The winning feeling is something you can't replace. But I also think that feeling of losing doesn't leave you either.
TJ Reid and wife Niamh de Brun's gorgeous pregnancy reveal
'You can use both as motivating factors once you use them the right way.'
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