Pat Collier and Robert Jones lead Laois Camogie back to Croke Park
Laois are on course to win a second All-Ireland title in a row
A third consecutive All-Ireland final awaits Laois after joint-managers Pat Collier and Robert Jones guided their side to a seven-point victory over Kerry in Saturday's Intermediate semi-final in Tullamore.
Following the game, Collier was quick to deflect any praise away from the management team and instead highlighted the commitment and determination shown by the players throughout their remarkable run.
“It's unbelievable. Just these three years with these women. It's not me and Robert. It's 30 amazing women that we're lucky to be in charge of. They drive everything at training, they drive standards. They never know when they're beaten. Sometimes you’d throw in the towel, but they stayed hammering on. To win by seven points is unbelievable when we looked dead and gone. So, look, all credit to the players and our backroom staff, our physios, everybody. Everybody had a huge part, none more so than our chairman. He's a great man,” Collier said.
Despite seeing Kerry find the net within the opening minute of both halves, Jones explained that there was never a sense of panic among the Laois management. He also revealed that the ambition within the squad to return to Croke Park had been evident from the very beginning of the championship campaign.
“We weren't too nervous on the sideline. Maybe the girls showed a bit of nerves, all right. We knew what these girls were capable of doing. We got off to a slow start, obviously, but as we did the last day, clawed our way back into it, popping over points and could have got a goal as well in the first half and still went in one point up, so that was huge. As Pat said, these girls have a serious drive in them. I remember our first round of the championship, Laura Finlay got the girls in and said, we're getting back to Croke Park. Now, I know we don't like looking that far ahead, but that's the way they were thinking. It just showed there today, just the drive and the determination,” Jones said.
Having fallen six points behind in the opening stages, Laois battled back impressively to take a one-point lead into the dressing room. Collier felt his side had survived a difficult spell and knew they would improve once they began to settle into the game.
“No, not really, because the first 12 to 14 minutes when we sit down and look at that, our match-ups were wrong. Kerry moved us around, but we didn't pick up on it very quick.Around the middle of the field, we were a little bit lost for 10 minutes. Once they settled down, I mean, at half-time for me, I was thrilled there was only a point in it because, like, Kerry could have been ahead, even though we missed a simple goal, but we hadn't played. We knew that, me, Rob and the lads, that we needed just to settle down and start hurling and move the ball faster. I think the second half, for about 20 minutes, they moved the ball well. We had only three or four players on 50% there today, very injured, and they went out and did their bit. We have three weeks now, and we'll sharpen up, and can't wait to meet Antrim. Everyone says they'll win by 40 points, but I'm looking forward to it,” Collier said.
Laois have thrived in the role of underdogs throughout this year's championship and have already overcome fancied opposition in both Down and Kerry. With Division 1A side Antrim now standing between them and All-Ireland glory, Collier knows the challenge that lies ahead.
“That's the way they are. Antrim are Division 1A; I even heard the president say it one time that Antrim wouldn't be beaten. They are the mark we need to get up to. We'll go on the day, we'll give it our best shot, and if Antrim defeat us, we'll be the first to shake hands with them,” Collier said.
Jones looked back on the objectives laid out at the start of the season and admitted that another appearance at Croke Park was not something the management had necessarily expected when the year began.
“At the start of the year, all we wanted to do was stay up in the league, win Leinster and stay up in Intermediate. It probably is a bonus to get to Croke Park again. It's more of a reality now. We have to just knuckle down now for the next three weeks. I think in our game, we just have to get a bit more consistency from start to finish, and if we do that, we'll give Antrim a good game,” Jones said.
The travelling Laois support once again made their presence felt in Tullamore, and Collier is hoping an even greater number will make the journey to Croke Park for the final on Sunday, August 9.
“All we're trying to do is drum up a bit of support for this team. If this was the lads' team, there'd be more talk about them than Shep. This team, in the last three years, no Laois team has ever done this, lads or women. They're just a fantastic bunch and they deserve all the support they get,” Collier said.
Collier also took time to acknowledge goalkeeper Aedin Lowry, who lined out for the county despite suffering a recent family bereavement. Lowry's grandfather Tim passed away on July 16, just weeks after the loss of her grandmother Mary.
“Tim's a neighbour of mine and some hurling man. She lost her grandmother a month ago. Fair play to Aedin. She landed at training on Thursday night as well, so she's a great girl, and we're lucky to have her,” Collier concluded.