PREVIEWS: Laois Camogie champions to be crowned in Saturday's double-header

Saturday promises a cracking afternoon of Laois Camogie action as the county’s club championships reach their conclusion with two finals taking place at Laois Hire O’Moore Park.

The Junior decider between Clough/Ballacolla and St Brigid’s second team gets proceedings underway at 12pm before the Intermediate final brings together two familiar rivals when Camross face St Brigid’s at 2pm.

Junior Final- Clough/Ballacolla v St Brigid’s at 12pm

Clough/Ballacolla’s camogie club was only established in 2016, with their first adult team entering the Junior Championship in 2021. Since then, their progress has been swift and they are now preparing to contest their third Junior Championship final in four years.

They first reached the decider in 2023, where they were beaten by The Harps, before returning to the final last year only to suffer defeat against St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix.

Saturday provides another opportunity to get their hands on the silverware, although standing in their way are a St Brigid’s side with their own ambitions of ending the year on a high. The two sides have already met in the Junior League final this year, with Clough/Ballacolla coming out on top by four points.

That result will give them confidence heading into Saturday’s decider, but St Brigid’s have already shown their ability to recover from disappointment, defeating Camross in the championship semi-final to book their place in the final. Clough/Ballacolla, meanwhile, secured their place in the decider by overcoming The Harps in the last four.

With a first Junior Championship title on the line for Clough/Ballacolla, and St Brigid’s looking to deny them, there should be little between the sides.

Intermediate Final- Camross v St Brigid’s at 2pm

By 2pm, attention will turn to the Intermediate Championship final, where Camross and St Brigid’s will renew one of the most familiar rivalries in Laois Camogie.

This will be the third consecutive year that the sides have met in the Intermediate final and, remarkably, they have contested five of the last six deciders, with only the 2023 final (O’Moore’s v Camross) breaking up their run of finals against one another.

Camross won last year's final, while St Brigid’s claimed the title in 2024. The rivalry stretches back even further. St Brigid’s defeated Camross in the 2022 final to win their first Intermediate title since 2004, while Camross had beaten St Brigid’s in the 2021 decider.

The sides also met in the 2023 semi-final, where Camross eventually prevailed after extra-time. St Brigid’s have also suffered final heartbreak in the past, losing the 2020 final to O’Moore’s and the 2019 decider to Camross.

This year's league final provided another indication of how closely matched these clubs remain, with Camross coming out on top against St Brigid’s.

The quality of the two teams is underlined by what happened at county level earlier this year. 11 players who either started or came off the bench for Laois in the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final against Antrim in August came from either Camross or St Brigid’s. That shared contribution to Laois's county team underlines the strength of both clubs and makes Saturday's final another fascinating chapter in their rivalry.

Both clubs also have recent experience of success beyond Laois.

St Brigid’s were crowned Leinster Intermediate Club champions in 2024 before their run came to an end against Clanmaurice in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Camross then went one step further last year, completing a remarkable treble of Laois, Leinster and All-Ireland club titles. That 2025 campaign was one of the standout achievements in Laois Camogie in recent years, with Camross proving themselves against the best clubs in the province and country.

Now, they have the opportunity to add another Laois Intermediate Championship to their collection, but St Brigid’s will be determined to reclaim the title and prevent their rivals from making it back-to-back county championships.