Camogie boss Collier hails work rate after victory over Derry

Joint manager of Laois camogie team, Pat Collier praised his side’s relentless work rate and resilience after they secured a hard-earned win over Derry in testing conditions on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, Collier pointed to effort and application as the key ingredients behind the result, particularly given the time of year and the limited preparation his panel has had.

He said: “At this time of the year in February it would be work rate, especially in the conditions we had today. It is all about work rate at this time of the year.

“To be fair to the girls, since we got back on the first of February the work rate has been fantastic, and we can’t ask for much more than what they are doing at the moment. I believe our work rate today is what got us over the line for a deserving win.”.

The victory was all the more impressive considering the circumstances. Laois were without several key players and have yet to train outdoors, with their preparations confined to indoor sessions due to the weather but the Laois boss says there is room for improvement.

“We were also missing a few key players today and in fairness to the girls we haven’t done any pitch work yet, it is all indoor work at the moment. Hopefully over the next two or three weeks the weather will improve, and we get on to the pitch, which is very hard, but yea there is plenty of room for improvement,” he said.

After conceding an early goal in the second half and seeing their lead reduced to three points, Laois regrouped and struck back with a series of important scores to regain control.

“The response after the goal at the start of the half showed the grit in this team. This team is on the road for three years now with me and Rob, we never doubt their resilience, they always give you full commitment. We hit back with a nice few scores in the second half.

“The conditions were awful. We were a little bit physically stronger than Derry today, I think that helped us get over the line,” he added.

The win was particularly significant in the context of their league campaign. After travelling to Kerry last week and earning a draw against the All-Ireland intermediate finalists, Collier had targeted this home fixture as an opportunity to build momentum.

“The win was huge for these girls today, especially after last week in Kerry, to go down and get a draw against the All-Ireland intermediate finalists. Derry are down from senior.

“We earmarked this game as it was a home game on our home patch, we definitely targeted winning this game or definitely putting up a good show. Look, Derry aren’t at full strength either, I know that, but we are just delighted with the win,” he said.

While individuals like Susie Delaney and Aimee Collier caught the eye, Collier was quick to stress the collective ethos within the squad.

“Susie Delaney is probably one of the best corner forwards in the game when she is on her game and Aimee is our target woman, she is very clever, but look, they all work as a team.

“They can’t get the ball unless their backs do their job. It isn’t about two players; it is about a unit. We don’t give too much praise to individuals.” With Laois now unbeaten after two games, Collier admitted the team have surpassed early expectations, particularly given their late return to training.

“We are thrilled where we are. We were expecting that we could possibly lose these two games as we didn’t start back until the first of February, but it is brilliant to be unbeaten.

“We need to win one more to stay up, we need to stay up in the intermediate league, that is the plan and anything else is a bonus.”