Eleven years on and Sarah is as hungry as ever for success

AS Laois camogie prepare for a third All-Ireland final in as many years, St Brigid’s defender Sarah Creagh is hoping to add a third winners’ medal to her collection.

Creagh was part of the victorious Laois teams in 2015 and again last year, and after Sunday morning’s training session in Borris-in-Ossory, she said belief within the squad has been key to reaching another decider.

“It's amazing. We weren't really expecting to get here; not many people gave us a chance at the start of the year. It's all about believing in ourselves as a group and from the management and just from this core group.

“Once you have that, you can get anywhere you want. We're delighted to be here and to have the chance to win another All-Ireland. We'll give it our best shot next week,” she said.

Laois entered this season fresh from winning the Premier Junior title in 2025, but Creagh said confidence steadily grew as the campaign progressed.

“Our first league game was against Kerry; they were obviously after only losing the Intermediate Final last year. We knew that would be a very competitive game and we were only getting going at that stage and we drew to them. We were thinking to ourselves that we're not too far off.

“As we headed into the Championship then, we had a good run and in the bigger games against Down and Kerry, we were getting over the line. We said, you know what, we have a shot here. I think we really started to believe in ourselves and push on then,” Creagh said.

With the final just days away, Sarah said the heavy work has already been done on the training field.

“All short, snappy stuff now. The fitness and all that is taken care of. The pre-season stuff is all done. Just keeping the eye in and the touch and skill and the communication between the girls. That's the focus at the moment,” she said.

A long-serving member of the Laois panel, Creagh said the bond within the squad is what keeps bringing her back year after year.

“It brings so much joy when you do get the wins and it’s not just about the big days. Even going training, you have the craic with the girls and it brings a good bond. It's a special group of girls that we have here, so it was easy to come back in this year and give it another go,” she added.

Laois enjoyed tremendous backing during their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Kerry, and Creagh is hoping for another huge travelling support in Croke Park on Sunday.

“It's unbelievable. The semi-final there against Kerry, we had savage support. Even coming up to half-time, the last few minutes, we could hear the Laois, Laois, Laois chant. That really drove us on and gave us good energy; you could feel it off the crowd.

“You can see how much it means to them, so that really pushes us on then as well. It's so important and we hope there's a good crowd up there in Croke Park. I think there will be, they're always good to support,” Creagh said.

Creagh also chipped in with two points from wing-back against Kerry. While scoring is not usually part of her role, she was happy to take her opportunity when the space opened up.

“I was actually more playing wing-back, but I saw a gap a few times, so I pushed forward. It worked out anyway, thank God,” she concluded.