‘It's like a family. We're all like sisters’ captain Aimee Collier on the bond in the team

LAOIS camogie captain Aimee Collier is gearing up for another All-Ireland final appearance in Croke Park as the county bids to complete a remarkable journey when they face Antrim in Sunday’s All-Ireland Intermediate final.

The Camross player was speaking after Sunday morning’s training session in Borris-in-Ossory and said Laois are embracing their status as underdogs ahead of Sunday’s decider.

“There's a great auld buzz in the camp. I think we're excited now. We just need to get all the things in order in the next few days and just relax into it. We're under no pressure here; we're completely underdogs. I think we're relaxed enough and we'll go to Sunday excited,” she said.

Collier believes the work and commitment shown by the entire panel over the past three seasons has earned Laois their place in another final. She also feels the experience gained from recent appearances on the big stage could prove invaluable.

“You don't get to All-Ireland Finals with no effort. This has been building over the last three years. We've got a lot of experience in finals in the last few years as well. I think that'll just help us a little bit. As I said, Antrim are huge favourites and I think that's easier going into the final now knowing you’re underdogs. There's not much pressure and we'll just go out and hurl,” Collier said.

The captain praised the standards set within the squad and said every player has contributed to Laois reaching another All-Ireland final. For Collier, hearing Lovely Laois played around Croke Park after the final whistle would make every sacrifice worthwhile.

“Oh yeah, 100%. There's a panel of 30 girls and even the girls that aren't with us this year and have been there in the last two years. Huge effort, huge commitments, but look, that's what it takes to win these finals. When the final whistle goes and Lovely Laois playing, that's why you do it and that's why we're here,” she said.

Laois's route to the final has not been straightforward. Kerry raced into a 1-3 to no-score lead in the All-Ireland semi-final and struck for another goal early in the second half, but Laois responded impressively to book their place in Croke Park.

“I've said this all along about this group: hugely resilient and that's one of the words we definitely use for this group. Everyone gets a purple patch and Kerry just happened to get one for the first few minutes and the start of the second half. I thought the girls showed complete composure, tapping over a few points and we slowly got back into the game and once we seen a sniff of it, then we just went for it then. There's no point panicking. Obviously at times, you might panic a little bit, but as I said, there's a lot of experience in this group and we know that's how games go. So yeah, no panicking,” Collier added.

Although many of the players will soon become club rivals again, Collier described the bond within the Laois squad as being like a family.

“Oh, 100%. It's like a family. We're all like sisters, so we are, and that's what I think drives us on. We do anything for each other and there's such a nice bond even with the younger girls coming in. It's lovely to see. When we go back to club championship, we won't be sisters anymore, but that's what it takes to win. You have to want to do anything for each other,” she added.

Collier and her Camross teammates are chasing a third All-Ireland title in the space of 12 months after helping their club capture the Intermediate crown last December. She admitted another trip to Croke Park seemed unlikely at the beginning of the year.

“Definitely unimaginable. I know after the Camross All-Ireland, I was like, that could be us finished now in Croke Park for a few years. Once we got over the first few matches, we kind of taught ourselves we might have a chance here to get back there. It's absolutely unbelievable, even just for this group, for it to be the third year in a row to get back to Croke Park. We couldn't have imagined it ever, but it's unreal and we just can't wait,” she said.

Winning the Leinster Championship was Laois' primary objective this season after losing the previous two finals. Collier believes that success, followed by the group-stage victory over Westmeath, convinced the squad they were capable of going all the way.

“The Leinster final was a huge one for us to get over. We were after letting it go by us for the two years previous to that. The Leinster final win was massive. I think that last game in the All-Ireland group, the Westmeath game, I thought we really pushed on in that game. I don't know what was in it in the end, like six or seven points. I just thought the drive in the last 10 minutes, we weren't dying, no way. I thought like, this is it now, we can go further,” Collier said.

She also singled out that performance against Westmeath as Laois' most complete performance of the year.

“I think so. Yeah, now look, Westmeath did come back into that, but we completely drove on.

We didn’t just bring it back to a two or three-point win; we just went for it. I think that game really kind of solidified it for us. We knew there was more in this group and we can definitely go further,” she said.

As captain, Collier could find herself delivering a speech from the Hogan Stand if Laois are victorious, but she insists that possibility has barely crossed her mind.

“I actually didn't think about it yet, but I may start thinking about it. There’ll be no going off the cuff like I did for the Leinster final. I totally forgot about it for the Leinster final. I just had to say whatever came to mind. You have to think about those things just in case, but that's not what's 100% on my mind. We have to go out and win the game first,” she commented.

Captaining Laois in Croke Park is something Collier has dreamed about for years, and the prospect of climbing the Hogan Stand steps to lift the cup would mean everything.

“Unbelievable. I've dreamed of it for so long and to get to do it twice already and to do it as the first time we’ve ever been in an Intermediate all-Ireland and to captain this group of girls, I'm so proud of them. They've put in so much effort over the last three years. It will be an absolute honour to go and climb the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift that cup for them,” she concluded.