Laura is looking forward to a second bite at the cherry
Laura Finlay and Sarah Creagh at the Laois camogie meet & greet at Clonad GAA Photo: Denis Byrne
AFTER some time away from the inter-county scene, Laura Finlay is back wearing the blue and white of Laois and she’s savouring every second of it.
A key member of the side that suffered All-Ireland heartbreak against Tipperary last year, she’s now preparing for a second bite at the cherry as Laois return to Croke Park to face Armagh.
The experienced Finlay says she was honoured to be invited back into the Laois panel and that she’s determined to give her all while she’s still able to play at the top level.
“It's a privilege to represent your county and I just think you know that while you can play, you might as well give it your all. It was a privilege to be asked back in and we have a special group of girls this year. Small panel, but there's quite a lot of depth in the panel as well. The girls are really pushing on, so hopefully now in two weeks, we'll be able to turn the tide from last year,” she said.
Laois lost three finals by a single point in 2024; the league final, the Leinster final and the All-Ireland final. Finlay says the pain of those defeats has provided important experience, and she hopes the lessons learned will now make the difference.
“We lost three finals last year by a point, so that was a tough way to lose three finals in a row. We kind of changed things around this year with our gym work, which I think has made a huge difference. I just think maybe that experience as well of losing three finals, you can lose or you learn so hopefully we'll have learned from the three losses and put last year's hurt to bed on the 10th of August,” she added.
As one of the senior figures in the group, Finlay knows exactly how much it would mean to this tight-knit panel to bring home an All-Ireland title. She believes last year’s experience in Croke Park will help keep them grounded this time around.
“I think it's special for me and for the group of girls as well. What a privilege and an honour to play in Croke Park and it'd be extra special to get Clodagh and Aimee up the steps of the Hogan Stand.
“We're just looking forward to it and it's an occasion, but at the end of the day, we're there to play a match. I think maybe that's something we've learned from last year as well, to just focus on the match when we're up there and try to get over the line and get the girls up the steps to lift the trophy,” she ended.
