Persistence pays off as Laois capture Leinster camogie crown

FOR three years now, this Laois intermediate camogie team has lived with the hurt of Leinster final day. Two final defeats in succession leave scars.

They linger through winter training sessions, tough league nights and every conversation about whether this group could finally get over the line.

But in the white heat of today’s Leinster final, Laois showed exactly why persistence in sport matters.

When the game drifted into added time and pressure tightened around every touch, the players who needed to stand up did exactly that. None more so than Aimee Collier, who delivered a performance full of composure, leadership and quality. Grainne Delaney and Kaylee O’Keefe also performed well when it mattered.

Ten points in a provincial final tells its own story, but the manner of her final two scores said even more. They were the scores of a player determined not to let another final slip away.

Around her, Laois produced the type of collective display championship-winning teams are built on. Clodagh Tynan and Ellen Conroy were immense in defence, battling for every breaking ball and refusing to allow Westmeath easy opportunities. It was not just about talent; it was about resilience, work-rate and trust in each other.

What stood out most, though, was the mentality of this Laois side. Lesser teams can carry the baggage of previous defeats into moments like this. Laois used it as fuel. Every challenge, every turnover and every score seemed driven by the memory of what had gone before.

Winning by two points after such heartbreak in recent years will do more than add silverware to the county cabinet. It could become the moment this team truly believes it belongs among the leading sides in the championship.

That belief matters now because the All-Ireland series presents a completely different challenge. Leinster success is valuable, but it only becomes truly significant if Laois carry this momentum forward over the coming weeks. The encouraging thing is that they now have evidence they can survive pressure, close out tight games and rely on leaders when it matters most.

There is no question Laois have the players to compete. Collier’s scoring threat can trouble any defence. Tynan and Conroy provide a foundation at the back that every successful side needs. More importantly, there now appears to be a real togetherness and maturity in the group.

Championships are often defined by moments that change a team psychologically. Today may well have been that moment for Laois.

After years of near misses, they are no longer the side trying to prove they can win a Leinster final. They are Leinster champions. And if they bring the same courage, hunger and belief into the All-Ireland series, they will feel they have a genuine opportunity to make this summer a very special one.