The result did little to dampen the pride felt by the management team
Joint Laois managers, Robert Jones and Pat Collier can see the writing is on the wall late in Sunday's All-Ireland final Photo: Paul Dargan
THERE was no sense of despondency from the Laois camogie camp after their All-Ireland Intermediate final defeat to Antrim, with managers Robert Jones and Pat Collier instead reflecting on a hugely successful three-year spell in charge.
Laois were ultimately beaten by 14 points in Croke Park, but the result did little to dampen the pride felt by the management team as they looked back on what has been an extraordinary period for the county.
“At 36 minutes, there were two points in it. But to be fair, for us to be two points from Antrim at 36 minutes, Antrim should have been winning by 10. I take my hats off to Antrim, they were brilliant. You see the senior status in them, like. I'd nearly make a prediction that Antrim would be in the senior semi-finals next year. They're a very classy outfit, great use of the ball. We haven't had pace in our team as we've seen today.
“Still, there's not a prouder set of managers in Croke Park than we are today. They've brought us on some journey for the three years, and every one of them will always have a special place in my heart. They’re some bunch; I'm happy enough,” Collier said.
The final scoreline perhaps did not tell the full story of the opening stages, with Laois remaining within touching distance of Antrim deep into the second half.
Collier acknowledged that his side had been fortunate to remain in contention early on, while also pointing to the importance of having a deep panel when competing against a team of Antrim's quality.
“Me and Rob felt in the first 10 minutes we should have been down 2-4 to no score. Then Gráinne got through, and we should have stitched one, but look, we have to be realistic; we were always playing catch-up. To go in down by just four points at half-time was an absolute blessing and then to come out and get it back to two.
“We’ve said it the whole time, you need a really strong panel to compete with the likes of Antrim now. If you look at the rest of Intermediate, they're all fairly even; Wexford are back down and Antrim beat Wexford by 15 points this year in the league.
“As I say, we're happy. We had a few players with niggles of injuries, and maybe three or four that didn't train for the last three weeks. Those three girls might have shown a little bit today too. You need everybody; we do in Laois because we have only eight clubs. No excuses. Antrim, they're actually a privilege to watch,” Collier said.
There is now uncertainty over whether Jones and Collier will remain as the managers, although neither manager was prepared to make any definitive statement immediately after the final.
Collier stressed that any decision would be made in consultation with the county chairman and the players, while insisting that he and Jones feel privileged to have led such a special group.
“Rob and I have put an awful lot into this, but that's not saying. This is about a special group of girls and our chairman, and we'll have a sit-down with them when the time comes in a few months. For us, to come back in again, maybe it's time for somebody different to maybe move it another gear.
“Rob and I haven't even discussed that, and we will with our chairman, Paddy, and the girls in time to come. We're just privileged to be at the helm,” Collier concluded.
