Susie Delaney fires Laois Camogie to Division 3A league title

The Laois Camogie team have been crowned this year’s VERY Division 3A National League champions after a superb first-half performance saw them past Roscommon in Kinnegad on Saturday afternoon.

Susie Delaney had a great game as Laois’ number 15 with a tally of five points, all in that perfect first-half.

Laois 0-14

Roscommon 1-6

Roscommon settled into the game the better of the two sides and pointed the first two scores of the final. Orla Connolly raised a white flag from a free after two minutes with Sarah Dooley increasing their lead a minute later.

Laois began to find their groove from here and scored five points without reply. Susie Delaney opened her account before Grainne Delaney was fouled for a free, which Aimee Collier scored. The next three scores all came courtesy of the electric Susie Delaney in the Laois full-forward line. She was proving a handful for her marker. Her third point was a superb well-worked score as Clodagh Tynan batted down a long ball to Kirsten Keenan, and the Camross star played a great ball in for Susie Delaney to point.

Connolly’s second point for Roscommon was their final score of the half after 13 minutes as Laois went into the dressing rooms with a healthy lead. Grainne Delaney and Susie Delaney both scored points for Laois with a huge goal chance sandwiched in between their two points. Collier was put through on goals and had Susie Delaney to her right but misplaced her pass when it was two-on-one with the ball going wide.

Laois’ defence was immense with their full-back line of Laura Finlay, Ellen Conroy and Fiona Scully not giving Roscommon any sort of clear-cut opportunities.

Laois ended the half with further points from Collier (free), Grainne Delaney, Eimear Hassett and Kaylee O’Keefe. Laois led 0-11 to 0-3 at the break and had on hand on the Division 3A trophy. 

Roscommon began the second-half with two scores on the trot as Connolly pointed a free and a 45’. Hassett’s second point pushed Laois seven points ahead but it was all Roscommon as they looked for goals to get back into the contest. Dooley and Collier (free) traded scores before Roscommon did get that well-deserved goal as Dooley rattled the back of the net.

Only four points separted the sides at this stage with five minutes of normal time to play. Collier took her tally to four points and her first from play as she secured an insurance score to see Laois over the line.