Laois coach has 'own little plans' for 'terribly difficult Tyrone' in Croke Park

It's been a faster journey to intercounty management in ladies' Gaelic football than Stephen Duff anticipated but the Ballyfin man is on the brink of leading his native Laois to All-Ireland glory in Croke Park.

The Ballyfin GAA man has been part of previous Laois coaching teams, won it all in Laois club football with Portlaoise ladies and led DCU to a three-in-a-row in 2025 in the top flight of third-level Ladies Gaelic football. 

He only took up the Laois coaching role in 2024 and his first season has seen Laois re-group, overcome poor form to find a formula to get to Croke Park where they take on Tyrone in the LGFA TG4 All-Ireland intermediate final versus Tyrone.

Duff spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live about the path to the final and the team he is leading from the sideline in advance of the big game on Sunday August 3.

“We had to get through the league to get to here. We learned an awful lot from it. We found a lot of young players that we mightn’t have found without going through that league.

“We have four or five starting players who are under the age of 21. While we have some of the players there from 2022, it is a new Laois team. It is a young team that is coming through.

“Everyone got a chance to put their hand up for a place during the league, and no one can crib that they didn’t get a fair chance. That was really important to us,” he said.

While promotion from the League wasn't achieved, a Leinster Final clash against Westmeath was secured.

“That Leinster Final was probably a watershed moment for the team. We were so disappointed with how we played that day.
“We probably had a lot of the league team there, but we were so disappointed by the manner in which we lost.

“We did a horrible video session after, where we all had to have a look at ourselves and from that day it changed. The girls have been really positive in taking the criticism and learning to apply it,” he said.

So what of the final and what they expect from Tyrone?

“A terribly difficult game. They are obviously going to be favourites. Last year they went to Croke Park expecting to beat Leitrim and lost by a point. So, they have a point to prove but so do we. We feel we let ourselves down in the League campaign and everyone overlooks us.

“I was speaking to the Monaghan manager after the semi-final and he was shocked with what we had. So we are quietly confident in what we can do.

“But Tyrone are likely to have been the best team we’ll have played this year. They are quite similar as to how we play.
“They have an exceptionally dangerous forward in Sorcha Gormley. For anyone who doesn’t know Gaelic football, I would say get out and see her play - a phenomenal talent.

“But we have our own little plans. We are confident and have always been building on the collective of our group and not any individuals which is something that I have been strong on in my coaching. We are not reliant on any individuals,” she said.

Mo Nerney has been a standout player for Laois for years. So what is her role now?

READ ALSO: Mo's motto is unity, commitment, resilience 

“Mo has her job to do and Mo knows that. We challenged Mo at the start of this year to build out her game and by God, has she done that,” said Duff.

Apart from Mo, he highlights others from the 2022 All-Ireland win.

READ ALSO: Laois Ladies meet their fans in Portlaoise IN PICTURES

“They have to be our little bit of reason in the environment of going to Croke Park,” he said.

There is other experiences on the team. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Laois manager Stephen Duff meets local media during a fan and media night in the Laois GAA LOETB Centre of Excellence in Portlaoise ahead of the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Intermediate Championship Final. Pic: Paul Dargan

“Andrea Moran is our captain and what she has brought to the group in linking the new and the older players has been really special and she is a special person in the way she does that.

However, the manager emphasised the impact of new players.

“You also look at Ciara Crowley who is in her first year. She has a massive role to play with the energy she brings to the group and her ability to read a game.

“So I wouldn’t say it is all on the older players but they do have their part to play in their experience and their understanding of the situation. But we are confident in our whole group,” he said.

He called on the fans to get behind the football and camogie teams.

READ ALSO: Laois camogie coach tells Laois fans to get up off backsides to support football and camogie teams

“There is a bandwagon there, and we want to give both teams a day out in Croke Park for both teams. We don’t get that often in Laois, and it is such a brilliant opportunity to show what we, ourselves and the camogie, are capable of, and we are both working as hard as the lads.

“These girls deserve a huge amount of respect for what they do because they put in the same amount of work. “We are going to need support. We are a small county and we are underdogs. We beg people, no matter what age they are, to wear the blue and white and get on board our bandwagon,” he concluded.

Laois play Tyrone in the All-Ireland Intermediate Final on Sunday, August 3 - throw-in 1.45 pm.