PREVIEW: Laois Ladies ready for Tyrone test in All-Ireland Intermediate final

A long summer of hard work, heartbreak and bounce-back resilience has brought the Laois Ladies to where they always wanted to be, back in Croke Park, with an All-Ireland title up for grabs.

This Sunday, August 3, Laois will contest the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Final against Tyrone. It marks their second final appearance in four seasons, having captured the title in 2022 with victory over Wexford. Another win this weekend would see Laois reclaim that crown and cap off what has been a testing but ultimately rewarding 2025 campaign.

Their road to the final hasn’t been without its bumps. While they finished mid-table in the league with 10 points from seven games, promotion was never the end goal, according to manager Stephen Duff, who consistently maintained that the team’s preparations were all geared toward peaking for championship.

The Leinster Intermediate campaign was a mixed one. After easing past Wicklow in Aughrim, Laois came undone against Westmeath in the provincial final, conceding 1-4 in the opening eight minutes and ultimately falling to a 1-12 to 0-9 defeat. That loss, however, served as a major turning point in their season.

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“That Leinster final was probably a watershed moment for the team,” Duff said at a press evening ahead of Sunday’s decider. “We were so disappointed with how we played that day.”

The response since has been impressive. Laois entered the All-Ireland series in Group 1 alongside Roscommon and Fermanagh. They dispatched both sides comfortably, with a 3-11 to 2-7 win over Roscommon followed by a 2-9 to 0-7 away victory over Fermanagh.

That set up a quarter-final rematch with Wexford, their 2022 final opponents. In a thrilling contest that went to extra-time, Laois held their nerve to win 1-17 to 2-12, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Mo Nerney, who struck eight points, five of them in extra-time alone.

Their semi-final against Monaghan was another test of character. Played in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Laois hit five goals in a superb attacking display to emerge 5-7 to 1-12 winners, booking their place in the All-Ireland final for the first time under Duff’s management.

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Now, only Tyrone stand between them and national silverware.

Tyrone themselves are no strangers to this stage. They suffered a gut-wrenching defeat to Leitrim in last year’s final and will be eager to make amends. The Red Hands were All-Ireland Intermediate champions in 2018 and have shown their steel again this year, coming through a tough semi-final against Westmeath after extra-time, their second win over the Lake County this season.

Both sides have endured long campaigns, both have grown with each game, and both are desperate to lift the trophy in Croke Park. For Laois, it’s a chance to recapture past glory and reward a group that has evolved, learned from setbacks, and peaked when it mattered most.

A fascinating final awaits. Throw-in is at 1.45pm in GAA Headquarters on Sunday, August 3.

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