'There was a lot of hurt there last year'- Portlaoise fueled by 2024 County Final heartbreak

The Portlaoise Senior Ladies team are heading into yet another County Final, marking their fourth year in a row and fifth in six years. 

Full-back Deirdre Phelan says the team is focused and determined in the lead-up to the decider.

"Everyone is really focused at the moment, we've reflected on our last couple of games and pinpointed areas to focus on for the next two weeks leading up to the final and we're just going to drive on," Phelan said.

Portlaoise's Phelan also reflected on the benefits of her experience with the Laois Ladies panel this year, which reached the All-Ireland final.

"It was a privilege to be part of the panel, to be asked to be part of the panel this year and the learnings I took from it. It was great to bring that back to the club and obviously, the intensity of those trainings kind of pushed everyone on then when we got back," she added.

Full-forward Aisling Kehoe praised the seamless integration of younger players into the squad and their impact on the team.

"It's great. I suppose there are a good few older girls there, but especially this year, the minor girls have come on leaps and bounds. They have dug us out of a hole in a good few games. They come on, they're injection of pace, it's brilliant. I don't think we have to do too much grounding with them. They have that experience of getting to an All-Ireland minor final, which was great for them. We have Faye, who captained that Laois team and then Lara Culleton as well. They're just a great bunch of girls and there are a good few of them there on our panel. They bring a different type of vibe to the group, keeping us all young; so they do," Kehoe said.

Reflecting on their championship campaign, Kehoe spoke about the challenges the team overcame, despite remaining unbeaten.

"In the group stages, you could say the first two games weren't easy at all. Against St Joseph’s, we were down by 8 or 9 points with 10-15 minutes to go. The Sarsfields game was very tight as well, but it just shows the heart that we have to come back. It would be a great experience to bring back into the county final, because this is our fourth year playing St Conleth’s in a final. They are a very well-drilled team, a very good team. We're just looking forward to it now, we can't wait for two weeks' time," she commented.

Kehoe admitted last year’s loss to St Conleth’s added motivation for this year’s campaign.

"There was a lot of hurt there last year, a lot of hurt. It's driven us on this year to get back to the final. Especially in our semi-final, we were up by a good bit at one stage and then only won by a goal. We’ve shown each time that we have great heart, great determination to get over the line and hopefully do the same in two weeks' time," she ended.

Manager Kevin O’Grady reflected on the start of his first season with the club, joking about how the players are still adapting to him.

"I'm not sure that they've adapted to us yet. Ah, no, look, they're a great bunch. Anyone, and I genuinely mean anyone, could train them. It's a question of facilitating them and maybe giving them a couple of pointers, but in terms of their dedication to their club and to each other, it's unquestioned. Their skill levels, fitness levels and just their camaraderie. It's been a privilege for us to be involved; it genuinely has. They're an easy bunch, most of the time, to train and be involved with," O’Grady said.

O’Grady also highlighted that, despite an unbeaten run in the championship, there are always areas to improve.

"Of course, there are things to improve on. No team’s ever gone onto a field and played 60 minutes of perfection; it doesn't happen. Opposition teams have purple patches, no matter how dominant you are yourself. There's always room for improvement. There are always errors that you can eliminate from your game. The great teams over the years have had bad moments in games, and we're no different. We just hope that we can maximise the positives and reduce the errors and the negatives come Saturday week, but you're never going to get perfection. You strive for it and drive for it, and that's what brings us all into the field. We'll do our best to deliver that as best we can anyway," he ended.

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