Arien Delaney, Aimee Collier and Sarah-Anne Fitzgerald react to Camross' Leinster Championship victory

Sunday, November 16, will go down in the record books as one of the famous days in Camross Camogie Club's history as the club ended a 24-year wait to be crowned Leinster Club champions. 

They had 12 points to spare against Meath's Na Fianna on Sunday afternoon. There are three interviews below from manager Arien Delaney and two of their stars, Sarah-Anne Fitzgerald and Aimee Collier.

Arien Delaney

Victorious Camross manager Arien Delaney was beaming with pride on Sunday afternoon as his side were crowned AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Camogie champions in Carlow.

Delaney referenced the 2019 Leinster final defeat Offaly’s St Rynagh’s where they hammered Camross 4-20 to 0-4. He’s delighted to get that monkey off their back and win the club’s first provincial final since 2001.

“As I do say to the girls, super fantastic, it's brilliant. I suppose a lot of girls had a hardship in 2019 and it stung them, they didn't perform that day against St Rynagh’s. It's been a monkey on their back, it's well and truly gone now. The younger girls, the likes of Muireann (Bennett) and Erin (Walsh) and them coming up on the panel, they brought a massive energy to the group. It's brilliant, absolutely fantastic, great day,” he said.

This was Camross’ fourth game in as many weeks and Delaney says a lot of credit has to go to the S&C coach and the physio, who have done superbly well managing the players’ workload.

“It's week to week, so to be fair I have to credit Jordan (Donovan), he's doing S&C, he's been brilliant. We just cut back our time, didn't go too heavy on them, they were getting enough of contact at weekends, so it's really managing injuries and Alan has been brilliant, our physio, Alan Corby has been absolutely fantastic. It's about managing the load, don't give it to them too hard, keep the bodies right, make sure you get your nutrition and hydration right and focus on the next one,” Delaney said.

The Camross manager admitted it’s a team effort from the backs to the forwards and that the defending starts with the two corner-forwards and works back from there.

“We sort of have a mentality, we attack as a unit and we defend as a unit, so sometimes we give out, we'll say if the ball doesn't come out right, but it's not easy, but at the same time the girls, if you look at it everyone talks about our defence, that starts with Kirsten (Keenan) and starts with Erin (Walsh) up front, they pressure the ball, the ball doesn't come in where the opposition wants it to come in, then we have a chance, and it's only you have a chance then if the forwards are working and in fairness to the backs, they're like glue, so it's a combined effort I suppose,” he added.

At full-time, Delaney wasn’t aware of who Camross were playing next as all eyes were on Na Fianna. Next up for his side will be Galway’s Killimor, who were also crowned provincial champions on Sunday.

“To be honest with you, we only looked as far as today and maybe people think that's a cliché, it's far from it, you'd be very naive if you didn't, so I don't even know who we're hurling. But again, we'll enjoy tonight, we'll enjoy tomorrow, and we'll say onwards and upwards then,” Delaney ended.

Sarah-Anne Fitzgerald

Sarah Anne Fitzgerald has had quite a few weeks. She guided her club Camross to Laois Intermediate glory four weeks and since then, she has played three Leinster Club games where she scored a combined total of 4-17 as her side won the Leinster Club Championship.

“Jesus, it's unbelievable. We've tried so long as a club to try and get this and we've had heartbreak for a few times, three to be exact and then seeing other teams go on. We just said look come on we'll put our heads to the wheel and we did that and just to get over the line and to do it the way we did as well it's just, it's a great feeling, it hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'm sure tonight and tomorrow it will,” she said.

Camross got off to a superb start and had 3-3 to their name to Na Fianna’s no score. Fitzgerald admitted that you always dream of having such starts, but you’re never expecting for it to go as well as it did.

“Look, you talk these things but to come through to fruition like you know we just said at the start we're going to attack, attack. In every sort of game, you want to go out and just blitz teams apart and it doesn't always happen, but god everything just clicked for us there in the first half in particular. It was just unbelievable and that just gave us a cushion. It was a strong breeze and we knew in the second half, we were against the breeze that you know like we did have to just dig, it wasn't going to be the same again in the first half so we had to kind of dig deep and the legs are heavy, the ground is heavy so it was a battle, but look our first half really stood to us and was the reason why we're champions here today,” Fitzgerald said.

Camross defended in packs and that was evident at the end of the first 30 minutes as Na Fianna had only managed two points, one from play. 

“I suppose the way the modern game has gone you're up and down the whole time, positions don't mean a whole much. I know people can be given out at times because you can hit the ball and you're hitting it back and down on top of them but look we put in huge, huge, huge work this year with our training. Arien and Larry and the lads in particular Jordan who came on board with us, I've just trained the living daylights out of us and like you know session after session and we just have been spending so much time together of late, but the work was done really over the summer, heavy, heavy running and we noticed the difference and look it came to fruition here. As Arien said, we want to peak come September time onwards, October time onwards and that's what he did with us.  We didn't actually even start back until April and we were starting to get itchy feet like we want to get going and he just said trust me and we trusted him and look he's delivered here so he has and it's just been brilliant,” she added.

Fitzgerald reflected on the last four weeks and said that the Leinster quarter-final against Westmeath’s Clonkill, which was only a week after winning Laois, was a banana skin.

“Definitely look we've been on the go for the last four weeks and it's been heavy going because first of all you’ve a County Final and the mental preparation for that alone is more tiring than anything and then to come back down to celebrate that and we celebrated good and hard and then to go back into a Leinster campaign was hard. That Clonkill game in particular the week after county final was just that to us was a real banana skin and I knew once we got over that I think we could go on and roll in momentum but to be honest we're really going to enjoy tonight and we're definitely going to enjoy tomorrow but I think more than anything we're going to enjoy next week being you know not having a game to look forward to,” she said.

Looking ahead, Fitzgerald says she can’t wait to get back to the training field on Tuesday night and that it’s brilliant to still be hurling with Christmas lights going up around the place.

“We'll regroup, evaluate where do we want to go and look put the heads down and two weeks’ time look more than anything it's just the fact that it's there's Christmas lights on somewhere, we're still training, still getting the hurls and it's not heavy training it's just that type of training where you're keeping the eye in and just keeping fresh it's just brilliant and I'm actually looking forward to going back to the field on Tuesday night so it's a great feeling,” Fitzgerald ended.

Aimee Collier

Aimee Collier had a weekend to remember as she was named PWC Premier Junior Camogie Player of the Year on Saturday evening in Croke Park before then being apart of the Camross team, which won the Leinster title in SETU Carlow.

“It's absolutely amazing. It's things you can't write; it's a dream. Whatever about winning in with your county, but honestly, winning in with your club, it's something extra special. The support we have today, it just says it all. It means so much. 

Collier credited her teammates, both for Laois and Camross, that gave her so much support over the course of the year as she picked up another individual accolade in Croke Park on Saturday.

“I couldn't have done it without those club girls either. The girls that we won with this year, with Laois as well, I couldn't have done it without anyone. I had so much support all year, and I'm just absolutely thrilled. The legs are getting sore now. It's a long year, but days like this drives you on, and it just makes it all the better,” Collier said.

Manager Arien Delaney spoke about the importance of the club having a good S&C coach and Collier agreed that it made a huge difference in getting Camross over the line.

“We really drove on, and this year, honestly, it made such a difference. All the girls definitely could vouch for that as well. It makes such a difference, all your speed work and stuff. It helps you on these heavy days with heavy pitches. That's where that comes into play, and it drove us over the line here today,” she said.

Next up for Camross is a game against Killimor from Galway, who were crowned Connacht champions on Sunday as well. Sunday’s win was Camross’ first provincial title in 24 years.

“Look, we'll look forward to tonight. It's a long time coming. There's a lot of women out there, my own mam and auntie. The last time they won it was in 2001, and this is a long time coming. There's a lot of girls that have lost Leinster finals and semi-finals. We've been so close. We'll enjoy this one for sure but definitely regroup again. We'll be glad of the week off, but we'll get going again and recuperate for the All-Ireland semi-final,” Collier ended.

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