‘We’ve nothing to lose’- Camross Camogie manager Arien Delaney embraces Croke Park challenge

Camross Camogie are preparing for one of the biggest days in the club’s history as they head to Croke Park on Sunday to face Ballincollig of Cork in the AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Final.

Ahead of the occasion, the club welcomed local media to the Poet’s Cottage Café, where manager Arien Delaney, captain Aoife Collier, full-forward Sarah Anne Fitzgerald and Erin Walsh spoke about the journey so far and the sense of occasion building around the parish.

A parish gripped by the occasion

The sense of excitement surrounding Camross ahead of an All-Ireland final is unmistakable, with the team’s extended season bleeding into the festive period. Delaney believes the mix of Christmas decorations and club colours perfectly captures the identity of both the players and the wider community.

“100% like, I'm here sitting here on a Saturday when normally I'm bulltearing around the gym or bulltearing around the farm at home, and I'm here talking to ye guys. So, you definitely know the buildup is real. I walk around and drive around the village. Like last night, I was going up to the hurling field because we were training and there were Christmas lights, reindeer, Santas, all lit up along the way going into the hurling field, and next thing you know, there's Camross bunting everywhere. It's great to see, and I would say this club has had maybe a few lean years in comparison to what we used to have, but when we go at it, as the saying goes, we go at it awfully hard, and I tell you we couldn't get much harder than we are now this time, so it's brilliant. I would say this team represents and is a mirror image of what we're like up here in this parish: hard working, honest and giving everything we can all the time,” he said.

How did your return to the Camogie setup come about?

Having previously managed the team to a county final appearance in 2023, Delaney stepped away to manage the men’s senior team before returning again this year. He explained that unfinished business and a sense of responsibility to the players ultimately brought him back.

“They came looking for me two years ago and when Grainne and Luisne said 'Daddy, you may do it, you may do it'. I said right, I'll do it for one year. We got to the county final that year, the week before we hurled Brigid’s beat them in extra-time and then six days later, we played O’Moore’s and lost to them after extra-time. That year now, Kirsten was injured, Fiona was injured, I'd say Erin wasn't on the scene and I would say we left that final behind us. 

“Then last year, I had made up my mind that I was just doing it for one year. A few of the senior lads came looking for me, and I said I'd go back to them because when you were soldiering with them for six or seven years between intermediates and seniors. When a few of them ask, the lads that you soldier with and ask them to go to the well with you the whole time. It was very hard to turn them down, and then, as we know, we got beaten in the semi-final. I suppose in hindsight it probably wasn't the wisest move to go back, but they say you should never go back, and I probably would say 100% don't ever go back. I'll never, ever go back again. That is a fact, and I'll say it straight out. They'll never ask me again, but I won't say yes, you needn't worry, but never again. I will do whatever I can from the club and the committee's point of view. This year, then, the call came again, and I felt I owed the girls one because I would feel I let them down last year by not going back to them. I said we'd go back and we'd go at it this time,” Delaney said.

Raising standards and setting the bar high

Upon returning, Delaney made it clear that preparation levels would mirror those demanded of senior men’s teams, believing the squad were capable of handling that intensity.

“I suppose when I went to them the first time, you were training and you were saying, how is my training method suited? What way does it work when you're training them? And I realised more or less near the back end a year or two ago that, yeah, these girls train as hard as any senior team. I told the girls that if I was coming back this year, I'd train you as hard as any senior team, and I did. I gave them every bit as much effort and push as I gave the senior lads in Camross in all the years that I was over them, and they took it. 

“Now, in fairness, at the start, we had to put them on a gym programme because I was afraid they would break down. They all went on it, and they were diligent 100%. Then we were doing one collective session a week in a gym in town, and they did it 100%. Then, when we got onto the pitch, I pushed them, and I pushed them, and I pushed them, and there were girls falling over at the end of the session, but they had done it. They came back, and they looked for more, and when they looked for more, I'm a nice, giving type of guy, so I gave them more. So, that's the reason why they are there,” he said.

Has the team grown since 2023?

Delaney feels the progress made over the last two seasons is evident, particularly in terms of physical development and maturity across the panel.

“They are in way better order; there's no point in saying otherwise. Some of the younger girls from two years ago, let's say your Grainnes and them, are more mature. They're physically going into their body more, which is great to see. Andrea, you see the shape that girl's in. She's super fit. They're all that way really, and they've matured. Then we have the little Tinkerbell there in Erin coming onto the scene, and she throws her magic dust into it in the corner, so it's brilliant to see,” he said.

Managing women versus men

Drawing on decades of experience, Delaney outlined what he sees as the key difference in managing women’s teams, particularly around communication and commitment.

“If the women are onside with you, you'll never have trouble. They will give you their dying breath. They're so committed to it. Lads will give you a winge and a moan and do it anyway; the women just do it. If they're against it, you're in real trouble; there's no point in lying about that. What you have to do is explain it; once you explain it clearly to them, and the reasoning behind it, they might ask you a question or two. Once you can stand over what you're saying, there's no problem. What I would say is, women, obviously enough, the nature of things, are mammies, no lad has to do that, and to be fair, they're still showing up,” he said.

Balancing Camogie and motherhood

Several members of the Camross panel are juggling playing camogie alongside family life, something Delaney was keen to acknowledge.

“There are Niamh (Dollard) and Sile (Burke), who are parents. They're coming, there's no hassle, and there's no issue. We have Claire (Fitzgerald), who's come back onto the panel now. She’s had two or three chaps; she has a few anyway. Sile is after having a baby, Sadie, and she's back on the panel. Aoife (Burke) had to drop off because she's pregnant,” he said.

One excuse you never hear from the lads

Reflecting humorously on his time managing men’s teams, Delaney admitted there’s one excuse he’s never encountered.

“I've heard every excuse under the book from the lads. The one thing I've never heard from a lad is ‘I'm pregnant’, you would be sort of worried. When Sile came over to me in the first year, I said, right, okay. There's nothing you can say; you can't say anything,” Delaney said.

What is it about coaching that you enjoy so much?

Despite nearly three decades involved in teams, Delaney says the motivation remains unchanged.

“You see, I don't drink much, very, very seldom. Maybe after the Leinster final, the county final. They’re the only two times I drank this year. I don't smoke, I don't take legal drugs or illegal ones, and it's my buzz, especially with Camross. Camross gave me an awful lot. So I suppose I like being involved to give them back something. It's not about, you know, there's Delaney, and he's on the line again, he wants to be involved. I have enough to be doing, but at the same time, if the opportunity is to go and coach, I'll take it. I love being involved with teams because it keeps you young. I've been consecutively training teams since 1998. I had a year gap around COVID, but that's a long time. I love it, it's just my thing,” he said.

Momentum after winning Laois and Leinster

Camross’ breakthrough at county level this year was followed quickly by provincial success, something Delaney felt was a critical test of belief.

“As I said after the Clonkill game, those girls went on the beer for two days. I only went on it for one, and I was rattled for the whole week. At the same time, they went on the beer, and they're entitled to celebrate that. Once they got rid of the dirty diesel in the first-half against Clonkill, they got a run. I sat them down, I think it was in Coolderry, and I said to them, right girls, get over this weekend. The hardest one you're going to face is this one because of the few pints, but get over this, you'll get momentum. They've got momentum, and we have belief up here. 

“We believe in ourselves, and we believe we're every bit as good as anyone in our division. And if you don't have that, if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. What's the point in you playing or doing anything in life if you don't have self-confidence? You have to, and you take those little pieces of confidence in everything you do. You get out of bed in the morning, you're eating right, you're drinking, you're minding what you're eating all day. If you have a gym program to do, you're doing it because then you're consoled by the fact that you're ticking all the boxes. Once you tick the boxes, our hurling is here, and we can hurl. If you're beaten, you're beaten, and you can put your head in the pillow that night and say, well, look it, I've done my best. If we do get beat by 20 points next week, if we do, it doesn't matter. We have nothing to lose next week, 100% nothing to lose. We've everything to gain, but we have nothing to lose because we've given our all,” Delaney said.

‘Camross on tour’ and a tight-knit group

Delaney described the bond within the squad as something special, particularly the way younger players are embraced.

“Camross on tour. I remember the boys went down to a place on tour one year and sort of, shall we say, there was a small little bit of damage done to a hotel. These girls are well-behaved. Look, yes, it does bring a team together, but regardless of whether we went on tour or not, whether we went up to Westmeath or not, these girls are so, so tight. In 2013, the group that I had when we won the County Final was very, very united, but this group, I would say, is ahead of them. You can't really compare either, but for this group, like you see Erin, she comes into the group, Muireann Bennett, they come in, young kids, young pups, and the more experienced ladies in the team, they're sitting beside each other chatting away. It keeps the more experienced girls young, and it keeps the younger girls coming into the group. They feel that right, we're part of the gang, we're part of the crew.

“That's the Camross way of showing them the way. Because I can guarantee you in 10 years' time, when Muireann and Erin are hurling in that team and whoever comes in, whether it's Mossy Burke’s young one, Faye, whether it's Larry Cuddy’s young one, Emily, or whatever, if they come in, they’ll show them the way because that's the Camross way. Because if you don't look after what's coming next, you have nothing. You have to look after your youth. If you don't have your youth, you have nothing,” he added.

What does Croke Park mean?

Camross have only previously played once at headquarters, and Delaney joked about the circumstances, while stressing that the occasion comes with no fear.

“They did, yeah, once. I think they were looking for a pitch with a fence around it, so I think the only one available at that time was Croke Park. For these ladies and for the parish, it's a unique occasion. That's why I say we don't have anything to lose next week because we've achieved our goal of winning a County Final, we've achieved our next goal of winning a Leinster final, and we've achieved our next goal of getting to Croke Park. And if we don't get over the line next week, these girls have nothing, nothing lost, but we've earned some amount of credibility, and that's what we're after. These girls are after respect,” he said.

Views on GAA and Camogie integration

Delaney was candid when asked about proposed structural integration.

“If you look at, let's say, they’re on about integrating the GAA together with Camogie, that's as far out as a lighthouse as far as I'm concerned. It's as far out as peace in Ukraine and as far out as Camross winning a Senior Football final, and that is the truth. I don't think so, somehow or another, not in my lifetime anyway. Maybe the Ukrainian thing, but other than that,” he said.

Facilities, floodlights and frustration

Delaney praised the work being done within Camross to develop club facilities.

“We’ve had to go to Coolderry. Like, as you see, we're doing massive development down there at the pitch. I commend Jack Cuddy, Ursula Dunphy, the executive committee of last year, and Stephen Mortimer stepping into the chair this year. We’ll say your Fran Hogans, your Damien Keenans, Stephen Delaney, Niall Holmes, all being down around that field doing massive, massive work. We have no lights, unfortunately, because they're on a slow boat from China coming over here. I think they got sent around the Cape of Good Hope somewhere. They got lost, but they're on the way, and that's the main thing. So we have no lights, we've had to go to Coolderry, we've had to go to the Ballyfin," Delaney added.

READ ALSO: Camross Camogie's young gun Erin Walsh- 'I hope we can do it for the older girls now'

Calling out the lack of support

Delaney did not shy away from voicing concerns regarding support from Laois GAA.

“We've only been allowed into the Centre of Excellence in Portlaoise once since the county final. To me, that's not good enough. Like, if next week we get beat, they’ll say sure, Delaney should have shut his mouth. In Camross, if you're slighted, you call it out, and we have to call that out. We should be supported; we're not getting the support from the county board. We're not going clapping hands, we'll pay our way if we have to, no problem. But to go and look and look and look and no, sorry, no, sorry. There are other teams that are preparing for the Championship, being allowed to train in the Centre of Excellence, but unfortunately, they're not out next week. They're out in April, they're out in May, they're out in June if they're lucky, some of them teams. We're out next week, and we can't get any use of the facilities. 

“As far as I'm concerned, we're all Gaels, we're all Laois people. That Centre of Excellence was put up with the support of the Laois Gaels, male or female. When someone was putting money in their pocket to help pay for that, I guarantee you Laois County Board didn’t say ‘Sorry, you're a female, you can't pay for this’. We're all Laois; we should be supported, and if we're not supported, it has to be called out. They'll come along, and they'll say, oh, sorry, rain, whatever. They'll say, County teams get preference. That's fine, but maybe once, maybe twice, give it to the females because if you don't, that won't be forgotten up here,” Delaney said.

Respect is non-negotiable

Delaney questioned the absence of engagement from Laois GAA officials.

“If I were, what’s his name? PJ Kelly? Yeah. That'll tell you how much I know about him, right, and how much contact he has with us. I've had more contact, obviously enough, with Paddy Dwyer from the Camogie Association, offering the sun, moon and stars to help us out, but he has no say there. I didn’t even know PJ Kelly's name; I had an idea. They should be ringing us up and saying, Lads, what support do you need? We're all Laois here. What support can we give? Now again, lads say, Delaney, shut your mouth. I won't. If it's wrong, we call it out. I'm not trying to be controversial or anything like that, but those girls in there deserve respect. If we're not getting respect, we'll call it out; that's the Camross way,” he said.

County unity beyond rivalries

Despite frustrations, Delaney highlighted the support shown by fellow camogie clubs.

“100%. We have Brigid’s contacting us, O’Moore’s contacting us. The Harps, Portlaoise, like we've trained in Rathleague. We've trained in Ballyfin, and we've gone to Coolderry to train. Clough-Ballacolla was available to us. Like, and they're all our rivals, and as I've said before, we'll cut each other's throats when it's in the county, but once we get outside the county, we're all one. I saw the Ballyhale and Ballacolla game. Oh my god, I wanted them to win so much, so much. I am good friends with Willie Hyland. You know, and I'd love to have an opportunity to buck heads against them. If Laois is going well, it's good for Laois. I own a gym in Roscrea and a lad walked in and said ‘ah jaysus, it's not often Laois get to a final’, so I said ‘when was the last time a Tipperary club got to one? You know, so I mow it back as often as I can, and that's the banter. But I'm a Laois man first and foremost, and If Laois is going well, happy days, so support what's around you,” he said.

READ ALSO: Camross captain Aoife Collier excited ahead of All-Ireland Club Final at Croke Park

Criticism only fuels Camross

“It gets the back up. You don’t want to be getting our back up, really, to be honest. Look, someone will contact us next week and say we're wrong and all the rest, but we're not wrong,” he said.

A festive finish

The conversation ended with a light-hearted return to Christmas talk.

“I was going to say Stephen’s Day in the sales, but I don't know, maybe the day before Christmas Eve is when we'll do it. We might get time then, but we'll see how it goes. Look, we went down to the hurling field last night and there were reindeer, there were Santas, there was everything up. We trained at 6 o'clock to make sure the mammies were all home early for the Toy Show. It's brilliant for the whole community; I had people from the school ringing me yesterday, saying, 'Can we have pictures of the team?' Can we have the team programme? Because they're going to do something with the kids. Again, carrying on the tradition that's in the club,” he said.

One club, one identity

Delaney closed by reinforcing what Camross stands for.

“Oh yeah, sure, we're all Camross. There's no difference between male and female here. Camross Camogie will get what Camross Camogie is entitled to. Whether that's U-8 or senior, and it's the same with the lads. We're all Camross, that's what makes us unique. Well, we feel unique, that's what makes us a different place to be from. Because, as I said at the outset, we're a hard-working team, we're a team of this club, we're a mirror image of this club. That's why we have the support, because when they go out and see us play, if our tongue is hanging out, and we're on our hands and knees, we'll still try to get up. We'll still try to fight, and that's the way this team is. That's the way this team has always been.

“This year, we're just getting a sort of click, and we're getting maybe a little bit more limelight. When the opportunity is to highlight that, we should. Like I look at Sarah Anne Fitzgerlad there, Niamh Dollard. The effort and the service they've given Laois, and Sarah Anne with football as well, has given Laois, has given Camross. They're entitled to what’s due, and they're entitled to respect. The same with Niamh Dollard. Like, young mum, and she's coming down to the field, training all the time, savage. Then you look at Erin (Walsh), and as I said to you in 10, 15, 20 years time, because she won't be allowed to retire until she's at least 37, that we’ll say, she's been there, she's hurled with Sarah Anne. She's hurled with those girls, and she's showing them the way, and she'll show the next generation around,” Delaney concluded.

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