PREVIEW: Laois LGFA and Roscommon battle for All-Ireland U-16 honours
Throw-in is at 7.15pm in Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA as Laois bid to complete a memorable season
The Laois LGFA U-16 team are just 60 minutes away from All-Ireland glory as they prepare to take on Roscommon in the AirNav All-Ireland U-16 'B' final on Wednesday evening in Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA (throw-in 7.15pm).
Having already captured the Leinster title in May of this year, Laois now have the opportunity to complete a remarkable campaign by winning the All-Ireland.
It has been an impressive season for the girls in blue and white, who have shown both attacking quality and defensive resilience throughout the championship. Laois booked their place in the decider with an outstanding display against Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final after returning to competitive action following an eight-week break since their provincial triumph.
The lengthy gap was largely due to the Junior Certificate examinations, but any concerns over rustiness were quickly dismissed as Laois produced a composed performance to record a 4-10 to 2-7 victory in Dunmore. Their ability to strike for goals at crucial moments proved decisive. Laura Malone opened the scoring with a well-taken goal before Kate Dowling and Mia Delaney also found the net in the opening half to hand Laois a commanding 3-6 to 0-4 interval lead.
Delaney added her second goal after the restart while goalkeeper Aoife Mullins produced two outstanding saves at key stages to prevent any Tipperary comeback. Although the Premier County reduced the deficit to seven points late on, Laois finished strongly through Delaney and Chelsey Dooley to seal a deserved nine-point victory. Delaney once again underlined her importance to the side with another influential display, while Dowling, Malone, Jessica Horan and Hanna Luttrell all made significant contributions in an excellent team performance.
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That victory followed an equally impressive Leinster campaign.
Laois reached the provincial final with a comprehensive 1-14 to 0-2 win over Carlow before producing one of their best displays of the season to defeat Dublin in the decider in Mullingar. Delaney was again the standout performer, scoring an outstanding 10 points, while Dowling struck a crucial goal and Laura Malone contributed three points. At the other end of the field, Laois were every bit as impressive, restricting Dublin to just four scores over the hour in a disciplined defensive display.
Roscommon, however, will arrive full of confidence after edging past Armagh following extra time in their semi-final, setting up what promises to be a fiercely contested final.
Laois have already shown throughout both the Leinster and All-Ireland series that they possess plenty of scoring power, but they have also been built on a solid defensive foundation. If they can reproduce the levels they displayed against both Dublin and Tipperary, they will have every chance of bringing the All-Ireland title back to Laois and capping off what has already been a hugely successful season.