'The future is bright for this team'- Laois Camogie's Robert Jones following Leinster final defeat

The 2024 season has been a tough one for the Laois Camogie team, marked by narrow defeats in critical matches. On Saturday afternoon, they suffered a heart-wrenching loss to Wexford by the smallest of margins in the Leinster Intermediate final.

This marks Laois' second final defeat of the year, following a similarly close loss to Armagh in the league final.

Joint-manager Robert Jones expressed his deep disappointment after the game. “I’m very disappointed, especially after losing in the league final against Armagh by a point as well. Coming here today, we were quietly confident, but it was all about getting a good start, and I don’t think we got that. The girls looked a bit nervous. We weren’t getting on the ball like we should, but still, we were only down by a point at half-time.”

Jones noted that despite the shaky start, they remained hopeful at halftime. “We knew we were still in the game. If the girls could pick up their performance, we knew we had a good chance in the second half, and they did come out stronger.”

However, Jones acknowledged that Wexford's timely decisions were pivotal. “We went up by two points in the second half, could have gone up by three, and probably that was the decider. We missed the chance to go three up, and Wexford, being Wexford, clawed back at us. Near the end, they made the right decisions, and we didn’t. That’s probably what cost us the game.”

Wexford’s Nora Higgins was the standout player, scoring 12 points and earning the Player of the Match title. “She was very good, to be fair. She’s experienced, made the right decisions, got some fantastic scores, and was hard to handle. When you come up against players like that, they have to be watched, and maybe she was just let loose a little. That’s disappointing,” Jones commented.

Despite the defeat, Jones praised his team’s effort and resilience. Their focus now shifts to the All-Ireland Series starting next Saturday. “We are very proud of them. They never give up, always put in a serious work rate, no matter who they're playing. It’s very disappointing for them, but we’re going to have to knuckle down with a quick turnaround next Saturday in the All-Ireland Junior Series. We’ll be back on the training field again on Monday evening,” he said.

Laois struggled in the early stages, registering only two scores in the first 20 minutes. Jones acknowledged this as an area for improvement. “I can’t put my head around it yet. I don’t know why it is, but we’re slow at the start. It’s taken us 10-15 minutes to get into the game, and it’s something we’re going to have to work on. We’ll have a good chat with the girls on Monday evening and try to sort out our few little problems and rock on again,” Jones added.

Substitutes made a significant impact, with Aiva Coss brought on after 24 minutes to inject energy into the team. “There’s opportunities there for a lot of girls. Any girl that comes on never lets us down. Aiva Coss was disappointed not to start, but she made a big difference when she came in. We’ve got great talent on the sidelines. The future is bright for this team. If they can stay focused on next Saturday, that’s what we have to do.”

Laois will begin their Premier Junior All-Ireland Series against Cavan this Saturday, with the game set to be played in Laois.