*Laura Foley. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
WINNING the Clare senior camogie title for the first time last year was “huge for the parish” and Truagh/Clonlara are anxious to replicate that experience.
Team centre back Laura Foley outlined that they are determined to win back to back titles. “We want to hold onto the title. We hadn’t looked past today’s clash with Scariff-Ogonnelloe as we needed to get this job done but now we can start focussing on next week’s final”.
Joint captain alongside Ellen Horgan, Laura said their semi-final with Scariff/Ogonnelloe was always going to be a tough encounter. “It was always going to be a battle. Anytime we play Scariff/Ogonnelloe, it comes down to a puck of the ball. We have played them five times in the last few years and it has always come down to the last ten or fifteen minutes. It could have gone either way but, naturally I am glad it went for us”.
She continued, “They are an excellent team, there was no way we were going to keep them scoreless so we just had to take the purple patches and try and minimise the chances they got and capitalise on ours”.
Laura expects “another huge challenge this week when we face Inagh/Kilnamona. It’s great to get to this stage and play the best teams in it. We are looking forward to that now, we must refocus and get our bodies right for the week. There will be sore bodies after today, it was a very physical contest, definitely a big step up from the last few matches we played but we didn’t expect anything else”.
Foley said, “every time we come out on the pitch it’s an absolute privilege. We have had so many injuries over the past few years and, unfortunately, we have another one there now. We just know how lucky we are to just go out and play. To be in the county final and for the last four years we are just so lucky, Its all the hard work we have put in. We have been running constantly. Last year we had a five week break but it’s been constant this year”.
She supports the view of team coach Ryan Morris with regard to the standard of Clare camogie at this time.. “The standard is good. Look at the talent in the two teams there today, Look at the scores that were taken. There are some really talented individuals in Clare camogie which is definitely on the up and if we all come together we will just push on. The final will be tough but we wouldn’t want it another way”.
