In what will likely go down as a comeback for Tipperary supporters to remember for years to come, The Premier County didn't let last year's defeat in the All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Final repeat itself as they came from four points behind at half to clinch the Kay Mills Cup from Laois' grasp.
Tipperary captain Sinead Meagher had missed the previous year's camogie season, opting to focus on Handball, but after seeing The Premier Junior sideline out at Croke Park in 2023, she knew she had to get back into the intercounty mix.
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While undefeated in the group matches, the knockout stages of the All-Ireland have been anything but a walk in the park for Tipperary. After narrowly making it past Armagh at the semi-final stage the first-half of the final clash didn't start the way The Premier County had hoped.
"From the word go, Laois came at us, and we found ourselves in a bit of a hole at half-time," Meagher said.
She contributes the massive comeback to herself and the players' "strength and heart".
"We kept the heads, we know exactly what we have in our team, we know the strength and the heart as well, and the subs that got us over the line in the finish.
"We stood up, we showed our character, like we showed in the Armagh game in the semi-final, and again today."
It was almost poetic that Meagher celebrated the victory with manager Bill Mullaney, who has been coaching the Tipperary captain for most of her inter-county career. At half-time, Mullaney presented an ultimatum to his team, saying they "could die on our feet or we could go home at half-time, one or the other".
"At half-time, we said we needed to up the work rate, commit to our principles of play, and go out and produce. We could die on our feet, or we could go home at half-time, one or the other, and I’m delighted that they came out flying,
"But that’s within these players. They just came out and worked hard, as you would expect in an All-Ireland final. It could have been a lot worse at half-time, but luckily, we got a foothold in the last five or six minutes. I thought in the end we deserved it; we were on top, and going forward, we could have another one or two."
The impact of the Tipperary bench cannot be understated, as it is a pivotal reason for The Premier County's ultimate success. While Mullaney acknowledges this, he says, "Really, it comes down to how the girls started believing in themselves".
"A couple of adjustments in terms of subs had a huge impact, and a couple of adjustments around the field as well. But really, it comes down to how the girls started believing in themselves, committing to the game, and committing to the process; that’s what turned the tide."
What makes the victory even sweeter for Tipperary is that it has been 23 years coming. The last time Tipperary won an All-Ireland Premier Junior final was in 2001. Meagher is absolutely delighted to be an All-Ireland champion:
"We’ve beaten Laois by a point, and that’s all it takes to win a game. I’m absolutely delighted for myself and for this man beside me, Bill Mullaney, who all year has given us so much, and I’m so happy he has this now as well."
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