Laois Ladies 2s team kicked off the season with a home game against Muckross in Loreto Kilkenny.

There were a number of senior lady debutants and some very special family moments with the very talented mother and daughter combination in Maeve and Faye Delaney. We also had the Lahart sisters, Lauren and Mikayla, playing their first senior ladies match together. Hannah McCrory made her first appearance on the right win and Ellen Harvey and Gloria Lewis also made flying starts. 

Most of the younger players have come up through the ranks of the junior club and some had competed on the very successful Inter team in 2022/2023 season. It was also the first match with manager, Michael Rafter, in charge and Tara Lalor in her new role as vice captain.

Laois Ladies started strongly with right back Charlotte Nagle driving up the right side of the pitch and her pass into the circle culminated in Laois winning the first short corner of the game. Muckross didn’t have any answers for Gloria Lewis’ strike on goal from the short corner. She was unlucky to have another goal disallowed a few minutes later in Laois’ second short corner. 

The second quarter showed some great driving runs in midfield from Maeve Rafter and Faye Delaney and Evana Cassidy was very unlucky not to score.

Laois dominated possession for most of the second half with some good passing and movement off the ball. Muckross did manage to make a few breaks but their attacks were very capably dealt with by debutants Ellen Harvey and Maeve Delaney. Some very well timed jab tackles from Ellen. Aisling Gormley and Eimear O’Sullivan were , as always, solid in defence and Muckross were unable to make any serious attempts on goal. 

Laois found the back of the net again in the last quarter but the whistle had just been called for a short corner which they were unlucky not to convert and finished with a 1-0 win. 

Overall a momentous day for the club and very pleasing to see all the progress the team has made in the year and the talent the club has nurtured. The introduction of the Inter girls has been a great boost to the club.