Beth Carton could hardly hide her pride as she stood on the Gracedieu turf, a smile beaming across her face after De La Salle produced a stunning comeback to beat Thurles Sarsfields 2-21 to 3-16 and book their place in a first ever Munster Senior Club Camogie Championship Final.
“It means everything to us,” Carton said, still taking in the scale of what her side had just achieved. “At one stage, it wasn’t looking likely. But when you have a group of girls like that in that dressing room, anything’s possible. We just kept going.”
It had looked grim when the Déise champions trailed by seven points nearing half-time, but goals from teenage sensation Maggie Gostl at crucial moments either side of the interval turned the tide. Gostl’s brace – echoing her county final heroics – helped ignite a belief that Carton said has become the team’s defining trait.
“When you’ve forwards like Abby Flynn and Maggie inside, if you can get the ball into them, they can do anything,” she said. “But honestly, we had fantastic players everywhere today – the unsung heroes too, the Leah Brownes and then Niamh [Murphy] powering around doing all the dirty work outfield. That’s what makes this team so special.”
Gostl’s late surge, scoring three points and winning two frees in the final minutes, epitomised the relentless spirit that carried De La Salle across the line. But Carton was quick to highlight the collective, not just the individual.
“We know what we’re coming up against every week – top players, county girls – but the key is we never drop the heads. We just trust in each other. When it got tough today, we stuck together and kept believing.”
The sense of occasion wasn’t lost on the Waterford star forward either, with a huge home crowd filling the Gracedieu venue.
“People in Waterford love their hurling and camogie,” she smiled. “It was unbelievable to look up and see so many faces, not just De La Salle people but supporters from all over the county. The club have been unbelievable – the pitch was in perfect condition thanks to the likes of Billy O’Neill and the lads working on it all week. We’re very lucky.”
Barely two decades since the club’s foundation, De La Salle now stand on the brink of Munster glory.
“It’s really the stuff of dreams,” Carton reflected. “We’re just loving every minute of it – training, playing, being together. We’ll give it absolutely everything in the final and enjoy every second.”
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