'Composure is key': Barrs lean on 2025 experience as they defend Munster crown

Galway side Sarsfields now stand between the Barrs and another All-Ireland final

Stephanie Punch has led the Barrs to three consecutive county titles and successive provincial crowns. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

St Finbarr’s used the experience of last year’s Munster senior camogie club championship final to spur their drive for consecutive wins in FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday.

Their slow start was a near carbon copy to the De La Salle decider in 2025 when the Cork champions fell 1-3 to no score behind.

It was déjà vu against Gailltír when they had to recover from the exact same deficit after another sluggish start.

They fought back to claim a 2-13 to 2-9 victory.

“It was kind of similar to last year and that's something we mentioned,” St Finbarr’s captain Stephanie Punch said.

“I think we just needed to settle, we were probably a small bit off our marking at the start. We have a reset that we call and we kind of drove on there again and the girls did the business up front. We probably did lean on the final last year so we knew we had the ability to do that.

“There’s no panic, it's composure and keeping calm. Composure is key and that's what we've said. We know we have the forwards, we know we have the backs to defend. We know we have it all over the field. So, look, we might have started slow, we knew it would come good for us.” 

Punch took over as captain in 2024 and since then she has led the Barrs to three-in-a-row county titles and successive provincial crowns.

“Maybe I'm a lucky charm,” the teak-tough defender joked.

“We’ve had fantastic captains down the years, it’s just Cork is so tough to get out of. Once you start winning, then it kind of becomes addictive and you know how to do it. So we are absolutely delighted.

“If you told us a couple of years ago we'd be winning back-to-back Munsters I don't know, would we have believed you? The talent was there, it wasn't just coming our way. So, we've turned it around, this is an incredible generational group of Barrs camogie players that we have here now.” 

Scorers usually grab the spotlight but it cannot go unmentioned that the Barrs went through the entire county championship without conceding a goal. In Munster they shipped a goal apiece in the Truagh/Clonlara and Thurles Sarsfields matches, and it’s all to the delight of their big fan base.

“Ciara Hurley, our goalkeeper, she works on it morning, noon, and night. You’ll see her out in the Barrs and she's just shot-stopping. She puts the work in and it pays off. She can see everything so she'll tell us where we need to be. She'll scream at us and let us know exactly what we need to do. For someone so young, she's only 22, she's been the backbone of the team.

“There’s been a fantastic group of supporters too. I always say we had a great following before we were ever successful. We've gained some more along the way. You saw it there in the second half when we heard those shouts of ‘Allez Les Bleus’ it was absolutely fantastic. It just drives you on.” 

Last season’s All-Ireland final defeat to Athenry hit hard. It is another Galway team, Sarsfields, that stand between them and a return to Croke Park.

“As I said, in my speech there, in February would we have thought we would be back here again? It was a long journey. We had the talent, but sometimes those long years can kind of take a lot out of you. But in fairness to the girls, we've taken it one game at a time. We haven't looked forward until we've had to look forward. So we can look forward now to the next two weeks.”