The Energia All-Ireland League Women's Division title was within touching distance. Jillian O'Toole had crossed for a dramatic late try, Blackrock were ahead, and after an exhausting battle with UL Bohemian, the prospect of lifting the trophy suddenly seemed real.
Then came the heartbreak. Catriona Finn struck at the death to snatch victory for UL Bohemian, leaving Blackrock devastated and Boylan with a memory that remains as vivid as ever.
Months later, the two sides are preparing to meet again. This Saturday at 5pm, Blackrock travel to Annacotty to face the reigning champions in a hugely anticipated early season encounter, broadcast live on IrishRugby+.
It is only the second round of the Energia All-Ireland League Women's Division 1A campaign, but for Boylan and her teammates, there is no escaping the significance of returning to face the side that denied them the title.
“It took a minute to get over that one now, I won't lie” Boylan admitted.
“But we're looking forward to going down and playing them again. It's a new year. We'll just see what they are going to bring at us this year. We're just going to be as prepped as we can and as clinical as we can and just go down and see what happens.”
The memory of last season's final is one Waterford native Boylan knows she will never forget.
Blackrock had battled their way into a winning position, and when O'Toole crossed in the closing minutes, the winger briefly allowed herself to believe the contest was over.
“Oh I'll never forget it, it was something else” she recalled.
“I remember almost thinking when Jillian scored, I was like, oh I think we might have this, and I think that was probably my mistake.”
The final moments were particularly difficult for Boylan, who had moved into the unfamiliar scrum-half position after Lauren Farrell-McCabe was forced off through injury.
With Blackrock desperately trying to retain possession and protect their lead, the pressure was immense.
“After that kick-off then as well, we were like, we need to retain the ball, we need to not give away anything, we just need to hold on to it” she explained.
“Even at that, sometimes you'd be doing that during the game anyway and you wouldn't even be thinking about it.
“But it was like two minutes where I was so worried about trying to keep the ball and maintain the ball.I had gone in scrum-half as well, where I wouldn't usually play because Lauren actually had to go off with a bit of an injury, so there was just a lot of chops and change in there.”
The tension of the occasion was unlike anything she had previously experienced.
“Your nerves would be gone, like I was never so nervous” Boylan said.
“Usually your nerves would die off but I was so, even coming out after the first half, still nervous.”
Finn's last gasp score ultimately turned Blackrock's hopes into disappointment, delivering another title to a UL Bohemian side that has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to find a way through the tightest contests.
For Boylan, however, there is encouragement to be taken from how close Blackrock came.
“This weekend now there won't be as much nerves” she said.
“There's always nerves going in against Bohs. It's a competitive game, it always is. We know what they're going to bring at us and they probably know what we're going to try and bring at them as well.
But it's just let's go in and hope for the best and just trust that you have your work done, and trust that us as a team can actually put it up to them and, if not, get the better hand of them this year.”
Blackrock have already demonstrated that they are capable of winning in Annacotty.
In the final round of last season's regular campaign, they inflicted a 17-7 defeat on UL Bohemian, with Boylan grabbing the opening try of that occasion.
That victory ended the Limerick side's unbeaten league run on home soil and provided Blackrock with a considerable confidence boost ahead of the semi-finals.
“Even the positives that we took from last year playing them in Annacotty, I'm sure it knocked them a little bit to lose the last game of the season after having a clean streak the whole year” Boylan said.
This weekend offers another opportunity to make an early statement.
UL Bohemian began their title defence with defeat against Railway Union, while Blackrock enjoyed an emphatic opening victory at home to Wicklow.
Boylan recognises that another setback for the champions would be significant, but insists Blackrock's primary concern is their own performance.
“I know they're after having their first loss against Railway, so if we can go out and get another win on them, it'll set them back a little bit I would imagine” she said.
“Mentally that's kind of a tough thing to go with two losses at the start of the season. We're just hoping to anyway go out and concentrate on our own game and hopefully get two wins.
That's what we're aiming for, not even thinking about their losses, we're thinking about hopefully getting our wins and getting our points and putting us in a solid position to start the year.”
Niall Neville's side recorded a 50-5 victory over Wicklow last weekend, running in eight tries.
Andrea Murphy led the scoring with a hat-trick, Ava Fannin crossed twice, while Cara Martin, Emily Whittle and Boylan also touched down.
It was the ideal result to begin a season in which Blackrock hope to challenge for honours once again.
Yet Boylan is quick to point out that the performance was far from perfect.
“We were very happy to get the win” she said.
“I know we had a great score and everything but we actually still have a lot of work-ons even from that first game. You're bound to be a bit rusty going out for the first game and especially with new girls coming in, there's caps and changes and stuff like that, so we have our couple of work-ons.”
Those areas have been addressed in training, with Blackrock also studying footage of UL Bohemian's opening fixture.
“We had a good video meeting last night and we went over some bits from the game, just some work-ons, and then we had a look at Bohs and their last game and everything” Boylan explained.
“So we were just getting ourselves sussed out now for the weekend, so we're looking forward to it all right.”
The focus is on improving their accuracy and decision-making, rather than allowing the emotion of last season's final to dominate preparations.
“We're just trying to be as clinical as possible in our training and narrow down in our detail,” Boylan said. But still, we're only at the second game of the season. It's a long season yet.
We always just happen to meet Bohs very early on in the season.”
Blackrock also faced UL Bohemian early in the previous campaign, producing an encouraging opening half before the champions took control after the interval to take the 21-12 win in the opening round meeting in Stradbrook last term.
“It was the same last year as well where we lost out to them” she recalled.
“We had a really good first half but lost out to them then in the second half. A lot of positives to take from that one as well.”
Those experiences have reinforced the importance of maintaining standards throughout the full contest.
Blackrock have shown they can compete with UL Bohemian, but the champions possess the experience and resilience to punish even brief lapses.
For Boylan, returning to another All-Ireland League final last season carried considerable personal significance.
It was her first final appearance since early 2022, when Blackrock were beaten by Railway Union.
She came off the bench that afternoon, but injury prevented her from taking part when Blackrock faced Railway again in December 2022 and secured the title.
Instead, she watched from the stands.
“I had played in a final in 2022 where we'd lost against Railway and I think I came off the bench that day onto the field” she said.
“That was a close enough game as well, but a few months later the girls won and I missed out on it. I was in the stands watching of course, but they had an outrageous team that day.
“I don't think losing was an option for them that day, some of the names that they had are girls obviously now that have moved on or gone to England.”
Reaching last season's final therefore meant a great deal, particularly after Blackrock overcame Railway Union in the semi-final.
It was a victory that ended a difficult sequence against familiar opposition and gave the squad enormous belief.
“I think it was really special to be back” Boylan said.
“We hadn't beaten a Railway side since that final then as well, since 2022, so even beating them in the semi-final last year was a big up for us. We were delighted with ourselves. We were so proud of ourselves. I guess it really fed us on into that momentum into the final.”
Although the eventual result was painful, Boylan acknowledges the qualities that have made UL Bohemian such formidable opponents.
“Obviously still the result was unfortunate, but Bohs have shown in the last three years that they can pull something out of the bag” she said.
“It doesn't look like it's going their way and they will somehow find a way to pull it out of the bag. Hopefully, I'm trying not to think too far ahead, but it'd be nice if we could do something about it this year.
We'll wait and see, see how this weekend goes first.”
One of Blackrock's greatest strengths heading into the new campaign is the depth of their squad.
Competition for places has increased, with players progressing from the club's Leinster League side and new arrivals adding further quality.
For established players such as Boylan, it creates an environment where standards must remain high.
“We have so much depth and there's fighting for positions” she said.
“You'd be conscious of new girls coming in and where they're playing and you're always kind of wanting to know, I suppose, is your position going to be up for a threat.
“It's great to have that competitiveness though as well. You love that because that pushes you on and drives you on in training.”
That competition has also strengthened the connections within the squad.
Blackrock's backline contains several players who have spent years playing together, developing an understanding that allows them to anticipate each other's decisions.
“Us as a backline can't talk for the forwards, but I know that they're very well gelled and they all know each other inside out” Boylan explained.
“But us as a backline as well, we all know almost how each other think because we've played together, a lot of us, a good few years now.
“So we're just pretty well gelled and it's so good to have the depth from the girls from the Leinster League team coming up as well.”
O'Toole's contribution in the final was a perfect example of that depth.
Although her late try did not ultimately prove decisive, Boylan believes it remains an important moment for the player and the squad.
“Even Jillian on the day as well getting on to the team and coming on and scoring a try” she said.
“Looking at it, she could have had the winning try that day and that would have been unreal to have her coming up. What a confidence boost that'd be as well. It still is a confidence boost.
I know that it wasn't the winning try but it was still a try that we needed, and stood to us so much.”
The commitment shown by the wider squad has also been encouraging.
Despite difficult weather conditions during recent training sessions, numbers have remained consistently high.
“Grateful for the numbers that we have down at training and the want to be there” Boylan said.
“Even in the last two weeks it's been miserable when we've been training, it's been lashing rain, but we have gotten about 30 girls if not more at training both days. Everyone there and spirits are high and the vibe is good.”
For Boylan, that togetherness is what makes representing Blackrock so special.
Beyond the competition for places and the pursuit of trophies, she values the sense of belonging and support that exists within the squad.
“It's the one I suppose I feel the most comfortable putting on” she said of the Blackrock jersey.
“It's the one where I know all of these girls. If I make a mistake, if I drop anything or you get in your own head, more often than not, I suppose, if things go wrong on the field. I do find girls will be quite hard on themselves. I know myself I would be as well.
But you could make eye contact with any one of the girls on the team that would be on the field and they would just, like, you just calm down, take your breath, you're grand.
“Nobody cares if you make a mistake. We just want what we know you're capable of from you on the field.”
That confidence in one another gives players the freedom to express themselves and trust their instincts.
“It's such a feeling of comfort and safety, I suppose, that you know that these girls will back you doing anything” Boylan continued.
“Whatever decision you decide to make on the field, they will back you in that and try and make it work out for you.
“If you get to hit your ruck, if you make a rogue decision, which God knows I do as well.
“I love those girls, love my group. I'm very, very happy and very excited to take on the year again with them.”
That collective belief will be essential against a UL Bohemian side capable of causing problems in several areas.
Boylan is particularly conscious of the champions' kicking game and the physical threat posed by their forwards.
“They've kickers that can change anything in a minute” she said.
“And then with the forwards as well, they'd maul it anywhere in the field. So we just have to be ready for whatever they throw at us and back the work that we've done, and back us as a team and as a unit.”
For all the preparation Blackrock have undertaken, Boylan understands that Saturday's contest will ultimately be decided by how both teams react to the situations unfolding in front of them.
“All we can do now is, we can't even predict how it's going to go to be honest. You just don't know. You can obviously plan as much as you can and study their games and everything like that, but there's only so much looking at as you can do.
You just have to play ball at the end of the day and play what's in front of you.”
There is no shortage of motivation for Blackrock as they return to Annacotty.
They know what it feels like to win there, having done so in the final round of last season's regular campaign.
They also know the pain of coming within moments of defeating UL Bohemian when the title was at stake.
But Boylan is determined that this weekend will be about more than revisiting those memories.
The new campaign offers another opportunity to establish Blackrock among the leading contenders, and victory over the reigning champions would represent a significant early statement.
For a squad that began with an eight-try victory over Wicklow, there is confidence, momentum and considerable belief in what they can achieve.
Yet Boylan is not interested in making predictions about another final.
Her focus is on Saturday, on trusting her teammates and on delivering the kind of performance Blackrock know they are capable of producing.
“I back us completely and I know every other girl that you'd talk to would say the exact same,” she said.
“So it's just a matter of seeing what we can do now on Saturday.”
The heartbreak of last season's final may never entirely disappear.
But for Boylan and Blackrock, the opportunity to respond begins with another journey to Annacotty, another meeting with UL Bohemian and another chance to show they have what it takes to challenge the champions.
This time, they will be hoping the final whistle brings a very different feeling.
By Diarmuid Kearney
Additional Photography By Inpho & Ronan Ryan