*Newmarket-on-Fergus defender, Colin Guilfoyle. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
IT’s not quite on a Biddy Early scale but the ‘Clare Cup curse’ has been a strong feature since reverting to a pre-championship finish.
Much like Clare this year who used the boost of a National League title to catapult themselves to greater heights in the All-Ireland series, winning the Clare Cup should be a major shot-in-the-arm for the Canon Hamilton race but contrastingly since 2019, Clare Cup victors Kilmaley (twice), Feakle and O’Callaghan’s Mills have all fallen at the group stages.
Thankfully for Newmarket-on-Fergus, last month’s newest Clare Cup holders, manager James Carrig is a sceptic when it comes to this so-called hex and is determined to exorcise any Clare Cup ghosts this Saturday against Crusheen in their senior championship opener. “They say Clare Cup winners don’t do well when it comes to championship but that’s for those teams to look at themselves. We look at what we’ve done this year and from our perspective, the Clare Cup has been a positive thing. The aim at the start of the year was to try and strengthen the squad, get some game-time into fellas and see could we come up a level.
“We didn’t really go out to win a Clare Cup or anything like that, we just played every game as it was and sort of grew into it as the competition progressed. Winning it was good for confidence and good for a lot of younger fellas that had not won anything senior level. So it was a big thing for them and obviously winning breeds confidence and also there was an extra buzz coming back into training so overall it was great preparation for championship.
“Therefore we don’t look at it as a weight on our shoulders, our aim has always been geared towards the first round of the championship whether we won the Clare Cup or not so that’s all we’ve been talking about since the draw, coming with a performance and getting ourselves into the championship. In fairness, in the last few years, we have been good in the group, it’s just when we did progress, we either didn’t reset properly or just not perform on the bigger stage. For now, it’s just about taking every game as it comes and getting a performance against Crusheen on Saturday”.
Ghostbusting aside, sheer motivation definitely won’t be an issue following last year’s harrowing quarter-final exit to Crusheen as three first half goals devastatingly put the Blues to the sword.
“Crusheen turned up in that quarter-final with a point to prove,” admitted Carrig a former Crusheen manager himself who also led Wolfe Tones to Munster Intermediate glory in 2015.
“Having just scraped through the group, they were determined to prove themselves and duly came with a big performance and with us below-par the same day, we just couldn’t live with them in the first half. They got goals at crucial stages and it gave them a huge platform in the game that we were not able to claw back so it was very disappointing from our point of view but they were deserved winners on the day.
“They built on that victory then and went on to reach a county final which was great for them. I know from first hand experience that they have some very experienced leaders who have been around the block and have won county titles but they’ve brought through a lot of young players too in the last few years so they’re a very good side”.
In a fascinating Group 4 that also includes derbies with Sixmilebridge and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield, Newmarket’s championship ambitions will require an unflinching focus and discipline.
“In Clare it’s so competitive that in a lot of matches only small margins separate victory and defeat.
“So when the draw was made, you looked through the list and the thing that stood out most was that every team can beat each other there. Look, there’s a bit of rivalry with neighbours the ‘Bridge and a bit of rivalry with Crusheen as well as they beat us last year.
“So it’s an interesting group in that you have to be on your game every day or you’ll be beaten so it has really focused us now and I’m sure that whoever eventually comes out of this group will be well tested and definitely ready for their next opponents in the quarter-finals.”
Management: James Carrig (Manager); Alan Duggan, Cathal Fleming, Seamus Meehan, Pat Freeman (Selectors); Cathal O’Brien (S&C); Cepta O’Connor (Logistics)
Captain: Mikey McInerney
Key Player: Peter Power
One to Watch: Seán Arthur
Fresh Blood: Seán Arthur, Dylan Crowe, Liam Harkin, John Hogan, Eoghan McInerney, Aaron Moroney
Departure Gate: Enda Barrett
Treatment Table: None.
Titles Won: 23 (1912, 1916, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 2012)
Last season’s run: Topped their group with three straight wins over neighbours Cratloe, Clooney-Quin and Wolfe Tones before being emphatically halted by Crusheen at the last eight stage.
Schedule
Round 1 – v Crusheen at Ruan, Saturday 2pm
Round 2 – v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield (Weekend of August 23rd-25th)
Round 3 – v Sixmilebridge (Weekend of September 6-8th)
