*Clare goalkeeper, Eibhear Quilligan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE GOALKEEPER, Eibhear Quilligan has said match-ups in Sunday’s senior hurling final are “going to be really intriguing” while pinpointing the middle third as the area where the game will be won and lost.
Ballyea and Éire Óg face off in the Clare SHC final on Sunday at 3pm in Cusack Park in what will be the first meeting between the sides in a senior final.
Quilligan lined out for Feakle in Friday’s Senior B final losing out 0-15 0-13 to Clonlara. In this year’s championship, the East Clare side didn’t clash with either Ballyea or Éire Óg but for the LIT graduate the top two teams are the ones left standing.
He told The Clare Echo, “They are probably the best two teams in the competition. How they play, their physicality and athleticism are the reasons they are there, they are the stand-out traits really. On Sunday, the middle third is going to be some fascinating watch, it’s where the game is going to be won. Both teams have good sets of scorers, Ballyea are playing Tony Kelly inside a good bit, Mossy Gavin was savage the last day with 0-06, Aaron Griffin is another scorer and then on the other side you’ve Shane O’Donnell, David Reidy and Danny Russell. Whoever can win the middle third and get the supply into their forward line will win the game”.
Shane O’Donnell’s form has been central to Éire Óg reaching the final for the first time since 2000 but he referred to the valuable role of Paul Flanagan within the Ballyea side. “The match-ups are going to be really intriguing. Shane O’Donnell and Paul Flanagan is going to be a huge one. Paul has had a year of all years, he has been unbelievable, if anyone is going to quieten Shane you’d fancy Paul to do it because he’s playing so well. If he is man marking it will be a different role for him because with Ballyea he has been building the play from the back, you’d imagine he’d be back on. That is a hard battle to call, Paul could have a super game and Shane could still score 1-03, you won’t limit him to nothing, you have to take it as a given he will do damage and try limit him as best you can”.
Éire Óg’s panel this year is much stronger, the 2020 All Star nominee felt. “We played Éire Óg last year and the year before in the senior championship, from seeing their games this year Matt Shannon and the management they seem to have it tactically spot on. The last day when Seadna Morey went back on Shane O’Donnell, they tried to move him around and then they moved Reidy in, every move they seem to make works, they don’t leave it late to make a switch they do it early. Éire Óg have built a squad which they didn’t have last year. Gavin Cooney is going to be playing around the middle third, he will probably be centre-forward roaming around with Jack Browne who likes to sit back as the opposing centre back, all those match-ups will decide the game. Éire Óg have got more from Cooney this year and from Oran Cahill since he went to wing-back, the lesser lights have stepped up and guys coming off the bench have been making a real impact which hasn’t been the case”.
How both Aaron Fitzgerald and Jack Browne react in their positions of centre-back will also be telling as to what the outcome is, Eibhear predicted. “The two centre backs, Jack and Aaron Fitzgerald will have a big say on who wins. The centre forwards, Pearse Lillis and Cooney will roam and be really busy, Pearse has brought a scoring threat that he hasn’t in other years and Cooney is the same, both centre-backs will have a decision to sit back or push up, if they push up both full-forward lines have serious potential to do damage, it’s stick or twist for both centre backs and a decision they have probably already made on whether they push up or not. Éire Óg play Aaron Fitz like a sweeper when they can to help the full-back line. Tony will probably start at full-forward and the same for SOD, if one team pushes up and leaves there then there can be serious damage done quickly. It’s setting up to stop the opposition players really and whoever does that best and limits space to the best threats of the opposing team will have a great chance”.
On who will come out on top, he said, “It’s a tough one to call, there’s no doubt about but Ballyea will perform. They have big game players all over the field, they will perform but I think if Éire Óg perform that they might shade it. There is maybe an odd question mark here or there because they haven’t been there before but I think maybe the football final last year and winning that will stand to Éire Óg, a lot of them would also have played in big inter-county games before, I think if Éire Óg perform they might just shade it”.
