*Aidan McCarthy shrugs off Joe Dowling. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Opinions are divided amongst players and managers in Clare football as to who will be crowned Clare senior football champions for 2021 but all agree that the meeting of Éire Óg and title holders Kilmurry Ibrickane will be a close affair.
Clare senior captain and St. Josephs Miltown player, Eoin Cleary believes that much will hinge on the fitness of Gavin Cooney and Aidan McCarthy.
Éire Óg captain Cooney played no part in his club’s senior hurling semi-final loss to Inagh/Kilnamona on Saturday and it’s understood that he is battling to overcome a quad injury. Aidan McCarthy representing his home club Inagh/Kilnamona left the field in the final quarter of this semi-final because of a hamstring injury which also led to him being replaced the previous week in Kilmurry’s semi-final win over Lissycasey.
“If either Cooney or McCarthy loses out because of injury it will be a huge blow to their team. Cooney will take marking. His performances for Clare have been really good this year and he is really leading the line for Éire Óg. If he is ruled out it will be a big worry for Éire Óg. McCarthy is a real workhorse for Kilmurry and if he is absent it will represent a huge blow for the team”, Cleary surmised.
“It’s incredible what Kilmurry are doing giving the calibre of players that they are missing. Any club that loses two players of the calibre of Shane Hickey and Dermot Coughlan and are still in the running for the title, it shows why they are champions and you have to take your hat off to them,” the Clare captain commented.
Cleary believes that “the addition of Seanie Buckley as coach has been huge for Éire Óg who have a high quality of player available and I expect a very good final. St. Breckans were impressive when beating us and they were in position for a title shot but Éire Óg proved too strong for them”.
The Miltown man believes that weather conditions could play a big part in deciding this final. “The adverse conditions led to a lot of missed frees in the hurling last weekend. Freetakers will be important and in fairness to Keelan (Sexton) he has been outrageous this year. Experience is also important and Kilmurry have lots with Martin McMahon and Enda Coughlan key in this area”.
Sunday’s outcome will be influenced by the availability of the Éire Óg captain, Cleary said. “Gavin Cooney’s fitness is key. If he is fit then I think Eire Og will shade it, particularly if Aidan McCarthy is out for Kilmurry. Should Gavin Cooney be out, then I expect Kilmurry to get over the line”.
Lissycasey manager John Ryan believes that Kilmurry Ibrickane will be champions come Sunday evening. “Kilmurry improved with every game this year and they improved 70% from the Kilmihil game to the semi-final with us. They did to us what we wanted to do to them. They ran at us and we stepped off them”.
“Kilmurry are playing to a system and the addition of Mick Bohan to their backroom team has proved a huge asset. They have two very good freetakers. It’s down to small margins and Kilmurry are able to get those from their team. They know how to win and you can’t buy experience”, Limerick native Ryan outlined.
While he predicts a Kilmurry victory, he is not ruling out Éire Óg’s chances. “They are coached by Seanie Buckley who is a super coach. I worked with him in the academy in Limerick and I knew him as a player. He has brought a different mindset to the scene. He has Éire Óg playing the same style as Druncollogher -Broadford in Limerick. He has guided them to the final in his first season as coach and they will take stopping but I believe that Kilmurry’s greater experience will see them crowned champions”.
St. Breckans manager Donie Garrihy admits to being “bitterly disappointed to lose to Éire Óg in the semi-final and we are reflecting on that. It’s not how many times you lose but how many times you get up after losing. St. Breckans are 50 years old and great credit is due to them for always being pro active and full of energy”.
“I watched my nephew’s team Inagh-Kilnamona play against Éire Óg last weekend, a really enjoyable game. They picked holes in Éire Óg. I noticed that Gavin Cooney wasn’t playing. He is a top scorer for Éire Óg with Mark McInerney and Philip Talty. Take him out and it will be tough for Éire Óg,” the Doolin man felt.
Garrihy believes that “great credit is due to Paul Madden. In a dual club it’s not easy. There are two ways it can go after losing the semi-final. Circle the wagons and say lads this is our chance or they could be dejected. Paul Madden is full of energy. He runs a brilliant hotel at the Temple Gate and he won’t leave a stone unturned”.
Equally, he commended the efforts of Kilmurry Ibrickane. “In the Cusack cup, they found it hard to field teams. They were hit with terrible injuries to Dermot Coughlan and Shane Hickey. If two inter county players of that standard get injured in any other club in Clare, they could throw the toys out of the pram but not Aidan Moloney, Eric Murrihy or Kevin Sexton. They got in David Russell and they also got in Mick Bohan and also James Murrihy. None of these boys are losers, they are all winners. It just shows what extremes they will go to when getting Mick Bohan, a high profile coach, a guy who has been there. Great credit is due to them.
“They have been impressive and they have got the job done, fantastic free taking from Daryn Callinan and Keelan Sexton. I can’t remember them missing any. Fair play to Aidan Moloney for getting his team around him. The diamond inside there for me is James Murrihy. He is an amazing man, always thinking around the corner. They have got brilliant players. To say that they haven’t missed Dermot and Shane is just beyond me. Will there be more than a point in it. Éire Óg have a fine squad of players. We didn’t perform on the day but that is another question. This could go either way and I believe that there won’t be more than a point in it”, Garrihy concluded.
