*Clonlara’s Micheál O’Loughlin. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
The wheel has come full circle for Micheál O’Loughlin since he last tasted a county senior final in Cusack Park.
Back in 2015 and ’16, O’Loughlin had already established himself on the team as a teenager and in contrast to the more experienced core that had now suffered three county final and four semi-final reverses since their sole crown in 2008, he felt that their chance at glory would come sooner rather than later.
“It was very disappointing to lose those finals in 2015 and ’16 but I remember at the time, the older players were stressing that these days don’t come around too often. But being still only 19 or 20 and being so used to contesting semi-finals and finals the whole time, I kind of let those comments go in one ear and out the other.
“It’s now seven years on from that final against Ballyea so I now know why they were referring to and it definitely given me the determination to grasp this opportunity”.
Such has been Clonlara’s misfortune that it almost seems as if there has been a curse placed upon them but thanks to a new exciting crop of young players taking on leadership roles O’Loughlin, who broke onto the team as a 17 yearly himself in 2013, feels that there is something special about the current squad.
“We were blessed with so many quality players in 2008 and ’09. I can recall a Munster Championship game that there were five Clonlara players eventually starting for Clare but it just never manifested into winning another county championship. I suppose for so long there were so many players involved with Clare that people were automatically questioning why Clonlara aren’t winning more but by 2015, a lot of those unbelievable servants had dwindled away for one reason or another and there was almost a fresh team that got to two more finals but still couldn’t get over the line.
“Then there was another transition because we ended up in a relegation play-off before rebuilding in the Senior B in the last few years. Initially we were disappointed to be there but it actually turned out to be a bit of a blessing because so many of the Minor A winning team of 2018 got valuable game-time in a competitive atmosphere. Genuinely, there were a few evenings there training for the senior B last year that I got some feeling this was a little bit different to previous years.
“It’s easy go to training when things are going well but we seemed to pull together better in that time when we were training for those Senior B’s. It was almost a bonding experience that we’re all in this plight together so let’s make the most out of it.
“Eddie Horgan and then Donal [Madden] were excellent too in keeping us motivated and building things and in reality, it’s unlikely that in the proper senior championship, those young players wouldn’t have gotten so much game-time.”
It was certainly the path less travelled as while most teams dismissed the Senior B when being knocked out of the Canon Hamilton race, Clonlara not only embraced it but actually secured three titles in a row despite becoming a bit of a stigma. “There was a lot of slagging going on about it. In the dressing last year, John [Conlon] mentioned that someone had asked him ‘was the drive for five of Senior B’s on?’
“There were some serious words spoken after we had brought back the Senior B for a third time last year. There’s no doubt that it stood to us as it would have been just as easy to down tools and not take the competition seriously. However, the attitude of the players was that the management had put in so much effort that it wasn’t fair to them when it came to the Senior B to completely down tools.
“Around Clonlara at the time, the general feeling was that the Senior B was rather worthless but on reflection now, how much did all those young players grow into the role as senior players? I mean I think there are eight or nine players under the age of 22 on the team at the moment so I think that speaks for itself.
“And it wasn’t just the young players either, I mean Ger Powell told me after the semi-final that this was the first year that he had started back-to-back senior championship matches and he is 29 or 30. So this didn’t happen overnight, we struggled in the Clare Cup this year in the first four or five games. But again that was the foundation of this team that emerged from that as my brother Paraic [O’Loughlin], Dylan [McMahon] and David {Fitzgerald] were put in as the half-back line and left there so it’s something that they have all grown into together.
“As a result, trust was placed on the team and players were given ample time to settle and build the belief that we had the players that could rattle it when it came to it.”
Beating Sixmilebridge in the second round in Cusack Park was a turning point, the Mary Immaculate College graduate felt. “The Mills game the lads said was really tough but I distinctly remember the meeting before the ‘Bridge match. I was only back from travelling [to South East Asia] a day or two before that and I remember being inside in the huddle and getting the immediate feeling that these lads have honestly gone to a different level. I remember Eoin Meehan saying that this was our time to stand up.
“That stuck with me watching that ‘Bridge game because they had been an unbelievable team for the last decade or more and seemed to have had the same players that continued to keep winning. I have so much admiration for them because we always thought ‘how are these fellas back again this year’ or ‘when are they going to be gone’. So to beat them was a huge step for the development of this team and I don’t think we’ve looked back since.”
Now preparing for a first final in seven years, how is it different this time around? “Well for starters, I’m actually a veteran now at 27 so that just shows how young this team is. Looking at the team, John [Conlon], Ger [Powell], Colm [Galvin] and myself are probably the four oldest on the team so it’s kind of scary. I mean I look back on my first final in 2015 and at the time the Dunnys [Cormac and Domhnall O’Donovan] seemed so old and had been around forever but looking back now they were only around 26 or 27.
“That’s the same age as I am now so time doesn’t be long going by so again that hammers home the point about making the most of this opportunity. I think the young players have settled in so well and are now major leaders in the team. I mean Ian [Galvin] and John [Conlon] are going to get so much attention everyday they go out but it’s no surprise that others have stood up when they are being tightly marked. Aidan Moriarty was on the county senior panel last year, Colm O’Meara and Dylan McMahon had two or three years with the County Under 20’s as well as minor squads.
“Cian Moriarty always makes a difference even day he comes on while Diarmuid Stritch has been a huge addition this year and a complete breath of fresh air. So in reality, the more attention that Ian and John get the better maybe because it does give extra space for others to thrive.”
Sunday will be their second time meeting Crusheen in this year’s championship, having been comfortable winners in the third round to secure their status at top of the table in Group 2. “It is but it’s no surprise either that Crusheen have made it to the final too. Everyone has mentioned that their defeat to us changed their team but it was the same for us when we played them in the first game of the Clare Cup this year. It’s funny because that game became a catalyst for our year as we have consistently referred back to that game in how poorly our shape was and how poorly we played. I know it was the first day out but there was so much learning from that game for us and no better team than Crusheen to exploit the fact that you aren’t at one hundred per cent and drive on.
“I wouldn’t count the group stage match because it was a total blip for them. I suppose we just got on top early and they just never got into the game. Since then they have been transformed and have beaten Newmarket and Scariff, two teams like ourselves that were unbeaten so it’s going to be a completely different game in the final. They have so many experienced marquee players and the speed and work-rate of their forwards the last day was honestly just so impressive to watch. They have a load of players with one or two county medals so look, both sides will be confident and it will come down to which team performs better on the day.
So as a self-confessed veteran, will you be emphasising to the younger players about making the most of this opportunity?
“I don’t think so. I mean while I now know how precious this finals are, I don’t think I need to harp on about it to these young fellas because they are so mature and used to winning. For myself, I’m hoping to make it third and a half time lucky when it comes to count finals if you count the replay in 2016. I don’t know if I thought that my chance had gone but definitely I felt something brewing last year that has brought the hope back again that we can bring the trophy back to Clonlara”.
