*Colm Collins. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
NEVER HAS A MUNSTER quarter-final been as important for Clare’s footballers as this Sunday’s showdown with Cork in Cusack Park.
Relegation from Division 2 of the Allianz National Football League means Clare must advance to a provincial final if they are to compete in the All-Ireland senior football championship this year. The alternative is that the Banner will be lining out in the Tailteann Cup and would mark a year of regression for the 2022 All-Ireland quarter-finalists.
He’s the longest serving inter-county manager in the game with Colm Collins approaching his tenth championship campaign patrolling the sideline for the county’s senior footballers. “I never thought I would be here for ten of them, that’s for sure,” Collins admitted to The Clare Echo.
“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s an ideal opportunity to put the league to bed and to put it to bed quickly, we’d be very disappointed with the way we finished in that and obviously disappointed to go down a division but it’s a tremendous opportunity to get back on the horse and get a really good performance and hopefully get rid of all the bad feeling we have after the league”.
It’s only a fortnight since Clare’s last league outing, a comprehensive win over Limerick, which means they haven’t had much time to majorly alter their approach but it has also reduced the amount of focus on their relegation. “I always go with what the players like, from a management point of view you would have preferred a bit more time but players seem to like the fact that we’re going into this two weeks later so if the players like it there must be something right about it. You don’t get time to be feeling sorry for yourself, you just get on with it, nobody will remember what position you were in the league if you win your Munster championship first round and you’re in a semi-final then, that is the important thing and it’s great to be looking forward to it”.
Collins continued, “It’s a results game, while you would be consoled looking back at the video and that we played good football, it’s very important to get results, nothing crystallises that as much as the championship because it is a straight win or lose situation, we’re very much focused in on getting things right but on getting the result and driving things home and not letting anybody off the hook”.
Ordinarily the narrative prior to the commencement of the Munster SFC from a Clare perspective would argue that the provincial series has become stale but it has taken on a new meaning this year with Collins’ side reliant on recording wins against Cork and Limerick to book a final spot and their place in the All-Ireland championship. “The stakes are high for us, that’s what is at stake for us, we’d all dearly love to be playing in the All-Ireland championship so we’ll be giving it everything,” the Cratloe man noted.
Battling and beating Cork in the middle of the field is going to be a crucial sector in Sunday’s quarter-final. He said, “It is absolutely vital in every single game that the battle is won there, getting in there winning the dirty ball and winning the breaks, it lays down a marker that the team which is most eager for that kind of work is usually the team that wins it, our boys know that well and we’ll be hoping that we can win that battle”.
By perfecting the simple things Clare will put themselves in a strong position to take down the Leesiders, he believed. “It’s the old thing, you can keep your own kickouts, get your hands on as much as possible of the opposition’s kickout, keep possession and not give it away cheaply while at the same time playing with a bit of spirit and not be too cautious, we’ve made that mistake in the past, keep ball and then at the other end of the pitch putting pressure on their kickers, getting blocks in and the guy in the correct position gets the shot off, it’s basic stuff, every team is concentrating on that. It is very important, the simple things, the actual nuts and bolts, do the simple things right and you’re putting yourself in a great position to win the match”.
As has been a constant trend in Collins’ tenure, he shook up the backroom team and management over the winter months. Brian Carson has returned as head coach and Micheál Cahill who previously was strength and conditioning coach under Mick O’Dwyer rejoined the setup with former county goalkeeper Joe Hayes and ex Down coach added to the ticket as goalkeeper coach and assistant coach. Gerry McGowan (coach), Rob Mulcahy (S&C) and Declan O’Keeffe (goalkeeper coach) exited their respective roles while Declan Downes and Enda Coughlan continue as selectors.
On the new and not so new additions, Colm remarked, “They are all really excellent people, Micheál Cahill was here before and we know how good he is, Brian was here before and we know how good he is, Joe has an excellent enthusiasm, he is really good at his job, he’s been a fantastic influence around the place in the sense that if there’s any devilment to be had then he’s probably at the bottom of it, Mark Doran has been a lovely addition, a really good guy who is totally enthusiastic about football, he doesn’t pull any punches, we’re delighted with our backroom team and hopefully we’re giving the players every chance to succeed”.
“Often at times you’d be saying players not making a 26 or not getting game time may miss out but they are getting exposed to really good coaching, they’ll all go back to their clubs at the end of the year hopefully as a way better player than they were at the start of the year, hopefully they can bring whatever knowledge they’ve got here to their club and make the players around them better. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to bed into a county setup but we’ve got a really good panel and I’m very happy with everybody on it”.
Lissycasey native Hayes is credit by the manager for the introduction of a new zonal running system within their own defence for Stephen Ryan’s kickouts. “Joe has done a lot of work on this, we retained 100 percent of them against Limerick, hopefully we’ll do the same against Cork”.
Last year’s quarter-final saw Clare defeated by Limerick in Cusack Park following penalties. Extra focus has been placed on the spot kicks at training with Collins insisting “we’ll be well prepared for penalties this time”. He added, “There’s a really hardcore of people who support us at every game and hopefully that will swell on Easter Sunday, we’ll let them welcome Cork to Cusack Park”.
Approaching his tenth championship campaign, the Kilmihil native remains as excited as ever. “It is a great privilege to be involved with such a fantastic bunch of people, backroom team, players and everybody, it is very enjoyable, I’m living the dream I suppose”.
That dream could become even sweeter come Sunday evening with a positive result or worse shift towards a nightmare.
