*Damien O’Loughlin fields the ball in the air from Robin Mounsey. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
DAMIEN O’LOUGHLIN has been a central player for Corofin’s hurlers and footballers, the captain is sixty minutes from leading the hurlers to join the footballers as a senior team.
On their march to the division 2 hurling league title earlier in the season, Corofin played their intermediate championship final opponents twice.
Reflecting on those games this week ahead of Saturday’s decider, Corofin captain Damien O’Loughlin said “they are one of the best teams we played this year and I am not surprised that they have come through to this championship final. They have a strong mix of youth and experience. We are facing a tough battle and we will need to produce our best performance of the year if we are to succeed”.
O’Loughlin acknowledged “this is a big one for us. I have been involved with the team at this level for a few years and we never reached the final until now. Our aim at the start of the season was to win promotion and we managed that in the league by winning our place in the Clare Cup for next season. We now want to complete the season by winning a place in senior ranks”.
Noting that “Sixmilebridge have players who have won senior championships in recent times and they are used to the big day”, he pointed out that “a lot of our players have played football at the top level and hopefully we can draw on that experience. There is aa big difference between league and championship. I expect that they (Sixmilebridge) will have a few extra players from when we played in the league”.
Referring to the fact that Corofin are a dual club he said “sometimes people say it’s a hindrance but when things are going well it’s great. It’s all we have done and, thankfully, it has never affected us. We are used to playing week on week”.
Corofin go into Saturday’s final on the back of their football team retaining senior status for 2024. “It’s a great boost to the club that the footballers have retained senior status and we want to be a senior hurling team. It would be great for the club to be competing at senior level in both codes. We have had three weeks now to focus on the hurling. Things have been managed well by both managements”, according to Damien.
Playing in Cusack Park isn’t a concern for the Corofin skipper, “most have played there. It’s a big field and hopefully we can make use of it on Saturday”.
Already sure of representing Clare in the upcoming Munster club championship, O’Loughlin says “we are not looking at that. Our focus is on Saturday’s final. We have always taken it one game at a time. We would play a football game on a Saturday, recover on a Sunday and then go straight into the other code. That has been our policy and it hasn’t changed”.
Captain Damien has no doubt but that his side will have a big following at Cusack Park on Saturday, “We have great followers and there was a big crowd at our semi-final. Excitement has been building around the parish all week ahead of what is expected to be a titanic battle”.
