*Aaron Griffin and Liam Corry in action. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
GIVING game-time to younger players was the primary aim for Ballyea and Éire Óg in this year’s league but both clubs now find themselves sixty minutes away from winning the Division 2 league title.
Ballyea and Éire Óg meet on Friday in Gaelic Park, Ruan where Broadford’s Fergal O’Brien will commence proceedings at 19:00.
Promotion to the Clare Cup has already been achieved by the clubs but the prize of the RealPrint Division 2 hurling league title is on the line for them this weekend.
Winning promotion and developing the panel particularly by affording game-time to younger players was the chief focus for both managements.
“Our goal was to bed in young players and to get promoted. Players need to be playing in as high a level as possible so a primary objective in this campaign was to give exposure to as many players as possible”, explained Éire Óg manager Gerry O’Connor.
Darren Moroney and Rian Mulcahy are two of the players who have come into the Éire Óg line up in this campaign and both have impressed. It is the chance for the Ennis club to win a rare league double, on Sunday they claimed the Cusack Cup title (Division 1 football league) for only the second time.
Ballyea manager, Robbie Hogan outlined, “Our goal was to get out of the group and back up to Division 1 and that target has been achieved. We also wanted to give game time to a number of young players coming through and so far those objectives have been achieved”.
Both sides will be short a number of panellists for this Friday’s meeting due to injury and travel. Michael Heneghan and Eoin O’Regan picked up injuries in Éire Óg’s semi-final win over Whitegate while Luca and Marco Cleary, Jarlath Collins and Shane O’Donnell are unavailable as they are on holidays.
Amongst those on the injured list in the Ballyea camp are Peter Casey, Tadhg Ó hÚallacháin and Niall Deasy while Clare senior football captain Cillian Brennan is still recovering from the injury which saw him miss the closing games in Clare’s football championship. Tony Kelly is away and work commitments may rule James Murphy out of this one. Pearse Lillis and Morgan Garry have rejoined the panel having spent some time overseas and they are likely to see some game time this week.
Jack Browne, Paul Flanagan and team captain Gearoid O’Connell will lead the Ballyea challenge.
For Éire Óg experience is provided by Aaron Fitzgerald, David Reidy, Ciaran and Danny Russell.
“What we want is to get a good test and a game with big intensity prior to the championship”, O’Connor said and this was a view shared by Hogan.
Interestingly Ballyea and Éire Óg contest three adult finals this weekend. Ballyea face St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield in Division 7 on Saturday and Broadford provide the opposition in Division 4 on Sunday while Éire Óg will contest the Division 5 final on Saturday against Banner and the Division 8 final on Monday versus Broadford.
