*Éire Óg’s Darren O’Brien. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
QUARTER-FINALISTS for the last nine years, Éire Óg’s hurlers are eager to emulate the club’s football counterparts in their quest for championship glory.
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Éire Óg Factfile:
Management: Gerry O’Connor (manager), John Russell (selector), Ronan Keane (coach/selector), Liam Cronin (coach), Owen Tarrant (S&C).
Captain: David Reidy
Key player: Shane O’Donnell
One to watch: Darren Moroney
Fresh blood: Darren Moroney, Rian Mulcahy
Departures Gate: Gavin Cooney (abroad)
Treatment table: Michael Henegan (knee)
Titles won: 15 (1890 as Faughs, 1911 & 1941 as Ennis, 1911, 14, 1915, 1924, 1929, 1934 as Ennis Dalcassians, 1928 as Ennis/Clarecastle, 1956, 1957, 1966, 1980, 1982, 1990;
Last year’s run: Lost in the quarter final to Inagh/Kilnamona;
Championship power ranking: 8
Schedule of games:
Round 1 vs Newmarket-on-Fergus on Friday July 25th in Clarecastle at 19:00
Round 2 vs Wolfe Tones on Saturday August 9th in Fr Murphy Memorial Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus at 19:00
Round 3 vs Feakle on Sunday August 24th in Cusack Park at 14:00
The song says that “21 years is a mighty long time” and for Éire Óg hurling followers thirty five years seems an eternity. They last held the title of Clare senior hurling champions in 1990.
They have threatened in recent years to end that long wait since the Canon Hamilton trophy last spent the winter in the Clare capital. They are on most people’s short list of favourites for victory again this year.
“We are all playing to win the championship but right now we are looking no further than our first round meeting with Newmarket on Friday evening. It’s our ambition to get out of the group. There is no easy group in the championship and any of the sixteen teams competing for the title can win or be relegated. It’s that tight”, according to team manager Gerry O’Connor.
The former Clare senior boss who with Donal Moloney led Clare to Munster and All-Ireland under 20 success was quick to point out that the last time Eire Og played Newmarket “they beat us comprehensively. They are a very balanced and even team and they have had their team together all year. Unlike us, they didn’t have players with Clare and all of their players have been available to work exclusively with the club in preparation for the championship”.
Éire Óg who recently captured league honours and with it, promotion, played the league without a big number of players who were with Clare senior and under 20 hurling and football teams.
In team captain David Reidy along with Shane O’Donnell, the Ennis side has two of hurling’s leading players and Newmarket-on-Fergus will have to curb their contribution if they are to win this one.
The town side have a good mix of youth and experience with Ciaran Russell. Aaron Fitzgerald and Danny Russell providing valuable experience while Darren Moroney. Robert Loftus and Rian Mulcahy are young members of the panel who have been doing well this season
For any club with teams in both hurling and football championships, avoiding injury will be key to making progress to the latter stages.
“We have eight or nine players who are part of both senior panels and we will be keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t pick up any injuries. They will be playing every week for as long as we are in the race for both titles”, manager O’Connor added.
Former club players John Russell and Ronan Keane are members of his selection committee as is Liam Cronin who was part of the Limerick senior hurling backroom team this year.
This fixture promises to be a lively affair and it may well be that the scoring ability of Shane O’Donnell and David Reidy in particular will see the town side emerge with victory.
