*Mark Rodgers. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
SCARIFF’s continuous upward development graph has been a prime example of the benefits of a strong underage conveyor belt.
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Scariff Fact File:
Management: Donal Moloney (Manager); Conor McNamara, Ger Rodgers, Michael Long, Ross Horan (Coaches/Selectors); Ian O’Connor (S&C); Adrian Whelan (Physio); Shane Moroney (Kitman & Video); Kieran Jones (Stats); Padraig Brody (Water); Matthew Horan (Hurleys)
Captain: Mark Rodgers
Key Player: Mark Rodgers
One to Watch: Matthew Crotty
Fresh Blood: Donnacha Crotty, Matthew Crotty
Departure Gate: Daniel Treacy, Fergus Madden, Tomas McNamara (Abroad)
Treatment Table: Diarmaid McNamara
Titles Won: 5 (1907, ’17, ’46, ’52, ‘53)
Last season’s run: Quarter-Finalists
Schedule
Round 1 v Cratloe on Saturday July 26th in Glenomra Park Broadford at 18:00
Round 2 v Ballyea on Sunday August 10th in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg Ennis at 17:00
Round 3 v Kilmaley on Saturday August 23rd in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg Ennis at 19:00
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 7
From languishing at intermediate level for the latter part of the last decade to becoming a genuine Canon Hamilton contender a mere five years later, that remarkable meteoric rise is about to be vehemently tested in the coming weeks according to manager Donal Moloney.
“It’s been a season where we’ve had a lot of changes. A lot of personnel that we had in the last few years that we don’t have this year but it has given us the opportunity to bring new players through and given them the exposure. So that has been the plus for us so far because they have revelled in the experience. While the results haven’t always gone accordingly to plan, we gotlots of game-time into lads that previously would have been able to so that’s been great”.
Experienced players such as Tomas McNamara, Daniel Treacy and Fergus Madden are amongst those on their travels which means that the core of Scariff’s side are Under 23. “I think the club has done really well in bringing a lot of good players through the underage ranks in the last few years because maybe nine or ten years ago, Scariff mightn’t have been able to cope with the loss of so many lads so the club have done a wonderful job of nurturing talent and developing players through the Scariff/Ogonnelloe underage structure.
“I think it has allowed us to throw in lads that are young and quite inexperienced but it has turned out to be a positive and worthwhile exercise for a lot of those players so far. Our experienced guys are now mainly 22 or 23 and then we have great servants like Michael Scanlan and Diarmaid Nash who have given outstanding service to Scariff”.
Winning the Intermediate title in 2020, it took only two years to find their feet back at senior level before qualifying from a five team ‘Group of Death’ in 2023 on their way to a semi-final. Twelve months later, they replicated that group feat and came within touching distance of emulating the previous year’s achievement.
Such advancements have understanding instilled confidence in the group. “It has and I think they showed their quality in both years. The knock-out stages have proven a step too far ultimately but we’re constantly looking for improvement in players and the development of players so I think they’ve gained massive experience from some of those games over the past few years. Unfortunately we’ve lost a few of them but that’s all part of the learning process and I think the young guys that will come in this year will give a good account of themselves as well”.
So is revenge an understandable motivation as they resume their senior championship bid against a Cratloe side that dumped them out of last year’s equivalent by the bare minimum.
“There wouldn’t be a huge rivalry between Scariff and Cratloe because they wouldn’t have predominantly been in the same division for the best part of the last 15 years. I think for Scariff, developing healthy rivalries with some of these clubs is going to be very, very important. We had Inagh/Kilnamona for the last two years and we had great clashes with them so now it’s our turn with Cratloe and obviously we’ve met Ballyea and Kilmaley as well two years ago as well so we’re happy to keep developing these healthy rivalries as that’s what championship is all about really, to get the very best out of yourselves.
“It’s very competitive wherever you look in this group. Cratloe were very good last year and it was very tight as well in the semi-final against Feakle. To be honest it was very marginal so they could have easily been contesting a county final while Ballyea looked to be a bit rejuvenated this year while Kilmaley are always there-or-thereabouts in terms of topping groups in the championship so it’s a very competitive group but equally something to really look forward to.
“At the end of the day, you have to have that bit of bite, that desire to win and get one back or whatever so we’re looking forward to Saturday. Scariff have been down enough at intermediate and maybe not competitive at senior for long periods before that so it’s really, really important for the club and for the parish that we’re competitive at senior now and people have something to look forward to when they go and watch Scariff”.
