*O’Callaghans Mills goalkeeper, Killian Nugent. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
A STRONGER sense of camaraderie and togetherness has been evident within the O’Callaghans Mills squad as they stand sixty minutes from Munster glory.
Killian Nugent will line out between the posts for The Mills in TUS Gaelic Grounds this Saturday evening when they take on Tipperary’s Upperchurch-Drombane in the Munster intermediate club final.
It won’t be a first outing in The Gaelic Grounds for the netminder who was first choice goalkeeper for the Clare minors in 2016 and U20s in 2017 and 2018.
This year he was involved with the Ger O’Connell managed Clare minor hurlers, working closely alongside goalkeeper coach Denise Lynch. “I had played with the Clare minors and U20s myself having been there up along so you’re meeting new people, new young lads, new faces and in a coaching role it is different but it is really enjoyable”.
He found himself learning from the young goalkeepers as much as passing on tricks of the trade to them. “The three of them were great and Denise Lynch had done great work too, they are really willing to learn, their learning paid off when they got to the All-Ireland, like Leon (Talty) wasn’t even the goalkeeper at the start of the year but he improved immensely”.
With the Mills, Killian had been goalkeeper when they contested the Clare SHC final losing to neighbours Sixmilebridge. Subsequent seasons have not been as fruitful but there is a greater sense of unity among the panel in 2025 resulting in their immediate promotion back to the top tier, he felt. “It’s been fantastic, you wouldn’t think it that we’d be still training at the end of November, it’s nearly when it is time to go back to doing the pre-season, we’re hurling away. The village and the community is absolutely delighted so it is something to keep trying to drive on and make the winter a lot shorter”.
“A lot of lads are together, there’s big camaraderie, it is the winning feeling, when we are at senior our aim was nearly just to win one game but when we ended up in intermediate our aim was to win them all. It’s been a brilliant run, everyone has bought into it,” he told The Clare Echo.
With an unbeaten run in championship hurling this season, it has boosted their confidence. “The last day we were lucky enough, we were nine points up with ten minutes gone in the second half and they rolled off ten points with ten minutes to go. Our fitness is bringing us through a lot of games, there is no fear of that, our hurling has really come up, Seán has massive done work with us, as has everyone in the background”.
Unlike their championship ties in Clare, the Munster club sees them face off with less familiar hurlers, ignorance can be bliss, Killian noted. “When you see the position I’m playing in, I’d know all the top quality forwards in Clare, it is good when you don’t know them too because when they don’t do what you expect, I think the teams we don’t know about we nearly prepare better for”.
Employed by Newmarket-on-Fergus GAA as a schools hurling coach, the twenty seven year is thinking hurling day in day out. “It is enjoyable, I’m holding a hurley every day, it does help with your hurling to be coaching, I really enjoy it”.
Hype in Kilkishen and The Mills is something the players have learned to deal with since the county final, Nugent said. “We’re dealing with it since the county final which was a couple of months ago now, there’s no real difference, we’re well used it now, there will be no fear of us”.
