*Cillian Brennan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
A MEMBER of the Clare senior football squad since 2016, Cillian Brennan is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming league and championship campaign with the county side.
Since preparations commenced for Clare back in November, the focus has been on the first round of Division 3 in the Allianz National Football League but there has also been a bounce within the set-up following Paul Madden’s appointment on a three-year term.
“There is great excitement. Manager Paul (Madden) is extremely organised. He has shown what he can achieve with Éire Óg and with his business. He has brought a lot of that skillset to the scene. He has a great team behind him and the players are really rowing in and looking forward to the year ahead”, commented Cillian.
He was speaking on Tuesday night after the squad concluded another training session at Caherlohan and before he and team mate Stephen Ryan headed back to Dublin where they both work. “There is great enthusiasm amongst players to play football for Clare. When the call comes from somebody like Paul, players respond. The aim of all involved is to leave Clare football in a better place”.
Ahead of Saturday’s league opener Cillian commented “January 24 has been on our minds for a while. We know the challenge that is ahead of us going to Newry to face a team like Down, it’ a challenge we have prepared hard for and put ourselves in the best position for the game”.
Continuing Cillian said “the target is to get up the ladder, the reality of the league is, and we have learned this, you have to take every game as it comes. We can’t afford to look too far ahead because you would get lost if you do that. The league is so competitive, it’s one of the most competitive groups and we have to focus on Down for now and once that is over we can look at round two. We must take it step by step”.
He went on “all of the teams in Division 3 have high ambitions. There is a huge huge carrot, trying to get into the top 16 for the All-Ireland championship and be playing at a higher level. It’s really important to get up to that standard and be playing at that standard consistently but you have to earn that right. You don’t always get what you deserve and might have to be a bit better than you need to be to get to there. We will put in the work to get to the best position possible”, the Clondegad clubman stated.
Cillian believes that “the enthusiasm and drive of the younger players coming in to the panel drives standards. They are all fighting for the Clare jersey. Club football in Clare is strong and everyone can see that there are opportunities, Paul keeps a close eye on football around Clare/ There are a number of players who have worked extremely hard in recent weeks who may not have made the panel but they are going back to their clubs with a huge amount of work done which will drive standards further”.
He went on to say “there is an awful lot of work going on with the development squads and it is important for us at senior level to lead the way and keep the appeal for the younger players to be coming to a higher level of football. The level of work required and the amount of personnel at inter county level is huge and no stone is being left unturned by Paul and his management team”.
Concluding he said “following the opening game in Newry on Saturday, games will come thick and fast. Once Christmas is over time really does fly. It is important to get the bodies right ad be in the best position possible. There will be injuries and knocks, it’s the nature of the game, It’s a very busy period but playing games and challenging yourselves against the best players is something players love. It’s great to be playing games at the higher level, it’s great to see lads playing with their colleges, to see players representing Clare and their clubs”.
