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*James Hegarty takes on Mikey O’Neill. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CONSISTENT all season, James Hegarty continues to show experience beyond his years and had a big hand to play in Inagh/Kilnamona winning the Clare SHC for the first time.
Thrown into the starting fifteen in his debut season three years ago, the championship winning season marked his first year at centre back for the club’s seniors and as he did that at schools, underage and inter-county level he shone in his familiar spot.
His return from a hamstring injury led to improved showings for Clare’s U20 hurlers this season. The Munster semi-final win over Cork was his first start at the beginning of May, when James settled into the side, the performances improved with Munster and All-Ireland titles secured by Terence Fahy’s side.
What’s rare is wonderful was the philosophy of the centre back when toasting an unprecedented year of success. “We couldn’t ask for a better year, that is hurling, you have good days but you also have bad days, you have to stay positive with the good days and celebrate while you are winning because it doesn’t come around too often”.
Playing a pivotal part in senior success for Inagh/Kilnamona has been a dream, James admitted. “It was unreal when the final whistle blew I actually couldn’t get over it that we had actually won it, you dream as a young lad of winning something with your club but to win it like that too was just unreal, Fred with the goal in the last couple of minutes really sealed it”.
Composed in possession, James mopped up possession when Keith White broke ball off Conor Cleary, as he tends to do Hegarty moved the ball to the right man and helped create attacks all the way from defence. “We kept to the plan, Kilmaley are an exceptional team, they put some pressure on us all over the field, it was hard to get scores off them like. We knew if we stuck to the plan that we would have had a chance of winning, thankfully we pulled through”.
Before the match, Inagh/Kilnamona were dealt a blow when James’ older brother Conner a lively forward and Harty Cup winner with St Flannan’s College was ruled out with a hamstring injury. “He planned on playing all week, he had damage done to the hamstring and we knew he wasn’t going to start because he could feel something was wrong, I was disappointed for him but the subs whoever comes on every day has been unreal, we have subs so we didn’t worry too much”.
Five years ago when Inagh/Kilnamona lost the 2021 decider to Ballyea, James had a different vantage point. “I was behind the goals for the last county final in 2021, I remember how sickening that was losing to Ballyea that year, you are expected to get back then again but it is so hard to get back to another final that is the problem, when you’re in a final you always have a chance of winning, it is hard to back it up”.
