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*Inagh/Kilnamona’s Aidan McCarthy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
AIDAN MCCARTHY has insisted the Munster club campaign is far from bonus territory for an Inagh/Kilnamona outfit determined to prove they can match any side they are facing in the provincial championship.
Fresh from winning a first Clare SHC, Inagh/Kilnamona were full value for their victory when overcoming Glen Rovers 1-21 1-14 in Páirc Uí Rinn on Sunday to set up a Cusack Park semi-final showdown with Thurles Sarsfields on November 15th.
Speaking on Sunday after Inagh/Kilnamona maintained a seven game unbeaten run, Aidan commented, “There is a lot of talk about this bonus territory, I don’t think it is bonus territory when you are a Clare team going out in the Munster championship then you want to win whether it is club or county. This talk about bonus territory, I don’t believe in it, there’s players in the dressing room that are plenty good enough to win in Munster, today we showed we are good enough to mix with any team in Munster, we’ve the Tipp champions next so we’ll focus on them for the next two weeks and see what comes of it”.
His exploits for the club, the latest outing seeing him hit 0-14, are certainly putting the pressure on Clare manager Brian Lohan to bring McCarthy back onto the county panel. Aidan remains hopeful that he will be brought back to Clare after missing out on their entire year. “That’s your goal to play well for your club and then hopefully be picked for your county. I played for the county down through the years as well, I wasn’t there last year, but hopefully I’ll be there next year”.
Embracing the chances at their dispoal has been the mindset of Inagh/Kilnamona, the 2024 All-Ireland winner said. “There was no pressure from anyone today or lads coming down on the bus, there was laughing and joking like it was another day out. We’re in a semi-final the next day against Thurles Sarsfields, we don’t know what they are like either, we had only seen the Glen’s county final, it is a new lease of life for our lads because all we want to do is go back training in Kilnamona on Tuesday night, that was our goal, it’s not about next game, it is about getting back in training because we love going to training with these lads, it is unreal every night, the memories we have and are making this year is incredible”.
Workrate from Inagh/Kilnamona is reaping the rewards, he felt. “We were falling short in the club championship in Clare, we were still a good team but we weren’t getting the last ten or fifteen minutes in and getting over the line, this year we have and especially this year we have a panel of players which is excellent, the lads that came off the bench today put scores on the board which is what you need, the year has been about hard work and now it is paying off”.
Players are helping each other out all over the field by giving every last drop, the AIB employee noted. “Our backs have been unreal all year, from the first game against Ballyea to today, our backs and midfielders, the work they put in and the pressure they put on, even our forwards the pressure we put on makes the job for the backs easier, it makes them go to the ball with a bit more freedom, they can go attack the ball instead of worrying about the man beside him. The work all around the field, Call (Mark Callinan) and Seánie (Seán Rynne), the work they put in is trojan, you think they’re going to get tired and be coming off but they are going for the full sixty every day out, it is unreal”.
As soon as Inagh/Kilnamona returned to training after beating neighbours Kilmaley in the Clare SHC final, it was evident that they were eager to make their mark in Munster, McCarthy outlined. “The Friday night after the game, we were back training Friday and Saturday after the county final. We had our celebration, it was unreal, the whole parish was gone wrong for a few days but we were delighted to get over the line, we said we would focus on Munster club, it is something we’ve never been in before and said there was no point going down and just going through the motions and being knocked out straight away, we wanted to put in a good honest effort, represent our club and our families most of all, represent Clare as best we could”.
He continued, “We thought it was going to be on in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, it was scheduled for today but it doesn’t matter because a field is a field, there’s four white lines and two goals at the end of it, we would play below in the backyard if we had to. We’re delighted to get over the line, Glen Rovers came back at us in the second half and really pushed us all the way, they had it back to four points, Hoggy (Patrick Horgan) got the goal before half time which really put pressure on us going in. Our lads stood up in the second half when we needed them”.
Returning to Cusack Park in a fortnight will see them have a bigger backing, he hoped. “We might have a bigger Clare crowd the next day, we heard the roars and boos there in the second half, to have a home game in the Park the next day is going to be regret”.
