Scars remain from Cratloe’s three point county final defeat to Kilmurry Ibrickane last year but the two time champions are determined to make their most of their placing in the toughest group of them all will have them primed for a renewed attempt for honours.
Management: Colm Collins (manager), Fearghal Carroll (coach), Sean O’Dea (selector), Shane Markham (selector), Ger Crotty (physio)
Captain: TBC
Key Player: Podge Collins
One to Watch: Jack McInerney
Fresh Blood: Kevin Harnett
Players Gone: Conal O’Hanlon
Titles Won: Two
Most Recent Title: (2014)
Clare corner back Kevin Harnett will make his first appearance for Cratloe this weekend following his transfer from Meelick to Newmarket-on-Fergus earlier this year. The primary school teacher is living in Newmarket and can play for Cratloe as an isolated player.
While Harnett joins their ranks, Conal O’Hanlon has returned to his native club St Josephs in Louth. The forward had been a regular for Cratloe for three seasons having worked as an air traffic controller at Shannon Airport since 2015.
An abundance of niggles have to be manoeuvred past before Colm Collins can select a starting fifteen to take on Cooraclare in the opening round. The usual suspects of Podge Collins, Cathal McInerney, Sean Collins, Liam Markham, Conor McGrath, Diarmuid Ryan, Pierce DeLoughrey and Rian Considine are all expected to occupy key roles.
Collins is expecting a very stern test in Cusack Park, “Cooraclare have plenty of very talented players and a great tradition, there will be nothing between the two teams this weekend and I think that all of the games in the group will be extremely tight, I expect nothing less only a real tight game at the weekend. Hopefully if we play well we can come out on top”.
Reflecting on their county final defeat to Kilmurry Ibrickane which included the controversial denying of an O’Hanlon goal early in the second half. But for Collins, the display on the day was not sufficient to get their hands on the Jack Daly. He reflected, “We didn’t play well the day of the county final I thought, credit to Kilmurry Ibrickane they played better and deserved the win but when you get to a county final you have to perform, they aren’t handed out to you so you have to play at your best and I don’t think we were at our best on the day”.
Their presence in the danger group will make or break Cratloe, Collins felt. “It is a very good group, there is a lot of competition there but any progress in any championship depends on beating good teams. I’d much prefer to be in a group like this, I think there are some very good games and it doesn’t mean you’re going around the country looking for challenge games because you are getting really top quality games so I’d be happy out, there are three to come out of it which some people forget and if you’re not good enough to be in the top three then you don’t deserve to be progressing anyway”.
He continued, “It is great to be in a strong group and that all the matches are going to be really competitive, I’m looking forward to it. The key thing I think is the team that keeps all their starting team on the pitch or as many of them as possible are the team that’s going to win it, that would be my view but it is easier said than done because the compressed season brings a lot of challenges in that area”.
