*Ciaran Morrissey tries to get away from Kilmihil’s Sean Crowley. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Team-mates for Clare, the sizeable contingents from Kilmurry Ibrickane and Éire Óg won’t be short of inside knowledge this Sunday when they emerge from the opposition trenches or in the current climate, opposite sides of the stand or even cert-approved dressing rooms on Sunday.
Ciaran Morrissey’s meteoric rise of a first county title in 2016 to making his county senior debut three years later is a prime example of why Kilmurry Ibrickane have never let their grasp of the summit slip whereas Éire Óg are the latest usurpers attempting to knock them off their perch.
“It has been a great learning experience to be involved with Clare as you’re there with the best players in the county and there are plenty of those lining out for Éire Óg on Sunday so we’re well aware of the quality that they have and what they’re going to bring to the table on the day.
“We had a big battle with them last year in Cooraclare and we were very lucky to come out of that. Look, anytime that you come across Éire Óg in either league or championship, you know it’s going to be a ferocious battle. No more so than ourselves, they have a great spread of players on the county panel and therefore when you look down the list of backs, midfielders and forwards on both teams, there are a number of players that immediately stand out. So in that regard, the teams are evenly-matched so it’s just a case of which unit clicks better and implements their plan better on the day is going to be crucial”.
There has been a particularly insatiable thirst within Kilmurry Ibrickane over the past decade and beyond and it’s that determination to drive on and succeed that has meant that they have been able to overcome any potential roadblocks in their path this season according to spinal defender Morrissey.
“Like every other year, you have to rely on the depth of your panel. We have numerous guys that aren’t going to be there and obviously they’re a huge loss from last year but we haven’t really mentioned it. Instead, it’s just been heads down, keep working and keep driving on. I suppose you have to find solutions for problems every year so we’ve done that effectively so far and now we’ve one more solution to find for the next day.
“At the end of the day, every final that you play is an important game. It depends on the individual whether you carry nerves into it or take it in your stride. Ultimately it’s 65 or 66 minutes of football, be it a final or not, it’s a game that you want to win the same as every other day you go out to play. So I think we will prepare no different than how we normally do, we will pay Éire Óg their due respect and we’ll also focus on ourselves and try and build on things that were really good the last day and try and tidy up on a few issues as well. They bring a high level of intensity and that’s what we need to not only match but surpass if we can”.
