*Conall Ó hÁiniféin brings the ball forward. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Hurt of recent seasons not alone built character for the Éire Óg footballers but was also the foundation for the strong finish in Sunday’s county final victory, centre-back Conall Ó hÁiniféin maintained.
For a twenty three minute period in the second half of Sunday’s Clare SFC final, Éire Óg did not score allowing Kilmurry Ibrickane to cut the deficit to two points. However there was a big kick left in the Ennis side who kept the Bricks scoreless for the final fourteen minutes while tapping on three points, two via David Reidy and one from substitute Eimhin Courtney.
There was no doubt in Conall Ó hÁiniféin’s mind as to where the strong finish came from. “When the final whistle went there was just an outburst of emotion from everyone involved in the squad, you could sense the hurt we felt in the last three or four years going out at the quarter-final stage, getting the labels said about us that we weren’t mentally strong and all that stuff, it was pure and utter relief to put it to bed,
“The manner in which we did it was really pleasing, I thought we dominated the game, we let them back into it at the end but we finished strong when our backs were to the wall, that character was hard-earned, it was earned in Miltown in 2019, back in Cooraclare last year, against Ennistymon in Cusack Park in 2018, all those painful memories stood to us when it came down to the last five minutes”.
A Sigerson Cup winner with UCC in 2019 alongside Courtney, Conall said the belief always existed within the Éire Óg panel that were good enough to win the Jack Daly. “Ever since 2018 we’ve felt that we’ve been in the mix but for one reason or another we just haven’t managed to get over the line, we have matured in age profile, we have a bit of a settled team, all that helps but when our backs were to the wall we knew how to manage the game, I don’t think that would have happened two years ago, it was really pleasing”.
Not alone did the Ruan man act as the anchor of the Éire Óg defence but he also chipped in with their fifth score in the final, coming moments after Mark McInerney’s goal. “This year my role was a bit more reserved at centre back, I’m more of a natural wing back and would usually be going up the field more but when we had the likes of Éinne and Ciaran Russell bombing up the flanks it gave me a more defensive role but it was a good time to get my first score of the season in the county final”.
