Ard Scoil Ris, Limerick will go into Saturday’s TUS Dr. Harty cup (Munster colleges senior A hurling) final as hot favourites with Clare men Cormac O’Donovan and Paul Flanagan part of their management.
They are chasing a sixth title in twelve years having won the prestigious crown for the first time in 2010 while their opponents, St Joseph’s Tulla appear in the final for the very first time.
Past victories will count for little this weekend, Ard Scoil coach, Cormac O’Donovan believed. “What we have won over the past ten to twelve years is not relevant. The team we are coaching will be appearing in their first Harty Cup final, just like Tulla. It’s fifteen v fifteen none of whom have any experience of playing in a Harty cup final. Look at what Tulla have done to get to the final. They have beaten De La Salle, St. Colmans who were the Dean Ryan champions two years ago and CBC from Cork who were hotly fancied for the title. They are a team that have come through hard battles”.
O’Donovan doesn’t need any introduction to Clare hurling followers. His name is forever written in the history of Clare GAA after he scored the winning point for the Banner county in the All-Ireland under 21 hurling final in 2009, the first time Clare won this championship. Together with his twin brother Domhnaill he has played all grades of hurling for Clare and he continues to be part of the Clonlara senior squad. “It’s all about enjoying my hurling at the moment and as long as I can do that I will continue to play”.
Together with fellow Ballyea’s Flanagan and Limerick’s Niall Moran, the trio are in their second season in charge of the Ard Scoil Harty cup squad. “I was part of the management team with the Dean Ryan panel for two years and during that time we were beaten in the final of that competition by St. Colman’s of Fermoy by a point”.
Now in his eighth year as a teacher at the school on the North Circular Road in Limerick, the prospect of facing a team from his native county cannot be easy. “Our job is to prepare a team to beat the opposition which just happens to be from Clare this time. As a Clareman it’s great to see Clare schools strong in this competition. St. Flannans were narrowly beaten earlier in the campaign. Hopefully the fact that Clare schools are doing well will filter into the county under 20 and then senior teams. Right now my loyalty is to the school where I work,” he told The Clare Echo.
O’Donovan is happy that “there is a strong Clare contingent in our panel here at Ard Scoil Ris this year” with players from Clonlara, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Broadford, Smith O’Briens and Newmarket-on-Fergus in the panel.
“Most pupils look forward to playing hurling for the school. When they come in as first years they aspire to play in the Harty Cup. There would be sixty or more first years training here every evening and credit must go to the effort put in by the coaches, they are so hard working and they give up of their time to create the opportunity for the pupils to play the game so a lot of thanks has to go to them for their work. The players get better and better as the year goes on. It’s a joy to see these lads turn into impressive athletes and we are all proud of that and the school is also very proud of its academic achievements,” Cormac added before heading off to put the finishing touches to their preparations for what promises to be very exciting final this Saturday.
