*Callum Hassett was among the new additions to the Clooney/Quin side this season. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLOONEY/QUIN have laid the “foundations for a great development”, their senior coach has surmised following their exit from the race for the Canon Hamilton.
Finishing in top spot of Group 3 with wins over Scariff and Kilmaley before a final round loss to Éire Óg, Clooney/Quin advanced to a quarter-final tie with Ballyea where a second half surge from the county champions brought an end to their season.
Barry Corbett was part of the new Clooney/Quin management in place this year, headed up by Ennis native Tommy Corbett who is now an active member of the club.
Aspirations changed as the season progressed, Barry admitted. “If you look at it from the start of the year, our first instinct was to try and stay up so things have since developed into a great little journey over the past few weeks. It culminated with a really strong showing in the first half but class eventually told for Ballyea as they got that quick goal early in the second half and once they get in those positions, they have that big game experience to be able to keep their foot on your throat and finish the job”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Barry outlined his belief that their players would really benefit from their experience at senior level this season. “We’ve a young team and they’ll take an awful lot of learning from that game today. Ballyea are a really committed and hard-working side and that’s a lot of the image that we’d like to build ourselves into in terms of a really heavy work-rate and physicality. We’ve a lot of young players and they stood up today in harsh conditions so there are real green shoots for the future.
“We’d four or five waterboys there that were Clare minors this year so as we just said in the dress-ing rooms, what we have now are foundations for a great development in the future and that’s we looking to build on. We’re looking to create the structures and pathway for the top quality hurlers coming from our mi-nor club to prosper and really compete with the big boys in Clare,” he added.
