*Corofin’s Kevin Keane. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
COROFIN are gearing up for a relegation battle on the double as they bid to consolidate their senior status in hurling and football.
An eight point loss to Feakle in the final round of the TUS Clare SHC confirmed that Corofin’s hurles would be in a relegation battle where they will meet St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield while their footballers were also winless in three group games and await the losers of Doonbeg and Kilmihil in the relegation final.
Although it was a sixth successive championship defeat at senior level for the club, Corofin manager Joe Cahill acknowledged that their showing against Feakle was their best performance in the Clare SHC to date. “We played our best game in the championship today. It was our best since we played Dromin-Atlacca in Corofin in the Munster club last November. Today we worked hard, we knew we were going to struggle to win, we were looking at the performance”.
There is a sense of frustration in that they are performing and showing well in training but this is not translating to match-day, he admitted. “There is a lot of good stuff going on in the training pitch that we are not bringing to game day. Today we got a lot of that going. We can use the excuse that we are down players but every club is down players and we are no different. We are immensely proud of our players and we have said that to them just now. We wanted to give our team a chance coming into the last quarter. We conceded a goal and that dampened our spirits a bit. We are very pleased with the performance”.
Battling qualities must be evident if they are to hold their status, Cahill insisted. “I know we are facing into a relegation contest with three other teams. At the start of the year the word on the ground was that we would be in that battle. In the last two games against Kilmaley and Cratloe, two excellent sides, we never showed the battling spirit we showed today and that’s the key and to bring that the next day will be important”.
He added, “For us the championship starts now, as we try and hold senior status. We are facing that on the double with the football as well but that’s what we are here for. We are in these battles and we have to try and come out at the right end. It’s going to be a battle whoever we meet the next day”.
