*Podge Collins. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CRATLOE are bringing a “never say die attitude” to the table and despite going massively under the radar they remain in the hunt for honours in both codes of the senior championship.
On Saturday, they sealed their place in the last four of the TUS Clare SHC when overcoming Scariff 2-15 2-14 while this coming weekend they will meet Lissycasey in the quarter-finals of the TUS Clare SFC.
They trailed by six points following twenty one minutes against Scariff having struggled for large parts of the opening half. Cratloe manager, John O’Gorman noted that their East Clare opponents dominated the first half, “we found it hard when they ran at us because they created overlaps but the penalty was a big score to get before half time because it brought the gap back down to two points so we said in the second half, we knew we really had to improve, the boys did, they stepped up and fought harder”.
O’Gorman added, “We’re into the last four, at the start of the year your aim is to get out of the group and we achieved that with our dramatic victory over Kilmaley, today was about taking it match and it was a county quarter-final, we said we wanted to be in the semi-final pot and we’re there now, thank God”.
Conor McGrath’s heroics in ensuring they won by three points in the final round of the group stages, they had to win by three points or more to advance, has put the side in a much stronger place. “It definitely gave us a great lift, you could see the joy it brought to the lads, it definitely gave us a lift, we had a never say die attitude and no matter what stage it is in the match never give up because it is always there for you”.
McGrath was their chief scorer again with seven points from play, substitute Daire Neville hit two points when introduced including one to put them ahead for only the second time in the game. “Daire is a young lad, he started against Corofin and is one of twenty to twenty two lads vying to get on the team which is brilliant to have at training”.
Part of those vying for a starting berth is All-Ireland winning Clare minor defender Eoin Carey, the Ard Scoil Rís student has been hindered from getting into the first fifteen due to a hamstring injury. “I think Eoin is nearly back to full fitness, it is just the competitiveness to get back into the first fifteen, everyone plays their part when they get in, Eoin will get his chance and when he gets it, he takes it every day”.
For the first time since the likes of McGrath, the Collins brothers, Cathal McInerney, Conor Ryan and Liam Markham were bursting on the scene, there is now a mix of youth and experience within their ranks, a familiarity with semi-finals may yet stand to the. “It is but I don’t know will it stand for much either, there’s older and young lads there, we have a good mix but on the day you have to turn up, hurl and perform”.
O’Gorman who was wing back on the Clare SHC winning Cratloe side of 2009 stressed that semi-finals are not about participation. “Our target was to get out of the group, once you get to the quarter-final the target then is to win it, there is no point being there without winning it and moving on, it will be the same approach in the semi-final, there’s no point being in it unless you’re going to go on and win it”.
