*Crusheen’s Jamie Fitzgibbon. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
FORGING a winning start is vital for all teams beginning their Clare SHC campaign and for Crusheen they’ve turned to a management with history of success to guide their efforts.
At the start of the current season, Crusheen were finding it difficult to get a management for their senior hurling team.
After much debate the club executive which includes former manager Michael Browne put together a management team which includes Browne who managed the side to their two championship wins in 2010 and 2011.
He is joined by Pat Vaughan, Gearoid O’Donnell, Alan Tuohy and Cronan Dillon, all members of those title winning teams while Niall Griffin who was a selector with Browne in those memorable successes for the club is also part of this year’s set up.
Aidan Harte from nearby Gort, a member of the Galway senior panel for the past decade and part of the backroom team which steered St Joseph’s Tulla to Dr. Harty cup success last year is the team coach.
Speaking this week ahead of the team’s opening game in the 2023 championship, Browne noted “there are big changes now. All clubs seem to have lots of injuries this year. We played Kilmaley in a Clare Cup tie recently and there were more players on the sideline than on the pitch because of injury. There are a lot of hamstring and groin injuries. Are guys more prone to injury now”.
“For us to be talking about winning the championship is stupid. We have to take it a game at a time. Our first round opponents, Sixmilebridge, could have been in the county final last year. They played us in the Clare Cup and beat us well and that is an indicator of what we are facing this week. We hope to perform to the best of our ability. The challenge has to be to get the best performance possible from our players”, the former Clare senior selector said.
Browne believes that getting the members of the title winning teams into the management set up “is massive for the club. They were reluctant initially as they are all putting time into training and coaching the kids. Trying to keep the senior team alive and vibrant has to be important. Initially people were reluctant to get involved and nobody more so than myself. In a club you have to be all the time thinking of building”, he said.
“We wanted to get lads that have the know how involved They know what it is like to play at this level but to manage is a different thing”, Browne commented.
Injury has ruled long serving Cathal Dillon out of the squad for this Saturday’s clash with Sixmilebridge and while there are a number of injury worries, the expectation is that the remaining members of the panel will be available for selection for this eagerly awaited contest.
Former Clare captain Cian Dillon will again captain a club side that is expected to include Donal Tuohy, Jamie Fitzgibbon, Conor O’Donnell, Fergus Kennedy, Ross Hayes and Clare under 21 star Oisin O’Donnell.
Facing Sixmilebridge is never easy but Crusheen have prepared well under their new management team and it’s expected that they will make matters difficult for one of the competition’s favourites whom they face at Clarecastle on Saturday afternoon
Crusheen
Management Team: Michael Browne (manager), Paddy Vaughan, Gearoid O’Donnell, Alan Tuohy, Cronan Dillon (selectors), Niall Griffin (stats), Kieran O’Donnell (Stats); Pa McEvoy (S&C); Aidan Harte (Coach), Conor Stack (Physio) Tom Culligan (kitman);
Captain: Cian Dillon
Key Player: Cian Dillon
One to Watch: Murrough McMahon
Fresh Blood: Eoghan McMahon, John and Glen O’Sullivan, Cian Fogarty, Ronan Kearney.
Departure Gate: None
Titles won: 2
Last season’s run: Failed to get out of group, lost in senior B semi-final
Schedule:
Round 1 v Sixmilebridge
Round 2 v O’Callaghans Mills
Round 3 v Clonlara
