*Ian Macnamara of Feakle/Killanena. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
SATURDAY’s U21A hurling championship final will bring down the curtain on the domestic season in Clare and a mouthwatering contest is in store.
East Clare neighbours and rivals, Feakle/Killanena and Scariff/Ogonnelloe will clash in Saturday’s final in a tie that is expected to attract a large attendance to Dr Daly Park.
Feakle/Killanena go into Saturday’s decider as county champions and their opponents are Scariff/Ogonnelloe, their predecessors as title holders having won the crown in 2022.
Feakle/Killanena manager Francie O’Grady accepts that the side he managed to the title twelve months ago are carrying the favouries tag but he says “being the holders is a hard tag to carry and we are just focussing on getting a performance. Our approach all year has been one game at a time and we have had two massive battles to get to this final. Finals take on a life of their own and form goes out the window. It’s all on the day”.
While a number of the team were part of the Feakle senior team which won the Clare senior title, Francie stresses, “this is a different group of players. They are drawn from Feakle and Killanena and they have been playing together since they were under 12”.
As the champions put the finishing touches to their preparations there are concerns about the fitness of three players. Aaron Moloney, Patrick Daly and Ronan Keane haven’t trained since the team’s semi-final win over Inagh/Kilnamona. “A final decision on their fitness won’t be made until nearer match time”.
Adding to the interest in the game is the fact that many of the players from both teams have hurled together with Scariff Community College sides.
Scariff/Ogonnelloe have a five man backroom team comprising of Henry Vaughan, Rory Skelly, Aaron Fitzgerald Bradley, Ross Horan and Padraig Brody with Shane Moroney looking after video and stats.
There are a number of survivors from the title winning team of two years ago.
“We have a number of injury niggles as we prepare for the final. We had a tough battle in the semi-final last weekend and we have a few with muscle strains but, hopefully, come Saturday they will be ready”, selector Henry Vaughan told The Clare Echo.
“It’s an East Clare derby at an East Clare venue which should attact a big crowd and create a great buzz. East Clare hurling has been in the doldrums for a long time and it’s great to see good times coming around again, Tulla won the Harty Cup and Scariff Community College is going well on the hurling fields as well. A lot of the players who will be involved on Saturday have come through those schools. There is great work being done in all the schools and all East Clare clubs are doing well at this time,” Vaughan added.
Henry holds a similar view to opposition manager Francie O’Grady in that he believes “it will be all on the day. Players are training so much these days, they hardly get a break. We hope for a free flowing game of hurling on Saturday”.
Dr. Daly Park in Tulla hosts this final on Saturday when the throw in time is 13:30 with Whitegate’s John Bugler in charge.
