*Pat Taaffe. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
TUBBER are sixty minutes away from a return to the senior ranks, almost a decade on from their relegation in 2015.
There are no major injury concerns for Tubber ahead of Saturday’s intermediate hurling championship final but managing a squad which includes ten dual players who are also chasing football championship honours this year can be ‘a toll’ according to Tubber manager Pat Taaffe.
“While not all are on the starting teams (Tubber and Michael Cusacks who are through to the junior A football championship final), it takes a bit of work to handle both”, the manager said.
For the record the ten players involved in both panels are Domhnall McMahon, Pappy Taaffe, Joey and Cathal Droney, John Fawle, Diarmuid Tobin, Oisin and Sean McNamara, Joe Clancy and Aidan Forde.
Cusacks will take on Clarecastle in the junior A football final next week.
Reflecting on their final appearances in 2020, 2018 and 2019, the manager noted “we were senior for thirty nine years after winning the 1976 title. Look Wolfe Tones are the favourites, they are just after coming down from senior where they were a very good senior side for a long time during which they represented the county at Munster and All-Ireland levels. Their current team includes four players who won All-Ireland senior medals with Clare this year. It will be very hard for us to match that but we are there and all we can do is have a go”.
Reflecting on their win over Clarecastle who, along with Wolfe Tones, were seen as favourites for this championship, he noted “we had played three times in Corofin whereas Clarecastle hadn’t. They came to that game maybe thinking they would win. They missed a lot of chances on the day whereas we did well”.
Taaffe has no doubt as to the importance of the hurling club to the parish. “If you are not involved in the hurling club you are left out of everything. We don’t have a shop, we don’t have a parish priest and there is just one pub in the place. It’s a really small parish of just over five hundred people. Without help from Michael Cusacks and Ballyvaughan football clubs we would not be able to field a team at this level. Thankfully we receive great support from these areas and we get a fierce amount of good will from all of North Clare”.
Continuing the manager expressed delight at “the fierce amount of work going on at underage level with the Tubber tigers (under 10’s). When we go down to training on Tuesday evenings it’s great to see these young lads there and they love to meet the adult players who are really good with them and who will give time to them and this really helps. The Tubber Tigers will play in the mini game at half time on Saturday and this will certainly add to the occasion for the club and for our supporters”.
Concluding the manager says, “there is huge hype in the parish at present. We have gone further than was expected this year. It’s unbelievable for the parish that the team is contesting this final. We are a proud parish. It’s unbelievable to get to play in the park, our county grounds. We don’t get there too often and it’s another big boost for our club and parish that our Tubber Tigers will play at half time. The prize is huge on Saturday. One team will be going up to senior while the other will be in intermediate again next year. Playing at senior level is where all clubs want to be and the winners on Saturday will get to do that”.
