*Jack Keating. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
KILMIHIL’s footballers believe they are good enough to mix it with the best in the county in the senior championship and they’re eager to show just that as the action kicks into gear.
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Kilmihil Fact File:
Management: Mickey Doran (manager), Eamon Donnelly (selector), John Normoyle (selector), Sean Johnson (selector), Shane McNamara (S&C).
Captain: Mikey Keating
Key player: Ciaran Downes
One to watch: Michael Cotter
Fresh blood: None
Departures Gate: Fionn Febbraro (emigrated), Gavin Downes (J1)
Treatment table: John Finucane (back)
Titles won: 2 (1944 with Cooraclare, 1980)
Last year’s run: Held onto their senior status beating Corofin in the relegation final.
Schedule of games:
Round 1 vs Lissycasey on Saturday July 19th in Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty at 16:00
Round 2 vs Ennistymon on Friday August 1st in Shanahan McNamara Memorial Park, Doonbeg at 19:00
Round 3 vs Doonbeg on Sunday August 17th in Cooraclare at 16:00
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 1
Heavy defeats to Lissycasey by fifteen points and Éire Óg by twenty three points marked a sobering start to last year’s championship for Kilmihil but they rallied with an improved showing where they lost to Kilmurry Ibrickane in the final round by eight points and then to Doonbeg by two in the relegation semi-final. When it mattered most, they delivered and overcame Corofin 1-6 0-4 to retain their status last September.
Prevailing in relegation finals can give a lift to a team the following year and Mickey Doran is hoping this comes to fruition for Kilmihil. “Throughout the league campaign I don’t think the lads lost belief that we were doing the right thing and that is stemming from how we finished last year and the belief that senior is where we belong, and proving that we do belong”.
That is among the key messaging that will be issued as they continue their preparations in St Michael’s Park for Saturday’s first round against Lissycasey. :It’s reinforcing the belief that this is where we belong. We don’t want to be in the same position as last year where we were clinging on to our status. The football ability is there within the panel so it is about bringing that to championship games and producing performances to show we are more than good enough to be playing senior”.
Doran enters his second year as manager, he has flagged cutting down on the concession of goals as a big area they must improve this season. They conceded seven green flags in their three group games in 2024. “I think senior is obviously different to intermediate and we were dealing with the step-up which was the biggest learning and facing teams that have been playing senior for a while. One of the biggest things we need to contend with was conceding goals and that has been something we’ve been working on”.
Heading into the championship, Kilmihil’s league form has been poor and they were relegated from the Garry Cup after failing to pick up a win in their seven games. “It was a disappointing league campaign, we didn’t play any game with the full-deck, we were missing two to three players for each game, with a small squad that has a big impact, it was disappointing but taking it the round when we are playing with our full squad we’ll be a different team”.
Ciaran Downes is their main man and Saturday will be his first competitive game for the club this year. Injury has disrupted his season with Clare but he’ll be leading the attack for Kilmihil this weekend. :He’s been training well, he had a good bit missed due to the nature of the injury there wasn’t much he could do except rehab, he was back in training with Clare before we got him back, he’s came back in good shape and looks after himself. Last year he came in off the back of a Clare campaign and with the Sigerson Cup before that too, it’s good to get him back fresher this year and he’ll be a handful for any defence once he gets going”.
Of their group opponents, Doonbeg are the most recent side to lift the Jack Daly following their 2010 success. Doran noted there is no easy game for them or anyone in the top tier. “It is a tough group, Lissycasey will fancy themselves to go far in this year’s championship, Ennistymon have been making the last four in the last couple of years and they’ll be looking towards the latter stages. Doonbeg are the most recent winners of the teams in our group and they are always difficult to face. There’s no easy game in the senior championship, we’ll be taking it one game at a time and reinforcing that we’re able to match those teams”.
