*St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield hurling manager, Michael Guilfoyle. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ST JOSEPH’S DOORA/BAREFIELD manager Michael Guilfoyle had every reason to wear a big smile at the end of Saturday’s Munster club intermediate hurling quarter final at Cusack Park.
He had just witnessed his charges deliver an impressive display in which them showed the greater fitness and in which the players introduced during the course of the tie had made an impact.
“They threw everything at us in the first half when we were playing against the breeze. Their honesty and their enthusiasm rattled us early on. We gave away some scores from turnovers and that was something we wanted to correct for the second half. We did that and we created the space and the legs helped us in the end as they did in the last game,” he said shortly after the final whistle.
For the second game in a row, the Feakle native believed it was the impact from their bench that made a significant difference. “These guys are chomping at the bit to get on and its getting harder to pick the team each day but that’s what the manager’s job is”.
He told The Clare Echo, “We knew what these lads (Causeway) would bring. Kilmoyley got to the All-Ireland final last year and they weren’t even in the shakeup in Kerry this year. These guys played their county final three months ago. It was hard to keep going for three months but I had checked and they had some challenge matches played. They were worthy champions down there. They are big physical men, bigger than I thought they were but our guys stood up in the second half when the pressure was on. I’m delighted to move forward another step”.
Doora/Barefield returned to training on the Thursday night after winning the Clare IHC title and then watched their U21 hurlers qualify for the championship quarter-final defeating Sixmilebridge.
“A few years ago in 2016 some of these lads let themselves down in the Gaelic Grounds against Monaleen. We told them to focus on today and that there is a prize at the end of it. We will be up for the next day and it would be great to get into the Gaelic Grounds again. It’s two weeks again. We will prepare now, get the bodies recovered. As I said it was a difficult job to pick the team for today and they made it more difficult as the match went on as the lads that came in did well”. It’s full steam ahead now for the next day”, he concluded.
