*Donal Madden. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLONLARA’s bid to win a first Clare SHC title since 2008 is spear-headed by one of their leading players from that day.
Donal Madden was freetaker of the Clonlara side who bridged an 89 year gap to win the Canon Hamilton when they defeated Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-12 1-9, he was their top scorer on the day finishing with 0-7 to his name.
Fifteen years on, Madden is now the manager as Clonlara aim to end a shorter wait for success.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, the principal of Newport College noted that spirits were very high in South-East Clare. “It is fantastic for everybody, the young, the old, small kids and big kids, real old people that feel like young kids now, it is absolutely amazing, it tells you the power of the GAA and what it does, to see happy faces on people is just immense, I don’t think there is any other organisation and obviously I’m clearly biased but I don’t think there is any other organisation that can do that for people, I’m sure it is the same for Crusheen and good luck to them but it is really special for us”.
On the sideline, Tulla native Donal will face off with Michael Browne, a man who coached him at club level and the duo were also part of the management of the Tulla intermediates in 2020 spearheaded by Ray McInerney. “We know we have an almighty battle ahead of us against a really well-drilled and well coached team, I’d know their manager really well and would have huge respect for him, he coached me in my last year playing for Tulla and I’d be very close with his son-in-law, he is a fantastic man and I mean that outside of hurling, they will be seriously well prepared but we’re looking forward to it”.
Altering the culture of Clonlara has been the big focus for Donal who is in his second year as manager of their senior side. It’s why he is very pleased to see their flagship side putting the club in such a positive light. “You have to embrace these things, we enjoyed ourselves after the Feakle game and the Éire Óg game but we parked it within twenty four hours and we’re getting ready again, what is all the training for? We went back training in November and what is it all for if you can’t relax, enjoy it and embrace these things, it is beyond our wildest dreams to be in the county final and that is one hundred percent genuine. I’ve said many times that our biggest fear this year was the dreaded relegation, that is all we focused on from the outset so if that is the fear then everything else is a celebration so therefore you’ve got to go and celebrate it. We will go to Cusack Park, I’m confident we will perform and whatever the result is we will celebrate that too because it has been a very successful year for us as a club”.
He continued, “We’ve got to be focused, we’ve to enjoy this stuff so for this week with the media attention the guys get to feel like inter-county players, John and Ian are dealing with this every day of the week but your average punter in the club doesn’t get this, whoever wants to interview me or the lesser lights it is fantastic for them and they feel important for the week and that is to be embraced so that is why I feel it is important to do these things and promote our club in a positive light”.
Unbeaten in this year’s campaign, Donal flagged that they have been preparing since November and commended all involved in his management which includes Niall Hogan a selector from 2008 and Ger O’Connell who was the team’s championship winning goalkeeper. “I’ve a tiny part to play, we have a fantastic set-up and management, we have an extensive backroom team and everyone has a role to play. One of the coaches looks after the defence and the footwork, he is doing an extraordinary job, we can see that, we have our roles and our duties as a management team no more than the players have their roles, I’d be very proud of the work that the guys do in training and it has been implemented on the pitch and we can see improvements in those particular areas”.
Giving an insight into their review process following each game, Donal explained, “we’ve certain KPIs that we look at and what does a good performance mean for Clonlara in terms of the way we represent ourselves as a team from a management to players, starting with everybody to how we behaved on the field and we’ve key barometres as to what that looks like in a performance for us. We didn’t tick all the boxes against Éire Óg or Feakle, the performance the last day will not be enough to beat Crusheen”.
Their third round game and the bearings it may have on Sunday are quickly discounted by the former Clare minor hurler. “There’s tapes from years gone by that people are looking at to get an extra edge, they are putting the same level of analysis into it. That (third round game) is years apart, Crusheen were not at their maximum on that particular day and they have admitted that in numerous interviews, we know that, the next day is a total new challenge and total new game, that game might have happened a long way back, this is a new game and in finals anything can happen”.
As they prepared for training in O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge, Donal admitted that as a management they have aspired to bring in traits that have been evident in the champions of the past two seasons, Ballyea.
“Ferocious spirit” is needed for any team vying to lift the Canon Hamilton, he said. “We’re here tonight in Sixmilbridge, a fantastic club in terms of what they have achieved, look at Ballyea with fantastic hurlers and Tony Kelly is the guy I love watching but what he brings to his club on and off the field, even the lesser lights in what they bring in terms of leadership like Gary Brennan, Cillian Brennan, the workrate and spirit of Jack Browne, Paul Flanagan and Pearse Lillis, that is what we are ultimately trying to replicate, they have been the barometer. It has been a fantastic Clare championship, we’re hearing discussion that they are thinking of changing it and that is madness, go next year with four groups of four and let us at it again, why change things if it is not broken, I do think it is nonsense, it is fantastic. We won it in 2008 and we were told it was because the big clubs weren’t strong at the time, I don’t go with that either. It is our time to shine, ourselves and Crusheen and let the best team win on the day”.
