*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
LINING out in a Munster final serves as “a huge game” for O’Callaghans Mills and Kilkishen as their hurlers go in search of provincial glory.
Tipperary side Upperchurch-Drombane stand in the way of O’Callaghans Mills from winning the Munster intermediate hurling title this weekend.
It is the latest chapter in a long and memorable season for the Mills who sealed their return to senior hurling at the first time of asking. Leading them in their journey has been manager, Seán Doyle. “We started on the 11th of January and we’re still going at the end of November which is a good sign, we’ve eleven months done and when you have games of this calibre you like to keep going. It is a huge game for the parish, for the players and everyone involved on Saturday in the Gaelic Grounds, we’re looking forward to it, it is a big game ahead but we will take it as it comes”.
He is hopeful they will have a full pick to choose from. “We’ve a few injuries, I won’t go through names because people listen to interviews, we hope the injuries will heal up, we’d like to get our first fifteen on the field fully fit, we’re nearly there”.
A former manager of the Clare minor and U20 hurlers, Doyle has strong intel on the players within the county. The task of researching their opponents in Munster has been aided by the amount of streaming services on offer, he admitted. “The Clubber app is great, you can go back and watch games, I actually watched Upperchurch-Drombane in their county final against Carrick Swans, they were good and they are a real workmanlike team like The Mills, they have gone up senior and been down, they have been in a county final a few years ago, we know the task facing us, maybe we will be underdogs because they beat Ballinhassig comfortably. They have a fair spine to their team, they have six Ryans, I don’t know are they related or what, they have a full-back, a strong centre back, two good midfielders, Aaron Ryan at centre forward is another good player, Luke Shanahan another top player corner forward. They are a formidable outfit, physically very strong but the Gaelic Grounds is a great venue, hurling could be the winner there and I’d say it could be a fifty fifty battle”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, the Bodyke man noted their strong and varied spread of scorers. “We’ve a lot of scorers even Conor Cooney against Abbeydorney in the Munster quarter-final and from there up the whole team has got some scores. Cormac Murphy was exceptional the last day because he was injured going into the game and slightly injured that week, Conor was touch and go the last day. We’ve scorers all over the field, Darragh (Moroney) played really well in some games, he is a real lynchpin for us but other players are showing up, Jacob (Loughnane) really stood up and when we’ve Gary (Cooney) and Seán Boyce as our corner forwards and we need them scoring”.
Following their semi-final win over Tallow, he spoke of the potential of the Mills getting representatives back on the county panel, a stance which Clare manager Brian Lohan and his management appear to agree with, having extended the hand to some of the Fireballs panel. “I said always one or two might get a chance, if you keep playing well you get noticed but that is for another road, as long as they don’t take the eye off the ball for us on Saturday because the main thing is the Mills getting over the line on Saturday”.
Tough ties with Abbeydorney and Tallow have steeled the Mills for a shot at Munster glory, Doyle felt. “We’ve had two real battles, it should stand to us on Saturday. Abbeydorney put us to the pin of our collar, we were comfortable at times against Tallow but they got seven unanswered points, they caught serious ball off us so that is something to work on because we have to cover that high ball, Upperchurch have a good wing forward for catching the ball in the air but we will do our homework, we’ve our work done on the field and if that gets us over the line all well and good”.
