*John Carmody. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE camogie manager John Carmody was “very happy” after seeing his charges make it four wins from four outings in this seasons league when defeating Limerick at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg on Saturday.
“We had a job to do and it was done at half time really. We had a few niggles and we weren’t taking any chances. We were able to rest players like Abby Walsh and Clare Hehir as the game was winding down, as a precaution. Caoimhe Cahill picked up a dead leg”, the Kilmaley man said.
Continuing he said “it was a really good performance. At the start of the league if you said we would win four our of four and be in a league final we would have been very pleased. We used twenty three players today, the squad is good and competition is very healthy and strong. We have a national final to look Forward to now and we will relish that”, the manager told The Clare Echo.
Looking ahead he said Clare camogie is facing “a busy weekend this week with under 23 championship on Sunday and their final league game on Satuirday, and we will be juggling over he two games.
Everyone on the panel will get game time. We want to contest that under 23 championship. It’s our priority game this week against Limerick at Kilnamona on Sunday”.
Continuing the manager said “the league final on March 29 in Abbotstown is great preparation for the championship. Girls are really enjoying training, they are enjoying mingling with the supporters now. That league final is better than a months training We have been building this team and I am really pleased that its coming together. Being down in 1B has given the opportunity for girls to get comfortable with playing together and they are growing in confidence. We are in a good place”.
Concluding he said “we know we have work to do. We will be coming up against the big guns later in the year and we will have to see how we measure up against them. One of our goals was to get to the league final. Our main target is to get to the All-Ireland quarter final. We are confident we will be in the mix if we keep working hard and keep developing”.
