*Clare manager, Peter Keane. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
IMPORTANCE of winning home games in the Allianz National Football League was stressed by Clare manager, Peter Keane.
Keane recorded his first league victory on Sunday when Clare ran out comfortable winners over Leitrim by a margin of thirteen points in Cusack Park.
Speaking following the round two clash, Keane stated, “in any league you have got to win your home games and if you get a bit of success on the road then its great”.
A week on from their opening round loss to Antrim, the Kerry man was still struck by the playing conditions in Corrigan Park, Belfast. “I never witnessed anything as bad as the conditions last weekend and that’s coming from South Kerry where we generally play our championship in November and December and we wouldn’t be playing on sand based pitches. It was a really bad day last week and bad for both teams, I don’t take away from Antrim’s win. We were disappointed coming home. We got over today and we are looking forward to playing Fermanagh in two weeks time”.
Referring to the new rules and how teams are adapting to the changes he said, “I watched a few bits and pieces in the games on TV last evening and it almost looked like the old game. It’s about the way teams will be adapting. It’s going to take time for teams to get used to the three back. It’s a frustrating rule as if a forward steps out or a back steps out and there are only two behind, it’s frustrating. I can see what they are trying to do but its frustrating as it prevents the flow of play”, he said.
Commenting on the spread of scorers, nine in all, he said “we are looking for movement and there is plenty of movement. We have given debuts to seven fellas over the last two games and that is a big thing when you are building a squad. It’s a big thing for those lads to get their first jersey with the seniors”.
Clare have no game this weekend before heading to Fermanagh for round three. “We are expecting every team to be strong, there is no team in Division 3 that shouldn’t be there, you are there because you didn’t get out of it or you came up from Division 4 or down from 2. You have to take every team as they come and try and beat them”.
