*Scariff/Ogonnelloe’s Labhaoise O’Donnell. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Scariff/Ogonnelloe had “an unusual start to the year”, selector Sarah Skelly explained this week ahead of their county final date with Truagh-Clonlara at Cusack Park on this Saturday.
Off the back of their county and provincial success, the management team headed up by Dave Sullivan departed. When the non-county player league was to commence, the reigning county champions had no management team in place.
“We weren’t too sure what would happen but the motto of the club is that we don’t panic and we just have to do what needs to be done,” recounted Sarah Skelly who is a selector in the set-up which includes manager Alphie Rodgers and Pat Minogue.
Pat Minogue brings a lot of experience to the set up as “he has been there or thereabouts for fifteen or twenty years and he was there in 2012 when the club got to the junior All-Ireland and again in 2016 when they were in the junior All-Ireland and he stayed on when the club won the first senior title in 2019,” she said.
Rodgers who is highly regarded within the Scariff club having aided the development of many of their current senior hurlers was formerly involved with the Clare minor hurlers.
Sarah added, “The agenda of the management and players is to retain the Clare title and that comes with some difficulty. We have come through some battles but we are glad to be in the final”.
“This has been a very competitive championship. We have found over the last few years that the standard in Clare is nearly tougher than what has been the case in some of the battles outside the county. Two Clare teams have competed in Munster finals over the last few years. We were lucky last year. This year St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield really put it up to us and against Inagh/Kilnamona it took us a long time to get a grip on that game and we were lucky to come out on the right side”.
The former corner back continued, “there is resilience in the team. We knew at half time what was going wrong and the few positional changes we made allied to the never say die attitude of the girls. We are facing a great side on Saturday, a team with some fabulous hurlers. They have a great management which includes John Conlon and to have someone like him on the sideline gives them a fantastic start”.
The Scariff/Ogonnelloe mentor is delighted that the game is in Cusack Park. “Finally the recognition has been awarded to camogie to be allowed to play in that venue. We have played in most venues across the county and never had the opportunity to play in Cusack Park. Our minors played there a while ago and were successful but some of our players have never played there. Its great to have the opportunity to finally play on the main field in Clare. Fr. McNamara park is the home of camogie but it just doesn’t lend itself too well to spectators and we hopefully will have a big following”.
Apart from “a few niggles”, Scariff/Ogonnelloe will have a full squad to pick from for this final. Most of the team’s training has been at Craven’s field in Scariff and Ogonnelloe as the main pitch in Scariff is unavailable at present due to improvements been carried out there.
She is in no doubt but that “the hunger is still there. Winners want to win, that would be a common theme amongst the girls. They don’t want to give up this cup. There is an absolute hunger and appetite there but I know Truagh/Clonlara are bringing that appetite and hunger also”.
