*Louise Egan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
TRUAGH/CLONLARA are facing into their third senior camogie final on the trot, looking to win silverware for the first time but “have nothing to lose” according to their coach.
Ryan Morris acknowledged that the majority view all season was that this Saturday’s senior final would be between Scariff/Ogonnelloe and Inagh/Kilnamona.
He explained that these predictions were used as motivation in advance of their county semi-final against Inagh/Kilnamona. “That view would have been influenced by the fact that four of our team that played in last year’s final are all absent this year having suffered ACL injuries. Eimear Kelly, Michelle Powell and Becky Foley, all county players as well, and Lisa Moloney are out because of injury. On the plus side Sinead Ryan has returned from injury which had her out since last year and she came on during our semi-final last week”.
This year, Ryan doubled up his coaching commitments with Truagh/Clonlara and the Clare senior and junior camogie sides. “We are facing a tough challenge. They are a great team and they have represented the county very well. They were unlucky in Munster last year. I went to see them in the semi-final last week and they were very good. Look we have to have full belief that we can do it and we have that,” he said of Saturday’s opponents.
Morris is part of a backroom team headed by manager Bob Caulfield and which includes Eamonn Noonan, Eoin Fitzgerald, Kenneth Haskett, John Conlon, former player Cathy Halley and Emmett Browne (S&C) while Ailbhe and Joe Clancy look after the stats. Michelle Caulfield and Laura Foley are the joint team captains.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, he admitted, “Winning the hurling title last week was massive and that was evident when they brought the cup to the village on Sunday night. Hopefully that win will give us the extra 5 or 10 percent to get over the line. We also want to do it for the girls that are ruled out through injury”.
The team coach says Truagh/Clonlara “have nothing to lose. The pressure is on Scariff. We have done very well to get to the final and anything can happen in a final. Clare camogie is getting stronger and we are delighted to have had Michelle Powell and Sinead Hogg as part of the All-Ireland winning junior team. A win for us on Saturday would cap an unbelievable week for the parish”.
