*Jamesie O’Connor addresses the St Flannan’s Harty players. Photograph: Chris Copley
ST FLANNAN’S COLLEGE didn’t adapt to the conditions in the Harty Cup final but are focused on bouncing back in the Croke Cup.
Understandably St. Flannan’s College selector Jamesie O’Connor was disappointed with his side’s defeat in Saturday’s Dr. Harty Cup final but he readily acknowledged that “Thurles were deserving winners on the day”.
“With the breeze as strong as it was, we left ourselves with too much to do. We didn’t get to grips with it at all until the second quarter. We had a good second quarter to get ourselves back into it but we needed to be more ahead at half time to give ourselves a chance. The better team won on the day,” Clare’s All-Ireland winning star from 1995 and 1997 said.
“If you said coming down that we would hold Thurles to 1-13 we probably would have felt we had a great chance. You can’t make mistakes like we made today and hope to come out on top. That said there is a lot of credit to the lads, we knew at half time that it was going to be a real test. We stayed in the fight and we were still there, battling away. We had too many unforced errors but I am really disappointed for the lads because they have given us a great effort all year”, the St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield man added.
Continuing he agreed that the game’s only goal was a crucial score. “They have a serious full forward line but I thought our full back line was outstanding all day, they were under serious pressure, Joe Casey in particular was brilliant. Our lads had to defend really well and they did that for the most part. Sometimes it’s just really one chance and in fairness to Jack Hayes he got the goal, he finished it well. That gave them that cushion and they could sit back a bit. Overall I don’t think we did enough to win”.
Commenting on the playing conditions he noted, “there was very little grass on the pitch. You can’t afford to go in one handed for some of those pick ups and in the first minute we had two, probably two scores if the ball came into the hand but it didn’t. We didn’t adapt to the conditions. Credit to Thurles for their tackling and the physicality they brought, they were putting a shoulder in and making tackles. The ball didn’t seem to stick particularly in the opening quarter and it really took us fifteen to twenty minutes to get into the game.
“Once we did we were coping well, but half time probably came at the wrong time for us. A two point lead was not enough and that’s probably where we left it after us. You have to adapt to the conditions, if the ball is in the hand you can make things happen. We missed a few simple pick ups, little things like that can turn a match. Thurles’ ball to hand was a lot better than ours. We know they are slick and a really good side. When we went five down it could easily have been six or seven but we really showed our character to stay battling”.
Jamesie went on to say, “ Robbie Loftus had a great second half James Cullinan had been sick and he didn’t look like the James Cullinan we had seen all year. At the end of the day you can’t take anything away from Thurles They had huge disappointment last year. They have tasted defeat at this level before. On the day they did that bit more and deserved their win”.
According to the St Flannan’s College teacher “you can’t beat this big match experience which will stand to the players. This is where you want to be. It’s a massive disappointment but we have to regroup now, there is still a prize at stake and we have to put our best foot forward now. We are one of six teams that can win the All-Ireland but it’s not going to be easy. The day these guys signed up for hurling five or six years ago, the dream was to play Harty Cup hurling and to win it.
“There is no consolation in saying that to the lads now. There is still a very valuable prize there. We will regroup and put our best foot forward to try and win it. We just have to regroup now, there is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves, We can play better than we did today, we know that. The disappointing thing is that we weren’t at our best. If you could play it over again there are probably loads of things you would do better. We just have to take the positives. We know we are still a good side and we know if we can play at our best we won’t be too far away”, Jamesie concluded.
