*Brian McNamara reacts to a breaking ball. Photograph: James Downes.
COORACLARE want to be ready for senior football when they earn their promotion and Brian McNamara is hopeful that time will arrive this weekend.
Brian Mc is one of the top footballers in Clare and will line out at midfield for Cooraclare on Sunday as they take on Corofin in the Clare IFC final.
His first year playing at adult level with the club saw them lose every single championship game in 2021 and suffer relegation to the intermediate ranks where they have remained since, reaching the final in 2022 before successive quarter-final exits.
During their time in the intermediate grade, Brian has noticed a rising standard in the second tier. “It is our fourth year down there, the standard of intermediate football is going up, it is very balanced, it is hard to call who will win it compared to the first year we were down, Kildysart were going very well and you could nearly pick the semi-finalists at the start of it, for the last couple of years it has been very open altogether”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, the final year civil engineering student at UL outlined that Cooraclare want to be a strong force at senior level if and when they get back there. “You want to get up the first year because it is a tough place to get out of, it is hard to call, we’ve been unlucky with injuries and lads going away, we’re not an old team by any means so when we do come up we want to be ready for senior, the last thing you want is to go up and be struggling, we want to be ready when we do go up. The goal every year has been to get out of intermediate but looking back on 2022 we hoped to be up but it we’re not an old team by any means, the U21 championship is kicking off and the bulk of our lads are still playing that, it is good to see we’re a building a team, we’re not under pressure with all the new boys”.
He added, “We’ve been down in intermediate for four years, we’ve got to a final and two quarter-finals so we have to go and do our best when we do get the chance”.
Wins over favourites Kilrush Shamrocks and Banner in the knockout stages saw them qualify for the final. “I’m not sure if the Kilrush win was a turning point but it was big, the last two years we fell at the quarter-finals so it was nice to get over that hurdle and get onto a semi-final. We’ve played the Banner a few times since we’ve been down here, we played them in the group for the first two years, we didn’t play them last year but we knew it would be a big test in the semi-final, they are a good team like ourselves they are young and getting better every year by getting to a quarter-final last year and a semi-final this year, they are a good team”.
Absent for their heavy first round loss to Corofin, Brian’s return certainly strengthens Cooraclare’s chances for the rematch. He didn’t feel their previous meeting was irrelevant ahead of the final. “We haven’t changed our style of play. After that day it was disappointing and it’s great that we’ve had a chance to rectify it as the year went on”.
An eight week stint in the United States for the J1 saw him miss the first round, otherwise he found America to be an enjoyable experience. “It was very good, it was tough missing the championship at home, there isn’t much of a gap because the championship starts very early but it was still a very good summer and it is very enjoyable out there. I was happy enough to come home, I don’t know if that was because of championship, I was happy to come home after the eight weeks out there”.
Although he is only twenty two, Brian is one of the oldest members of the Cooraclare team such is their youth. With the club, he has won a Minor B championship while older and younger teammates have enjoyed more success. “The generation above me had a good bit of success underage and in fairness the young lads that have come through they won a few Spring Leagues and have played Minor A football up along which is good to see, they have made finals and semi-finals up along so there is a lot of talent coming through”.
McNamara may be one of their most experienced players but he says the responsibility has to be carried evenly amongst the team. “It is the way you look at it yourself, you could try put that pressure on yourself but we’re going out with a game plan and that involves everyone, it doesn’t just come down to fifteen because everyone has their job and knows their role. We know our role and that we can trust the lad beside you, everyone is accountable and has stood up for us this year”.
Pearse Lillis’ return from his travels has greatly boosted the side. “We are a very young team so to have someone with that experience coming back into the squad is very good, he’s been very good, throughout the whole championship he has been a great leader for us, it is great to have that experience coming into the team”.
A potential Cooraclare clash on the hurling field was avoided when Brian was in America for Kilmaley’s one point win over Ballyea. McNamara is part of the Kilmaley side with Lillis a four-time Clare SHC winner with Ballyea. “I would have liked to see that now, we’ll never know,” he said of missing out on going up against his clubmate on the hurling field.
Preparations with club teams is rising each year, he observed. “It is coming on every year. Inter-county is going up every year but so is the club, the club is getting closer and closer to inter-county, I know inter-county is still going up but the club is still a very high level”. He didn’t notice “much difference” between the hours involved for Cooraclare or Kilmaley.
Playing both sports at club level negates the risk of overthinking on one sport, he felt. “It is good in a way because you are not dwelling on games, sometimes two weeks can be a long time between games, it can be taxing to be playing every week but at the same time, it is refreshing in that you are playing football one week and hurling the next”.
Football is the focus for now and excitement is building in Cooraclare and Cree.. “There is a good buzz around the place, hopefully we will knuckle down for two weeks and do ourselves and the parish justice”.
