*Muireann Scanlon returned from injury for Clare in defence. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
NEW CLARE senior camogie manager Eugene Foudy is putting a strong emphasis on building a fighting spirit within his side.
Lorna McNamara’s late free forced a draw for Clare in the opening round of the Centra National Camogie League on Saturday. They came back from behind twice in the last two minutes of normal and additional time to leave the capital with a share of the spoils.
Foudy said they have been focused on building spirit within their ranks. “It is something we’ve been working on this year, workrate, honesty, determination, never giving up and working for each other, we want to build a bit of steel of us, if you can build that and get that right, the skill will follow that”.
A tally of 1-8 from McNamara demonstrated her value to the side, the Feakle/Killanena missed most of last year’s county campaign through injury while Muireann Scanlon was also welcomed back to the fold at corner back.
Starting debutants Roisin McMahon and Maeve Milliea fared very well, Foudy felt. “Roisin McMahon for her first start was really good and added strength around the middle of the field, Maeve Milliea for her first start was a threat for forty minutes, Andrea O’Keeffe won a vital ball in injury time and kept running at them. You can do all the training you want but when you go out and play the first competitive game, you see what the bodies are like, what the determination is like and I think our girls stood up really well”.
Saturday’s draw will be the first of Clare’s clashes with Dublin, they are guaranteed at least one more meeting when it comes to their championship opener. “Dublin are in our group in the championship so we will meet them again, we don’t know how the league will go, we could meet again in a league final if we were lucky enough to get there. We could be playing teams three times this year, they are a big physical team with a couple of girls to come back, we had Roisin Begley which was a bonus, we’ve some injuries like Ellen Casey”.
For the first round of the league, Clare sported new jerseys heralding the start of their four year sponsorship with Pat O’Donnell & Co. “Pat O’Donnell is synonymous with Clare GAA, any success with Clare he has been there, he is a good Crusheen man and we’re delighted to have him on board, hopefully over the next four years Clare will be able to go from strength to strength in camogie,” the Inagh native said.
