Tough experience of 2002 can stand to Clarinbridge

Date Published: {J}

I REMEMBER the day well. March 17, 2002 and a biting cold one it was too. Clarinbridge were in Thurles to contest their first ever All-Ireland Club hurling final against a mighty team from Birr. The first-time Galway champions had knocked out the reigning title holders Athenry in an epic county final the previous October and were still riding the crest of a wave having also dumped Ballygunner of Waterford out of the chase for the Tommy Moore Cup the following February.

That match had also gone ahead in Semple Stadium and hopes were high that Clarinbridge would round off a momentous campaign by coming out on top in their showdown with the aristocrats of Offaly club hurling. I was team coach back then, working alongside team manager Billy McGrath and selector Donal Walsh, but within 60 seconds of the match starting, we were rattled in a manner few had envisaged.

I still put it down to experience, or more precisely the lack of it. While the Clarinbridge players were in a huddle waiting for the National Anthem, their Birr counterparts were filing into their positions. They knew what we didn’t – that the Soldier’s Song doesn’t be aired for the first game in the club finals double bill – and it was to prove an expensive oversight. Within 30 seconds, Birr’s Declan Pilkington had the ball stuck in the net as the Clarinbridge defence was still trying to sort itself out. In retrospect, the match was already over.

Sure, the Galway men fought back and actually led by 1-4 to 1-2 at half-time, but we had played with a howling wind and that narrow advantage was never going to be enough as Birr finished convincing winners by eight points. At least, Clarinbridge, won’t be making the same mistake again next Thursday against O’Loughlin Gales of Kilkenny at Croke Park – this time, they will be ready when the ball is thrown in, and that’s the value of experience.

Last July as Clarinbridge struggled to earn a draw against Beagh to avoid tumbling out of the championship in the groups stages, not even the most fervent supporter could have imagined that they would end up in the All-Ireland Club final the following March, but their progress since then has been that of a team making gradual improvement, culminating with their thrilling victory over De La Salle of Waterford last month. In a classic cliff-hanger, the ’Bridge broke their opponents’ hearts thanks to Eanna Murphy’s dramatic extra time winning goal after an absorbing match had swung one way and then the other with almost reckless abandon.

It can’t have been easy for the Clarinbridge players to come down off that incredible high as it was a game from the ages and, frankly, it will be difficult for them to reach the same pitch of performance against a much more rugged O’Loughlin Gaels outfit which – and we mustn’t lose sight of – ended the reign of defending All-Ireland champions Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Kilkenny semi-final last Autumn. They are physical too and in county players, Brian Hogan and Martin Comerford, the Gaels will not be lacking in onfield leadership either. For a long time, they struggled to keep tabs on Oulart-the-Ballagh in the Leinster club final, but ended up winning comfortably after wearing down the flattering Wexford men.

It’s difficult to imagine the All-Ireland final being as open and free-flowing as Clarinbridge’s encounter with De La Salle. For a start, O’Loughlin Gaels will be determined to keep it tight, not just to exploit their own physicality, but also to deny the Galway title holders the time and space they require. The fact that they weren’t spectacular against Loughgiel in the All-Ireland should also work to their advantage in terms of motivation.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.