Captain Coughlan spreads the praise

While it was more important that he played well, which he did, Enda Coughlan’s acceptance speech was equally impressive. The Kilmurry captain remembered people like Patrick Murrihy and Patrick O’Dwyer and former championship winning captains who have led the club to glory before he did.
“It’s a great honour any time to captain your club but I suppose when you win something like this, it makes it all worthwhile, following in great lads footsteps there like the Horse (Moloney), Odran O’Dwyer and Shane Hickey,” he told The Clare Champion after collecting the Jack Daly Cup from Jack Daly.
Along with Kilkee’s first half goals the only other source of shock for Coughlan was when he witnessed Paul O’Connor and Peter O’Dwyer clipping over left footed points, late in the second half.
“You should see them practising in training. There was someone looking down on the two of them I think but thank God, they went over. They were great scores,” the Kilmurry centre-back said.
“The two goals were killer blows but they got them early, that was the only good thing. If they got one of them in the second half, we could have been in trouble but at least we got it down to three points at half time.
“We knew if could just get level that we’d have the momentum with us then and we could try and kick on. The longer it went on and the longer it wasn’t level the more confidence they were going to get and they were hard to break down,” he added.
Kilmurry’s substitutes helped to swing the game their way, their captain believed.
“I think Noel Downes when he came on, made a massive difference. He has speed to burn and has an eye for goal. Some forwards in Clare don’t have that but he has.
“And Odran as well, what a warrior. Sixteen years playing senior championship. Although I felt Mark McCarthy was doing well enough in the first half but that’s managements decision,” he said.
Come Thursday of this week, Kilmurry will leave Jack Daly aside and focus on Munster in their efforts to become the first Clare club to win two provincial football titles. 
“If you stop enjoy winning these you might as well give up playing football but the thing is now we’ve another championship ahead of us,” said Coughlan.