Clare seek strength in unity as camogie campaign begins

Clare’s ongoing quest to dine at the top table of camogie takes an intriguing new direction in 2022 with the integration of junior and senior squads under a collective management team, writes Eoin Brennan.

It’s not an innovative model as it has proven successful in other counties. However, in Clare’s case at least, an ill-fated initial attempt to field teams at both senior and intermediate in the county’s first season in the top tier in 2009 under Bertie Sherlock, seemed to leave a lasting scar.

Those wounds were only tentatively healed when Ann-Marie McGann and Tim McGrath resurrected Clare’s second team five years ago and since that departure, there has been a growing pool of adult players proud to play for the Banner.

Playing numbers were an issue in 2009 as was the additional work-load on management, with Clare in a much healthier position on both fronts this time around according to joint-manager John Carmody.

“When you think about it, it’s two teams so there’s a role for everybody,” he says of the extended management team that includes fellow joint-manager Conor Dolan, Éanna Mulvihill, Eugene Foudy, Ann-Marie McGann, Colm Fitzgerald, Brendan Foley, Stephen Cusack and Cillian Custy.

“With the two squads together it’s working really well so far and from my perspective, it is the way forward for Clare Camogie and a perfect link to the minor squads as well.

“If we can produce a group going forward for Clare and add to it year-on-year, then you have 45 to 50 girls that want to play for Clare.

“At the moment, the panel is open-ended and we’ve a really good core of 30-35 players that are training really well and we’re just look forward to learning from the National League and strengthening the panel as we go on in order to be ready for the championship.

“We want the best players in the county to play for Clare and we’ll be approaching all players in the coming months to come on board before we finalise our panel for the Munster Championship.”

As fellow joint-manager Conor Dolan emphasises, the new collective squad structure is essentially an adult player pathway at inter-county level.

“The link with the minors is important and a good way of explaining the process. The minors are currently underway in their All-Ireland Championship and hopefully they get to rattle that competition and go far.

“When they’re finished, there’s seven or eight girls to come into our panel and that will bring them on further. We’re not saying that they will be automatically playing this year or next but it’s more a stepping stone of getting used to the environment so that they’re not strangers coming in to the set-up next year.”

Without joint-captain Niamh O’Dea for the duration of the National League due to a broken wrist and the Scariff-Ogonnelloe contingent still blazing a trail in the All-Ireland Club
Championship, specific objectives are put on hold for the National League as Kilmaley clubman Carmody outlined.

“With the way it has worked out with the few injuries and thankfully Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s progress, a run that hopefully can continue for a few more weeks, we can have no immediate targets.

“Our ultimate goal is to find the four or five players we feel we need to add to the group and that starts on Sunday for four or five that might be getting an opportunity sooner than they might be expecting it. But we’re looking forward to throwing them in at the deep end and seeing how they fare.

“There’s no better opportunity than this either as Cork have probably been the best team in the country over the past ten years.

“I’m just looking forward to the game to see where we’re at and the following week against Kilkenny won’t get any easier but these are the standard-bearers at the moment in camogie and we’ll see in the next two weeks where we stand.”

“We’re not going to get excited if we beat any of them and equally we’re not going to get concerned if things don’t work out for us as we’re in the early stages of strengthening the group in the Spring.”

However, with a full hand to pick from, the potential to make a concerted breakthrough at both senior and junior is realistic according to Conor Dolan who helped Galway to an All-Ireland title in 2019.

“Scariff-Ogonnelloe have two Munster Senior Club Championships won, Inagh-Kilnamona should have won a Munster Final before Christmas so the potential is there, it’s just about getting that inner belief.

“The only difference that I can see between Clare and the so-called top three or four is that belief and for Clare to development, getting that belief right and creating a never-say-die attitude not to down tools when the pressure comes on is crucial.

“So it’s just about hammering that home because I have great belief in them but it’s no good myself, John and the rest of the management believing in this girls if they don’t believe themselves.”

After two years as coach under the stewardship of Ger O’Connell, Dolan has stepped up alongside Clare’s 2012 Munster Senior Camogie winning manager John Carmody to become the joint-managers, a statement in itself of Clare’s aspirations to finally become a camogie force.

“I wouldn’t be giving my time if I didn’t see the potential that’s in these girls,” continued Dolan.

“Unfortunately there’s a drop-off as a few players opted out between age concerns and doing a bit of traveling which is understandable too but the potential is still there.

“Now we’re far from the finished article but the potential is there for Clare to make that breakthrough, I really, really believe that.

“We’re building but also setting standards for Clare Camogie going forward to emphasise what an honour it is to play for your county and not just coming in for the sake of grabbing a jersey.

“It’s about giving your utmost and therefore can we be above in Croke Park on the big days? I don’t see why not.”