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Ballyea captain Tony Kelly and his team mates celebrate with the cup in their dressing room, following their win over Cratloe in the Clare county senior hurling final at Cusack park. Photograph by John Kelly.

Clare SHC Quarter Final Previews: Ballyea v Crusheen

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Clare Senior Hurling Quarter-Final Previews: Ballyea v Crusheen

This is the battle of the team trying to put championships back to back for the first time against the team who were the last to do it.

In many ways, Crusheen have been one of the stories of the championship to date with impressive displays en route to the last eight. They were forced to recover from a slow start against Wolfe Tones in the opening round but held the Shannon men to just two second half points as they ran out comfortable winners. That trend continued in their second round win over Feakle with James Carrig’s men recovering from a three point half-time deficit to run out easy winners with just one score conceded in the second period. They cannot afford a slow start this time around and will be wary of that.

Much of what Crusheen have put together to date has come from their dominance around the middle third. Cian Dillon has been a rock at centre-back while Ciaran O’Doherty and Jamie Fitzgibbon form a potent midfield pairing. There is plenty pace in the half-forward line with Conor O’Donnell and Ross Hayes contributing heavily on the scoreboard while Breffni Horner and Cillein Mullins are constant threats in their inside line.

Ballyea have been inconsistent by their own standards this year. A battling extra time opening round win over Clooney-Quin came before a disappointing loss to Sixmilebridge. They bounced back from that with a good win over Wolfe Tones last time and regardless of the route, the champions are now back into the hunt. Their form will be something of a concern though as they have struggled to hit the heights of recent years. It is has been a difficult campaign on the football front too and that is bound to have had some effect as Clondegad face into a relegation battle.

The obvious question for Crusheen is who they detail to pick up Tony Kelly and Niall Deasy. On the face of it, Cathal Dillon looks an obvious psychical match for Deasy and it could well be Cian that gets the job of shackling the man he lifted the 2016 National League trophy with. On the other side, Jack Browne and Paul Flanagan will likely be paired up with O’Donnell and Horner to try and curb their threat. The loss of Cillian Brennan is a big one for Ballyea, and his presence will be missed.

Crusheen have been building steadily and look to have a good mix throughout the field. All their attacking contingent have been getting on the board but this represents a major step up in the level of opponent they face. Ballyea are champions for a reason and while they may not be firing on all cylinders, they have still been grinding out results. They have an obvious ace in Tony Kelly, and while a hesistant nod goes to the champions, it is only a hesitant one.

Verdict: Ballyea

 

Managers Views

Ballyea: Kevin Sheehan

Ballyea’s bid for back to back Clare senior hurling titles continues this weekend as the champions head back to the last eight stages.

It is their third meeting with Crusheen at this stage of the championship since 2013, with the sides level at one win apiece from those two encounters.

Manager Kevin Sheehan was between the sticks when they last met in 2016 in what was Ballyea’s historic breakthrough year, and he feels the levels will increase from this point forward.

“We are expecting this weekend to be a massive step up in terms of intensity and all that goes with the last stages of championships. It is like looking into the muddy water for us in terms of reviewing how our year has gone so far. We reacted well to eventually turn around the game against Clooney-Quin but just never got out of the traps the next day against Sixmilebridge and it was disappointing how flat we were but reacted well the last day. It has really been a mixed bag but there are still signs of form there” he said.

Clondegad’s loss last weekend in the football championship is not something Sheehan feels will impact on their preparations for Sunday’s showdown.

“In a three horse race they just got caught the first day and that almost finished their championship. That eight point hangover was always going to be difficult to handle but I don’t think it will have any bearing on what we have in front of us this week” said Sheehan.

2019 marks the seventh successive season that Ballyea have contested the quarter-final of the Clare senior hurling championship with three of those seeing them come out on the right side of the result. Sheehan feels that experience is a real positive heading into this weekend.

He said: “We have been in this position for the last number of years so it is nothing new for us in terms of how to handle preparing for it. We need to be ready because Crusheen will be a serious challenge. Everything will ramp up now in terms of tackling and aggression and work-rate so we need to be wary that when the ball is thrown in, we are not caught in the headlights. They have a nice mix and maybe even better than us. We have a lot of guys in their mid20’s whereas they might have more of a spread from 19 years old right up to the old stalwarts who are still turning in serious performances for them. I really think they have been the most impressive team of the championship this year. Wolfe Tones started well against them but once they got stuck in it was game over. Holding Feakle to just one point in the second-half was really concerning for us because we know how good Feakle are. We were right there on the line with Clooney-Quin and they beat them so it is a concern and we know we have to be ready for what is coming to meet us”.

Crusheen: James Carrig

Crusheen manager James Carrig feels his are primed for the challenge of taking on the champions in this weekend’s Clare senior hurling championship quarter-final.

Two wins from two has seen them take the short route to the last eight and Carrig admits is has been a pleasing campaign so far.

“One of our goals was to get to this stage and see how good we were after that. Last year we won the Senior B but with greatest of respect to that competition, it is not the same when you get knocked out of the championship early. We were happy with the second-half performances against Wolfe Tones and Feakle and we have put in a big effort this year. We were consistent in the Clare Cup and built on that for the championship. It is my second year in charge and I think the work we did last year has really developed in 2019. The younger lads coming in have really added to the whole set-up and everyone is pushing hard” he said.

The Dillon duo of Cathal and Cian have been the anchors in defence so far in the campaign while the scoring burden has been shared out evenly among the front eight. Carrig says that balance is something that has been a real positive.

“Crusheen have always been built on strong defensive performances over the years and they have always been solid at the back. The question mark was if they had enough forwards to put the scores on the board so we have really worked on our transition from defence to attack and that blend seems to have worked this year. There is a huge challenge ahead on Sunday for us though in taking on the county champions. They have two titles won in recent years along with that Munster title and played in an All-Ireland final. They have quality all over the field and lads who will hurt you in every line. If we give them a lead, you will not claw it back against a team like that so we have to start well” he noted.

Carrig is adamant that while they face a formidable opponent, they are confident that they have what it takes to meet the challenge head on.

“We are happy with the way we are going but we also know we have improving to do. We have trained well and we are going to give it one hell of a rattle. We are a confident bunch and I don’t think people have given us enough credit for what we have done. We have been called dark horses but over the years they have not got enough credit for being really good hurlers. You don’t win county championships without being more than just a dogged team and while people say we are a tricky team for Ballyea, we think we are a bit more than that” said Carrig.

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