Collins praises McDonagh’s role

CLARE manager Colm Collins believes the team’s liaison officer Michael McDonagh “deserves great credit for ensuring that we participated in this championship and now for having the game at a Clare venue”.

Speaking this week ahead of the final, Kilmihil native Collins also supported the view of selector Michael Considine that “a win here would be great for Clare football”.

Any victory is important for Clare. We haven’t won at this level since the 1920s and there is a great chance now to end that wait. We have a decent team and home advantage and I expect there will be a great atmosphere there. The stronger counties have enough going for them without home advantage,” he said.

The manager expects a big attendance at Hennessy Park. “A lot of the players in the starting line-up come from neighbouring clubs to Miltown and this should help boost the attendance. I hope the Clare football public will come out and get behind the team.”

Since the team qualified for the provincial final, they have played challenge games against Mayo last week in Kinvara and against Cork club side Ilen Rovers on Sunday in Mallow. Clare won both of those fixtures. Kilmurry-Ibrickane’s Shane Hickey who is the team captain and Paul O’Connor missed Sunday’s game against the Cork club but both will be involved in Wednesday’s final.

“I saw Kerry in their semi-final win over Cork and they have a decent team. They have a number of the Spa club side that beat us (Cratloe) in the provincial intermediate final a few years ago. They also have a few of the U-21 side and they have players that have been part of the Kerry senior squad in recent years,” Collins explained.

Collins has been managing Cratloe footballers for a number of years and he has steered them to success at a number of levels including U-21A and intermediate, while they have also being doing well at senior level. A number of these successes have been recorded against the odds, which suggests Collins is no stranger to being in charge of teams that wear the underdogs’ tag.

“Of course, we believe we can do well. We have a strong panel and home advantage and with the help of big home support, I am looking forward to a good game and hopefully, at the end of play, Clare will be ahead,” he concluded.