Clare boss Colm Collins insists his side must hit the reset button ahead of this weekend’s trip to take on Kildare in Newbridge.
An impressive performance in Cusack Park last time out against Cork saw Clare pick up their first victory of the campaign, with thoughts now turning to getting one over on a Lilywhite’s outfit trained by former Clare coach Alan Flynn.
While there was plenty positives to take from the result against the Rebels, Collins feels Sunday will be a whole other ball game.
“The important thing to keep in mind is that every game is different and it doesn’t necessarily transfer in terms of form, so you have to approach the Kildare game in the same way as any other. You have to make sure your work-rate is up to scratch and you are hitting your targets, and if you are doing that, you give yourself every chance. I have said it 1000 times, we are very lucky with the bunch of players we have. It’s not just their ability, it the attitude and the professionalism about how they go about their work. That was very evident in the Cork game and hopefully that will continue and we will bring that same attitude to Sunday and if we do that, we will be in a good spot” he noted.
The race for promotion from Division Two is proving impossible to call, with just three points separating all eight teams ahead of the half-way point. Clare are sitting just one point off the summit, and currently have the second best scoring difference in the standings. Collins says no one is surprised at how things are unfolding.
He said: “Anyone who is following the game knew that this division was going to be very tight. At the start of the year, commentators were writing off certain teams but I wasn’t in that boat. It was always going to be the case that teams would be taking points off each other left, right and centre and that it would come down to doing the right things, like not conceding scoreable frees, not letting the ball be brought forward from a refereeing decision, these are the kind of things that would be crucial because it was going to be so tight. I still think it will come down to that and even on the final day, I still don’t think there will be a whole pile separating who will be promoted and who will be relegated”.
Discipline in defence is something which Clare have been working hard on through the campaign to date, and that’s reflected in the fact that over the course of the three games played, just 0-12 of what Clare have conceded have come from placed balls. Collins feels that is testament to the work being put in by the coaching staff and players.
“Our defence has been really disciplined and we are trying to keep our opponents to having to shoot from outside the easy zone where you would be almost nailed on for a score. We are being disciplined in the tackle and making sure you don’t give them a soft option, because giving away a scoreable free in that zone is the same as kicking the ball over the bar for them and no Clare man wants to do that. The lads have worked extremely hard on this and all the backroom are on this and players have embraced it. What we will focus on now for Sunday is getting the performance right and bringing our level of work-rate to the table. When you do that, result take care of themselves and I am confident we will be going there in the right frame of mind” he concluded.