Compete and the result will look after itself

WHAT do Clare have to do to win their third Munster senior football title? First off, they should forget about speculating on the end result and concentrate on maximising what they are capable of producing in Limerick on Sunday.

If players or management dwell on what the result might be, they will lose sight of the fact that getting the small details right will ultimately contribute to the game’s outcome. At this point, it’s not about winning; it’s about competing and staying in the 2012 Munster final for as long as possible. If Clare are within a couple of scores of Cork at about 3.15pm on Sunday, they can think about adding a provincial title to those won in 1917 and 1992. If they are competitive at that stage, 15 minutes from time, overwhelming desire and a handful of inspired individual displays could hoist them beyond Cork and achieve a result that would stun the country, 20 years on from the county’s last seismic success.

 

To get to that stage, Clare will have to somehow tie down a Cork forward line where Paul Kerrigan, Paddy Kelly, Donnacha O’Connor and Colm O’Neill will be omnipresent threats.

Hopefully, Cork will persist with Nicholas Murphy at full-forward. He is a potentially viable target man but doesn’t possess the explosive capability of O’Neill or possibly even Daniel Goulding, who was brought on as a second-half sub in Cork’s 0-17 to 0-12 semi-final win over Kerry on June 10 in Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

Among some of the decisions the Clare management will have addressed since their June 9 semi-final defeat of Limerick is what personnel changes to make in defence and should they employ an extra defender? If they opt for the latter option, the logical step would be to select Enda Coughlan in attack and employ the Kilmurry Ibrickane man in a defensive role, sitting between the full and half-back lines. Coughlan is capable of breaking from defence and linking up the play and it’s a role that could suit him perfectly if he’s asked to fulfil it.

Clare have a fluid forward division with all six, who started against Limerick mobile and capable of scoring. What Clare may lack is a traditional target man but that type of play can lead to a team becoming one dimensional and lording every ball into the edge of the square. A section of Gaelic football supporters love this type of approach but a sharp, pacey forward line, who make co-ordinated runs, is a far more effective unit.

In David Tubridy, Alan Clohessy, Shane McGrath, Coughlan, Michael O’Shea and Rory Donnelly, Clare have exactly that; an attack full of speed, movement and scoring threat. Of course, the forwards are dependent on the quality of ball dispatched towards them from the middle third of the field.

So if Clare select the forward unit that played against Limerick, it’s not inconceivable that they would go with five of them and post Coughlan down field. Clare would be left with five quality attackers, operating in potentially additional space if Cork send their spare defender forward.
Of course, this possible plan was thrown into some disarray last weekend when Rory Donnelly picked up a calf injury at training. Having scored five points from play in Clare’s 1-23 to 0-11 defeat to Cork last year, Donnelly’s loss would be incalculable. Clare need him flying to have a realistic chance.

In the event of Clare not employing Coughlan as an extra defender, it’s very likely that they will play him at wing-back and bring Shane Brennan into the half-forward line. Further changes could result in Laurence Healy moving from corner to full-back, flanked by the Hartnett brothers, Kevin and Barry, leaving a half-back line of Enda Coughlan, Gordon Kelly and John Hayes.

All of this would mean Shane McNeilis and Martin McMahon would be dropped from the starting 15. This would be particularly harsh on McMahon, who played at wing-back against Limerick. While he didn’t excel there, McMahon has huge big game experience in his locker and alongside Healy and Kevin Hartnett, could form a solid full-back line. He isn’t the biggest stature wise but his heart makes up for any height issues.

Whether Clare play an additional defender or not, they will have to adopt a legitimately aggressive approach immediately. They must compete for everything and snaffle every available break and 50/50 ball. If Clare stand back from Cork and concentrate on defending space, Cork will pick them off without too much fuss. Clare can take heart from last weekend’s wins for Roscommon and Longford in the All-Ireland qualifiers and Meath’s Leinster semi-final win over Kildare. None of these counties are outside of Clare’s reach. If they can put in huge displays, so can Clare.

This county hasn’t played in a Munster final since 2000, so it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the 2012 Munster final could be a once-in-a-career opportunity for this Clare panel. In Gary Brennan, David Tubridy, Gordon Kelly, Joe Hayes, Enda Coughlan and Shane McGrath, Clare have a slew of outstanding footballers backed up by an honest panel, who have put huge work into the 2012 season. When Clare need men to flood in from the bench, who better than the likes of David Russell to help them over the line? However, for that to happen, Clare must blank any thoughts of focusing on the big picture and think about winning breaks, beating their man, retaining their own kick-outs and disrupting Cork’s, defending with discipline, converting frees and open play opportunities. Execute the seemingly simple plays near flawlessly and Clare will guarantee they will at least compete. That’s the first priority and if they achieve it, they will have set themselves up for a huge performance. The result will look after itself.

Clare v Cork will throw in at 2pm on Sunday in Pairc Na Gael. Kerry and Tipperary will meet before it in the Munster Minor Football final, which throws in at 12pm.