2023 All Ireland Junior winner Sinead Hogg is a mainstay at the heart of the Clon defence and after a monumental battle with Eimear Bourke and Cait Devane she is ready to push on and claim the biggest camogie prize in Munster.
” Today wasn’t easy and the body is sore. It was a serious battle and in fairness to both teams it was a war of attrition. We had to just try and stay in the game at different stages because their six forwards are unbelievable players and can hurt you in the blink of an eye. It’s great to have that half back line in front of you cutting out the supply which makes it a bit easier for us in the full back line though and I think we did quite well. We were fully focused on delivering not only a performance but delivering a result and thankfully we did both.”
Sinead feels as a group they have learned every day that they have been together be it in victory or defeat and is confident all the big game experience will stand to them this weekend.
” Having a home venue last year was great but it was about the occasion and not the result. This year to be honest our focus was on this Munster campaign from a long way out. We just felt as a group that we had unfinished business in the competition. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to defend our County title but we also had it in our minds that the Clare Champions would have a home draw in a Munster semi final. We had that with Sarsfields and we wanted it again but with a different result. Thankfully now we are where we want to be and that’s in a Munster club final with an opportunity at making more history.”
With little time to prepare Sinead feels the mental aspect to the final will be crucial in deciding the outcome.
” We’re sixty minutes away from a provincial title. It’s up to us to go and push on now. We won’t be able to do much at training this week because it’ll be about recovery more than anything else but we can prepare our minds and get a clear focus on what will be needed. The two semi finals were played simultaneously so both ourselves and Gailltir are in the same both. What we have to try and do now over the course of the week is fix all the one percents so that eventually you get a hundred percent. That’s what we will need if we are to achieve our dream of following in the footsteps of great teams like the Scariff-Ogonnelloe side that won two titles. Everyone in this great Parish gets behind each other and there’s a real sense of community. It’s a privilege to put on the jersey and represent the people of Clon. Hopefully we can give them something to celebrate this weekend and shorten the winter even further.”