Kilmurry to bring Andy Merrigan Cup to Clare

WHEN the Kilmurry-Ibrickane players and management hear the knock on their dressing room door at around 3.20pm next Wednesday, the most epic hour in the club’s history will be ticking towards starting point. The talking, cajoling, planning and convincing will be almost at an end. It will be time to play. It will be time to add the Andy Merrigan Cup to Jack Daly and the Munster club titles, both of whom are already housed in Quilty.
The Kilmurry supporters can well afford to get caught up in the hype and excitement of the club’s history-making exploits. Why wouldn’t they as their community nears a day of days? An afternoon that will be recalled in vivid and perhaps even exaggerated detail for generations.
Players or management cannot think along the same lines though. At the same time, it will almost impossible to escape the pre-match commotion. Up to a point, the electricity in the Kilmurry air can be utilised to inspire the panel. Yet they know their priority is to ready for the 3.45pm throw-in.
St Gall’s, who beat Corofin (Galway) in their semi-final after extra time, have been here before. However, their memories of March 17 in Croke Park are not good. The Antrim and Ulster champions were beaten 0-7 to 0-6 by Salthill/Knocknacarra in the 2006 club final.
Kilmurry know that, while they have to work on curbing CJ McCourty, his brother Kevin and wing-back Seán Kelly, the bigger task will be to deal with St Gall’s defensive lines.
Putting it simply, the Ulster team make it difficult to play against them, although Kilmurry are also well capable of playing a possession-led, defensive game if they have to.
Ideally, Kilmurry will reach a halfway house type solution; defending in numbers but still managing to attack with the depth and variety they displayed against Portlaoise in Limerick.
Their backs resembled a swarm of conjoined bees against the Leinster champions, driving their opponents backwards, time after time – all of this without fouling.
That day, Kilmurry’s attack, which hadn’t been noted for cutting loose during their provincial or All-Ireland campaign, opened up.
Freed up by the space, Johnny Daly provided when he dropped marginally deeper from his full-forward role, while Michael O’Dwyer and Noel Downes capitalised superbly. St Gall’s will have noted this and will try to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen in Croke Park.
Whoever picks up St Gall’s wing-back, Seán Kelly, will have to ensure he is not allowed to motor forward unaccompanied. Kelly scored two points from play against Corofin and drove forward continuously.
Every small detail will need to be copiously and expertly applied if Kilmurry are to win. For example, Dermot O’Brien’s kick-outs will have to be varied in the event that St Gall’s work out Kilmurry’s strategy. Kilmurry will even need to have a plan if things go very wrong in the opening half.
If St Gall’s start well and establish an early lead, the Clare and Munster champions will need access to a plan B. In this instance, they might opt to drop a forward back into a defensive role to help quell the pressure or perhaps boost their midfielder numbers with an extra body.
As for the starting 15, Declan Callinan is very likely to come back in at wing-back. Evan Talty did an efficient job against Portlaoise but Callinan’s attacking thrust is too effective to house on the bench.
Perhaps management might examine the possibility of playing Talty as a defensive wing-forward. Let’s not forget that he is capable of kicking a score as his Munster final-winning point testifies.
Odran O’Dwyer has been sprung from the bench in the last two games and this is likely to be the case again next week. If Kilmurry need an aggressive ball winner who knows how to win a free, they have their man in their 2004 Munster Club-winning captain.
St Gall’s will present a huge but not impossible challenge. Remember, they will be desperate not to lose a second club final. This desperation could interfere with their composure the longer the hour wears on.
Kilmurry have the class, experience, panel depth, work rate, ambition and overwhelming desire to win. Next Wednesday will be a monumental day for the parish of Kilmurry-Ibrickane and for the county of Clare. Can Kilmurry do it? They can and they will.