CLARE manager Evan Talty insists that his side are embracing the pressure as they face Laois for a place in the TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Final, writes Ivan Smyth.
With Clare just 60 minutes away from a place in Croke Park, Talty admits that although his team are focused on the task at hand, the prospect of lining out at GAA HQ is one that will enter the thought process of the players.

“Some girls were there in 2016. I am a realist. It will one hundred percent enter the heads of both sets of players. If you lose the semi final you don’t get to experience playing in Croke Park. If you get to the final, whether you win, lose or draw you at least get that experience.”
“I won’t be naïve to say it doesn’t enter the head of a player. These things are there. It’s a pressure game but pressure is a privilege. You can’t survive without having pressure. If you are not nervous then you are not ready.”

With Clare having not won a knockout game since reaching the All Ireland final in 2016, the pressure was on to defeat Longford last time out and seal a final four spot.
Clare not only did this but they accomplished the feat in style, producing without question their performance of the year to secure a 16 point win. Talty understands the importance of ending their poor run of form in knockout Championship games.

“We always go from match to match and see where we’re at. I said to the girls the last day that you can’t get to a semi final or final until you get past the quarter final. They responded really well the last day. We have a young squad but there is experience there. We wanted to get the performance and if it wasn’t enough that’s ok but we knew we needed a big display and we got it.”
Heading in to this game, Clare will be without long term absentees Róisín Looney (shoulder) and Chloe Towey (achilles). Caitriona Callinan jarred her knee against Longford and was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go with Clare 2-8 to 0-2 ahead and coasting to victory.Talty insists the corner forward is fine for this weekend after she trained as normal last week.

The Kilmurry-Ibrickane man decided in November that Clare would use the league to experiment on new systems as they prioritised their efforts on peaking for Championship.
Clare suffered defeats to Sunday’s opponents Laois, Kerry and Tipperary before subsequently going down after losing to Tyrone in a Relegation Play Off.

Although Talty admits that league relegation was not an ideal outcome, the plan was always to prioritise the All Ireland series as he feels the result against Longford justified that approach.
“This is not a developmental team. This is a team ready to compete for an All Ireland. In November we met and prioritised a training plan. The aim was to peak for Championship. We had teams in county finals and experienced players who we gave an extended break to. We wanted to keep the girls fresh and not be dogging them in February and March.”

“With the age profile of our squad, we need young girls coming through and they can find their feet in Division Three next year. Would we be happy with relegation? No, but it was all about getting to this stage. I’d say we were justified in our approach by getting here but we know we are up against a team that’s favourites for the All Ireland.”

With Sinead O’Keeffe and Niamh O’Dea lining out with the Junior and Senior camogie side respectively while Laurie Ryan and Chloe Moloney play soccer alongside their football commitments, it would appear from the outside that managing dual players would require significant time and energy.
Despite the quartet all competing in multiple sports, Talty insists that the players are mature enough and smart enough to know when they can train and when they need to sit a session out in order to prevent injury.

“Sinead O’Keeffe plays with the Junior Camogie team and she has a PhD in sport science. Niamh O’Dea has done this five or six years. Laurie (Ryan) and Chloe (Moloney) know their bodies and we trust them to make the decisions they need to. Myself and Conor (Dolan) have an unbelievable relationship.”
“So for example if it’s a camogie week we don’t see Niamh that week and the same if it’s a football week. These girls aren’t 17 or 18 year olds. They have experience so it’s pretty easy to manage the situation.”

One of the new popular phrases in the GAA handbook is a ‘player led approach’. Supporters and the media hear this phrase being peddled out regularly by some of the best managers in the game.
The nine time county champion with the ‘Bricks contends that this is the approach his management team take as he insists that the management team create a space where players can thrive and provide regular feedback. He is content to take in advice from the players on the training field.

“For me we try to create the right environment and put a template in place for how we want to play. I’m a big believer of player input in to analysis. The big thing is that we all agreed at the start of the year how we wanted to play and approach the game.”

“We want to press the kickouts and tackle high up the pitch. We play an attacking type of game. We give them the principles of how we want to play and the girls take ownership. I’ve no doubt the likes of Laurie (Ryan), Ellie (O’Gorman) and Niamh (O’Dea) will all go on to be good coaches because they give their input.”

“It’s quite enjoyable. It’s great to get feedback. They challenge us because it’s the players who play the game. It is player led but you also have to have the management do their job and manage too. We’ve seen ladies managers leave in recent weeks because it’s demanding. Creating a culture and planning takes a lot of time.”

This is a Laois team that have racked up huge scores this year as they plundered 6-11 past Wicklow at the quarter final stage. Erone Fitzpatrick, Mo Nerney and Emma Lawlor are all joint second highest scorers in this year’s Intermediate Championship, highlighting their thrust up front.

“Erone Fitzpatrick is probably the form player of the Championship. She had a great O’Connor Cup with UL and is back after a cruciate injury. She’s one of the top scorers in the Championship. Laois have three of the top five scorers in the Golden Boot race so they are a huge threat.”

The path to an All Ireland final is one that will be tough to navigate. Laois beat Clare by five points in the league and although the Munster side won their last Championship encounter in 2020, a look at both panels from that day show that Laois have been able to maintain a greater level of consistency with player selection.

Eleven of the Laois team that played in the game against Clare two years ago saw game time against Wicklow in their quarter final a fortnight ago. Fitzpatrick would have been involved in that clash but she suffered a cruciate ligament injury earlier that year.

Meanwhile, eight Clare players were involved in both that Laois encounter and the Longford game. Just six players started both games, highlighting the overhaul of the panel in the meantime.
“Clare have probably had the edge the last few times they played. Donie Brennan has been in with them for three or four years so they are used to the game plan. Laois probably have an older age profile and are probably two years further down the road than us.”

“I’m not being disingenuous but they are probably the favourites with the way they’ve been playing.”

“We have been really consistent in the last three months but it’s a 50-50 game. It’s about getting that performance on the day. Semi finals are there to be won so although in knockouts teams tend to underperform, it’s just about who can find a way to win.”