Massive test awaiting ladies

CLARE face Cork in The Ragg (Thurles) this Saturday evening in a much-anticipated Munster Senior Camogie final clash.
The sides met at the same stage last year when Cork emerged as convincing winners. The Leesiders will again carry the favourites’ tag this weekend but Clare supporters  expect their side will be much closer when the final whistle sounds.
Clare have earned some impressive results during the current season, which saw them narrowly beaten by Galway in a play-off for a place in the league’s knockout stage.
At the beginning of this season a new management team headed by Kilmaley’s John Carmody was put in place. Peter Casey is the team’s head coach and the backroom team also includes Flan McInerney from Sixmilebridge and Newmarket’s Tricia O’Grady, a former player.
They invited in a number of the back-to-back winning Munster minor side and these, together with the senior players, have blended well. In the league, they made a fancied Kilkenny side fight all the way for victory while they had good wins over Offaly and Tipperary.
Experience is provided by Deirdre Murphy, Claire McMahon, Siobhán and Fiona Lafferty while the introduction of minors Orlaith Duggan, Maire McGrath, Katie Cahill and Susan Fahy has added strength to the panel. This mix of old and new is working well for Clare.
Cork, it must be said, are in flying form having recently dethroned Wexford in the final of the Division 1 league.  Clare will need to hit the ground running on Saturday evening if they are to cause an upset. They  received a walkover from Limerick in the semi-final when they were looking forward to a competitive outing ahead of this tie. They travelled to play a Kilkenny selection in a friendly game at the weekend and emerged with an impressive win.
There is no doubt Cork deserve to have the favourites’ tag and it will take a big effort if Clare are to cause an upset. However, this panel of players have put in a big effort all season and they travel to the Tipperary camogie headquarters confident of making life difficult for the champions.
The Clare panel comprises Deirdre Murphy, Ailish Hannon, Orlaith Duggan (Clooney-Quin); Claire McMahon, Niamh O’Dea, Denise Lynch, Ailish Considine, Katie Cahill and Shonagh Enright (Kilmaley); Fiona (joint captain) and Siobhán  Lafferty, Sinéad O’Loughlin (Inagh-Kilnamona); Susan Fahy (Whitegate); Suzy O’Shea (Ballyea); Kate Connors, Maire McGrath, Chloe Morey, Naomi Carroll, Sinéad Tuohy (Sixmilebridge); Ann Marie McMahon (Crusheen); Carol O’Leary, Aimee McInerney, Sharon McMahon, (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Kate Lynch (Kilkishen); Susan Vaughan (joint captain); Marian O’Brien, (Scariff-Ogonnelloe); Laura Linnane (Wolfe Tones); Louise Woods (St Joseph’s).

Carmody confident about challenge

Clare senior camogie boss John Carmody has no illusions as to the task Clare face on Saturday.
“We know we are facing the top team in the country and they recently won the national league title. They beat Clare by a convincing margin in the corresponding game last year and that puts the challenge we are facing in perspective,” he told The Clare Champion this week.
That said, the Kilmaley man is looking forward to Saturday’s contest. “We have had a great response from the players in preparation for this contest. We had a relatively good league campaign and the new players we have brought in from the successful minor teams have blended well with the experienced players,” he said.
Siobhán Lafferty is a doubt for Saturday’s final, which has a throw-in time of 7.15pm. “She aggravated the injury while assisting Munster in the Gael Linn inter-provincial competition recently and we are keeping our fingers crossed she will be fit to play,” said Carmody. A final decision on the Inagh-Kilnamona woman’s fitness will be made nearer match time. 
A 3-16 to 0-8 win over a fancied Kilkenny side in a challenge game on Saturday has given Clare a boost ahead of Saturday’s final. “It was an impressive workout and the girls were moving very well. Clare McMahon returned from injury and played the second half, which is also a great boost,” the manager pointed out.
“We know Cork are a very experienced squad with numerous All-Ireland medals to their credit but we have studied their displays and I am confident we can do well. We are coming in under the radar a bit, which is a help.”