Ryan Ready For Tough Test In Clare SFC Final

Derrick Lynch

One of the reasons that Cratloe are back into the Clare senior football final has been the form of midfielder Diarmuid Ryan.

The underage county star and current senior hurling panelist has played a key role in their march to the decider, with his two late goals against Clondegad crucial in kickstarting their backdoor journey.

The Mary Immaculate student teacher feels the manner in which they have bounced back from an opening round loss to Lissycasey has been a real positive.

“In some ways it was a blessing because it really focused the minds and I felt we really upped our performance after that, particularly against the likes of Miltown where we finished really well. We are not really known at times for finishing games strong and even the last day with five minutes to go we were still struggling but it was only when Podge got that goal that we settled down. We know the next day that we have to play for the whole 60 minutes, we cannot be playing for patches but we do have positives to look forward to. We will have to work really hard to be ready for it and if we do that then hopefully the performance will follow. We would not be used to having two weeks of just football training because usually it is week on, week off so having that time has allowed us to work on a few things. It can be seen in the last few games that we have upped our performance since that Lissycasey game with those extra few training sessions under our belt so we are really enjoying that side of it. ” he noted.

Ryan has grown into his role as a key man for Cratloe in the last few years, with his ball winning ability and surging runs from deep being a major asset for Colm Collins side. He feels those around him have helped him to adapt to the requirements of senior level.

“I have gotten good experience over the last few years in playing with lads who have been around the block a bit and played in those big games. It means you are only going to get better as the games go on and playing big teams like Kilmurry Ibrickane and Miltown means you have to be at the top of your game because they will welcome you to senior football fairly quickly. Kilmurry are a team who are drenched with experience the next day so it should be a very entertaining encounter for the neutral” he said.

Ryan, who is currently on teaching placement at the Gaelscoil in Raheen, admits having no action for a large part of the year meant there was a huge hunger when games resumed. He is looking forward to another showdown with Kilmurry Ibrickane and says everyone is anticipating another huge test.

“After having those couple of months off during lockdown you are nearly like an animal in a cage and you just want to get out and get back playing and give your best. You are only there for the 60 minutes and you have to give your best while you are out there. It goes by very quickly and you have to build yourself up fairly quickly into it. We are not used to the thing of arriving into Cusack Park 30 minutes before throw in and going straight out on to the pitch so it doesn’t really give you a chance to get nervous about it. We will look forward to playing Kilmurry and no doubt they will look forward to playing us. We have met numerous times over the last few years and they have come out on top in the last couple of games. Everyone here is really enjoying being back playing and we just cannot wait for the weekend” he stated.