‘We want to be here for a long time’ – Deegan

MOMENTS after Cratloe had made history 12 months ago by winning the Canon Hamilton Trophy for the first time, team mentor Mike Deegan recalled what he and his fellow mentors said to the players. “Nobody remembers teams beaten in county finals. It’s the people who win county finals that are remembered,” they said.
Cratloe are now just one hour away from retaining the senior hurling title and there is little doubt but that those involved will hold a special place in parish history and, indeed, in Clare GAA history if they manage to achieve that.
Delighted to be in the final, Deegan admitted this week that they started the year by concentrating on getting out of their group.
“We had to take it one step at a time. It was a tough group we were in. Every game was a serious challenge. We were county champions and everyone wanted to beat us and that’s to be expected but fair play to the lads. It was tough going early in the year but they stuck with it and kept going. We have had a few injuries but it hasn’t been too bad,” he said.
“Retaining a title is a difficult task. To be able to keep going for two years on the trot is tough especially with football and hurling. These lads have kept going and there was real pressure on us to win the semi-final,” he said.
“After winning one, you are obviously hoping and praying that you will retain it. It’s a big challenge,” he replied candidly when asked about his side’s chances in Sunday’s final.
“Crusheen have been knocking on the door in recent years. They have serious talent and some great players. They have great experience in the team. We will probably be favourites and there will be no pressure on Crusheen and we have to deal with that. We have an eight-day turnaround and we have to get through that. It’s going to be tough,” he warned.
“We couldn’t do too much last week as we were trying to recover from the week before. It’s the same this week and it’s hard, as you can’t do too much. It is hard to get it right,” he added.
He agreed that the atmosphere throughout the Cratloe parish is electric at present.
“The place is buzzing and it’s great to see all the colours. It’s a great boost to the parish and that’s what you want,” he said.
“The panel is really being tested now because of the fact that we have some injuries. Ogie (Murphy) was mad to play last week but he wasn’t ready. We are working on his injury all the time, trying to get him ready. He would be a big boost to us if he is available. The problem is a groin injury and it has to be right. Gary Ryan wasn’t togged for the semi-final because of a knee injury while James Enright broke fingers during the week and was also ruled out last week. We will see how things go this week in this area,” he said.
Deegan admitted that staying at the top isn’t easy. “Obviously, a lot of teams have won the title once and they might fade away. We don’t want to fade away. We want to be here for a long time,” he concluded.