Clare boss anticipating big test from quality Kerry

Cavan

CAVAN finished in fourth place in WHEN James Murrihy took over the Clare senior ladies job before the 2018 National Football League, he didn’t expect things to be as difficult as they proved to be. Clare lost six out of their seven games and barely avoided relegation to Division 3, as the only team that they beat, Sligo, failed to win a game in the division.

Prospects looked bleak for the Quilty man, but he had come in with his eyes wide open and knew that Clare were a work in progress.

“The first thing that I did when I took the job was that I brought in 55 players as part of a training panel. We needed to see every girl in the county and we then cut the panel after that. The league was tough, but I knew that the girls were improving and that we might drive on for the Intermediate championship”.

The Clare bainisteoir was correct in his thinking. They enjoyed three good victories in Group 3 of the competition with wins over Down, Kildare, and Wexford. Confidence was back, and despite a 2-11 to 1-10 loss to Meath in the All-Ireland Intermediate quarter final, there was a feel good factor about Clare ladies football once more.

Murrihy is looking forward to the challenges that await Clare in this year’s league. “We have retained 95% of last year’s panel so that continuity is a good thing. The pre-season has gone well for us as well. With the milder weather we have been able to get a good few challenges under our belts and the mood is good in the camp. We are going to be up against it once again of course. I mean a team like Kerry really belong in Division 1 and have too much quality for this level. The same could be said for Armagh and Cavan and although we are expecting it to be tough, playing teams like these can only improve our girls.”

Clare must plan without Ailish Considine who is in Australia playing Rules football, but they have a number of other players that he will be looking to for inspiration on the campaign ahead.

“I suppose Niamh O’Dea is our best known player and Laurie Ryan as well who captained UL in the O’Connor Cup. The likes of Grainne Nolan, Roisin Looney, and young Fidelma Maher had great seasons for us last year, so hopefully they will again be to the fore for us. I suppose we will be more concerned with the performance rather than the result against Kerry, but the key thing is that we do ourselves justice.”