It’s the moment the footballers from Clare and Limerick have been waiting for all year as championship descends on the football folk of both counties with Cusack Park hosting the much anticipated clash.
Championship fever is ripe in both Clare and Limerick and the rivalry between both counties will be on overload this weekend as they clash in not one but two Munster senior quarter-finals. When it comes to the battle of neighbours, one of the main driving factors is to obtain the coveted bragging rights. Saturday evening’s encounter is where this rivalry will first become evident and while rivalry will play its part, it is the football that will do all the talking for seventy minutes at least.
Both sides have endured tough training regimes both on and off the field for the past six months all in preparation of this clash. Each panellist has made sacrifices in the lead up to the tie but once they hit the ground in Cusack Park and referee Derek O’Mahony throws the ball in, more sacrifices will need to be made. While the National Football League assists our perception of each team, it isn’t an accurate barometer for what we will see in the Championship. However, the facts from the 2015 National Football League in Division 3 will alert us to the fact that Clare finished fifth and Limerick sixth. It tells us that John Brudair’s Limerick scored 10-67 and conceded 10-90 while on the other side in their seven games Clare hit 5-89 and allowed their opponents’ notch a tally of 11-75. With Cusack Park being the venue for this tie, the matter of how the home and away record stands for both in 2015 is worth mentioning; Clare played four home games, winning three and losing one versus Armagh, on the road Limerick won just one game while they suffered three defeats away from home. To some it may only be the League but think of the delight in Drogheda on April 5th this year when the Treaty men ensured they would stay in Division 3 for the third year in succession or go back further to the 2014 League and the sheer emotion etched on the faces of the Clare diehards in Creggan, the small rural Antrim village where the Banner finally made their escape from Division 4, these instances show the League certainly means something. While the NFL is not the be all and end all, it does highlight certain areas of strength but also of weakness.
John Brudair has spoken this week about his Limerick team only beginning to hit the right notes towards the end of the League as younger players gained more experienced and their more seasoned campaigners returned from injury. One would need to be wary of a Limerick challenge as six weeks have elapsed since the NFL concluded and in that space of time great strides are made when it comes to moulding a team and focusing the minds. Their strongest area of the pitch for Saturday’s game is their attack. The likes of Ian Ryan, Seanie Buckley and Pa Ranahan are some of their more experienced players yet crucially they are also their most lethal and the trio will have a big say in how Limerick perform. Brudair has given a total of five players their first Munster championship start and some may see it as a risky move, but fortune tends to favour the brave. Johnny McCarthy will lead the Shannonsiders defence from full-back. They have been very inconsistent and their recent Munster championship form leaves a lot to be desired, their last win was in 2012 and it was a comprehensive 2-12 to 0-07 victory over Waterford. Of course they have already beaten the Banner in 2015 and while it is of little significance it will still give them confidence heading into the clash.
Two of Clare’s most consistent forwards over the last number of years in David Tubridy and Shane McGrath have been ruled out of the contest due to injury. Doonbeg man Tubridy has proven to be reliable from placed balls and in open play while Dublin based Garda McGrath is not just a workhorse but one who crucially picks off regular scores. Their loss will be felt but panels exist in sport for this very reason and to his credit Colm Collins has assembled one of the strongest Clare football panels in the County’s history. Eoin Cleary comes into the side at corner-forward for his first senior start and his inclusion could prove to be genius, the Miltown man hasn’t kicked a ball in competitive action for the Banner in 2015 due to ankle surgery, a spell on the sidelines for any player makes them determined to show they have something to offer and Cleary looks set to fall into that bracket. Apart from Cleary, it’s a similar team to what has appeared during the year with eleven starters from the 2014 qualifier defeat to Kildare included. The starting fifteen will need to tear into Limerick from the off and give everything they have for the first forty minutes, then Clare have options on the bench to freshen things up particularly in attack with some of the most exciting players in Clare football such as Cathal McInerney, Davy O’Halloran, Keelan Sexton and Rory Donnelly all capable of changing the outcome of this affair. This Banner outfit are a points getting team that’s their reputation so few would expect them to go for goals regularly but if they did it may just catch Limerick on the hop.
There is no denying how big an advantage playing at home is. Often it can be the difference between winning and losing. Colm Collins and Ger Keane have helped Clare to realise how important playing in Cusack Park is since getting involved in 2014, the Banner played some of their best football in the Park against Kerry and Kildare but crucially they showed the grit and fight that is associated with playing in front of your own. Limerick bullied Clare in Newcastlewest earlier this year, in fact Limerick have bullied the Banner in recent years in the Munster championship except the 2012 semi-final. It only takes so long for bullying to continue before a retaliation ensues and what a better place for Clare to retaliate than their own backyard.