This article is from page 55 of the 2011-01-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 55 JPG
“OCTOBER 17, 2010 is a date that going to live long in the minds of Crusheen people, no matter where they are on this planet. Decades of disappointment were finally put to bed that day and I as a proud Crusheen man was so happy for everyone in Crusheen that finally our day had come.”
The opening lines of Crusheen senior manager Michael Browne’s speech before the historic medal presentation to his panel of players. Delving deeper into the club’s Clare Cup and subsequently successful championship campaign, he paid special tribute to the players who brought the side to victory as well as the rest of his management team.
“You could see the confidence and the belief beginning to develop among the players as we got out of the group and entered the quarter-final of the championship. The discipline that this team showed on and off the pitch was second to none. They really responded to the challenge that was put in front of them and for that, I really admire them.
“You could also see it grow in the management. Nothing was left to chance and we had an absolutely fantastic management team in place. Eddie [Fitzgibbon]. Niall [Griffin] and Gerry [Kennedy] worked absolutely so hard at training and prepared meticulously for everything that happened throughout the year and for them nothing was too much, too far or too hard.”
In also thanking Cyril Lyons for his role in taking training at various junctures throughout the year, he recalled a conversation he had with the former inter-county star.
“Cyril felt that ‘for every team, there is a small, short window of opportunity to win a county title’ and I know many people felt that for Crusheen, that window had disappeared and was gone. But I can tell you that as we made progress in 2010 and especially in September and early October when that window came back into focus for us, there was absolutely no way that we were going to let it pass this time and that is exactly what happened.”
Junior A manager Joe Mullins reflected on the perfect year as his side claimed both league and championship honours.
“What a year we have had in 2010. We entered two competitions and won both of them, championship and league and in doing so contributed hugely to what has been the most successful year in the history of Crusheen GAA.
“We played 11 games in the league, winning nine, drawing one and losing one and this after we had already qualified for the semi-final. It’s a great record by any standards and after seeing the way the team performed in the final especially when the pressure came on, we knew that this could be our year to have a real crack at the championship.
“On the 30th of October, we lined up against our old foes from Newmarket. The lads played tigerishly and it ebbed and flowed as all tight games do but we said to each other going out for the second half that whatever happened we would fight to the final whistle. And so we did fight and that is why tonight we are honouring these county champions who have brought the junior A cup back to Crusheen for the first time since 1959 and not only that but they have also brought back the junior A league Cup to Crusheen, a double that has only been achieved twice before by any club.
“So in summing up the great year for the Crusheen junior A team, especially for the times we are living in, I’d like to put it like this:
“If this were a company and I was chairman of the board of directors and all of you were the shareholders, I know that you are very happy with your investments.”