This article is from page 45 of the 2011-10-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 45 JPG
ANYONE who is under the illusion that Kilmurry Ibrickane are entering into Sunday’s county final with even the slightest hint of complacency should pay heed to captain Peter O’Dwyer.
The experienced midfielder has been down this road numerous times before, bought the t-shirt and in his professional capacity as a graphic designer probably even designed the t-shirt. From his first county final in 1999, O’Dwyer has been instrumental in Kilmurry Ibrickane’s undoubted rise to the top of the Clare football ladder, winning championships in 2002, ’04, ’08 and ’09 that also included two Munster titles as well as an All-Ireland final appearance last year.
More than that though, he is part of the O’Dwyer dynasty that reached its height in 2004 when Peter along with brothers Odran, Robert and Michael captured county and provincial titles under the management eye of their father Patrick.
With such vast experience, O’Dwyer is not about to take his eye off the ultimate prize, even if he is leading out his side on Sunday.
“I haven’t really though about the captaincy that much. It’s the same as any other final really because you can get carried away with things like that to be honest and it only uses up your energy and concentration. So, honestly I’m just treating it as another game and staying focused on it.”
That unwavering focus typifies a Kilmurry Ibrickane side that despite winning two out of the last three titles, are not about to rest on their laurels and are always striving to improve.
“We’re not entirely happy with the way we are playing. If you even take the last game against Cratloe, we played well for parts of the game but also for long stages of the game, we weren’t satisfied with our performance and that’s something we feel we have to address. So if we are going to win this final, we are going to have to be more consistent and up our game significantly.”
Upping their performance will be essential against the relatively unknown entity that is St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield who have defied the odds and are on the cusp of a wave of momentum going in the decider.
“I think they are a super side. I was surprised when a number of commentators seemed to think that it was a shock that St Joseph’s got through to the final. I wasn’t a bit surprised because they have been coming and I have been expecting this for a number of years to be honest.
“They have been coming good at underage for a while now and they’ve had success and along with that, they have some very experienced players who have played at inter-county level from their goalkeeper Declan O’Keeffe, up to Kevin Dilleen at centre-back and Colm Mullen in the forwards. So it’s a good combination to have and they are really going to be a force to be reckoned with. They are going to be serious, serious opposition I feel.”
So balancing up Kilmurry Ibrickane’s experience and the rising tide of St Joseph’s, where does the Mullagh man see the ingredients for a third county title in four years?
“I think every player is going to have to play to his full potential and best of his ability to be honest. I think it’s going to be a dogfight, it’s going to be a very difficult game and I believe the hunger is there in the squad to win the game and get over the line but as I’ve said it’s going to take a massive, massive effort to do so.”