This article is from page 58 of the 2009-05-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 58 JPG
THERE’S a certain symmetry to 1996 that has caught the attention of Wolfe Tones’ Johnny Markham. Back in the mid-90s, when Clare hurling in general was riding the crest of a wave, Wolfe Tones made huge inroads in the domestic game.
In 1995, the year when the sport caught fire in this county, the club from Shannon picked up a Junior A title. It probably passed un-noticed in most hurling communities outside the airport town, which, consider- ing the summer that had just passed, wasn’t surprising.
The thing was, the club used that win not just as a foundation for the following season but used it as a springboard for the big prize.
Half a dozen players from that Jun- ior A winning side made the step up to the senior panel the following year and helped the club to their first ever county title.
This year, with a Junior A success behind them last season, Markham hopes the portents are favourable once more.
“Landing the Junior A last year certainly was a boost to us,” he says.
“Winning a title, no matter what level it’s at, does a couple of things. It gives players valuable experience in the latter stages of a competition and it gives them confidence as well. So we’re looking to bring through a few lads from last year’s Junior A side. We’d be hopeful of three or four making the move to senior and hav- ing a good championship this year.”
The Clare Cup has _ provided Markham with that platform. So far, he’s used a handful of last year’s Jun- ior As in the league and he’s been 1m- pressed with what he’s seen so far.
‘“That’s been our philosophy in the league, to bring those lads in and give them an opportunity, give them a chance to gain some more experi- ence. We didn’t start off too well in the league, but we’ve been steady since the first game. So yeah, I’d say we’ve found two or three guys who can add something to our team come the championship.”
Come this weekend, there will be a couple of notable absentees from the Wolfe Tones outfit. Given the trend towards emigration in Clare these past few months, most clubs have been affected 1n some way or another. Wolfe Tones are no differ-
ent but luckily, they’ve lost only one player to foreign soils, though it’s an influential one in the guise of Der- mot O’ Rourke.
Retirements have come by as well, Denis Riordan and Paul O’Rourke have hung up the boots and this year is the first in what seems like an age that Brian Lohan won’t tog out in the club colours.
“It’s almost impossible to replace a player of Brian’s standing,’ contin- ues Markham. “He’s been an inspi- ration and a leader to the lads on and off the field but it’s up to us to keep those qualities now. We have plenty of other lads who are well capable of being leaders and they’ll stand up and bring the younger lads through re) a
Though the club may have been quiet on the underage scene in recent times, Markham sees good work being done at root level, something which he says is both inspiring for the senior players and crucial to en- sure a conveyor belt of talent emerg- es to feed the senior teams down the line.
“We haven’t competed at some lev- els for a while, but there’s tremen- dous effort being put in, especially at
Under 8 and Under 10 level. And the hope is that this will put us in a posi- tion to get back to the top in terms of underage competition, where we feel we belong.”
As with any club, striking the bal- ance is the key — keeping a focus on the emerging talent and prodding the senior standard bearers forward. This year, a good run in the championship would ensure the younger members of the club will retain a strong focus themselves.