Clare Intermediate Football Championship Preview 2007
Ballyvaughan V Michael Cusack's. 
Sunday 30th September  2007  Cusack Park .

Match Official:- Rory Hickey ( Eire Og Ennis)

Cusack’s to end final nightmare

Written by Eoin Brennan (Clare People)

Michael Cusack’s v Ballyvaughan @ Cusack Park, Ennis. Intermediate Football Championship Final Preview

For the third successive year, the Talty Cup is destined to reside in north Clare. The growing emergence of the region began with Intermediate success for Ennistymon in 2005 which was followed last year by Corofin, who in fact went all the way to the Munster Intermediate final. However, this year’s championship final has the unique distinction of having two north Clare clubs in the decider guaranteeing a sixth north Clare side in next year’s Senior Championship.

Added to the intrigue is the fact that the finalists are Ballyvaughan and Michael Cusack’s, separated by only a few miles and an healthy rivalry. Former team-mates with St Fachtna’s, these neighbouring clubs know all about each other and have friends and family on both sides of the divide.

However, that will all go out the window on Sunday as their rivalry will be renewed for what is arguably the most important game for both clubs in recent times. When the teams met last year in the first round of the championship, Michael Cusack’s just edged what was a very tough encounter but nobody could have predicted that the next time the two sides would meet would be in the final. Michael Cusack’s are certainly the more experienced side, having been in three finals this decade. However, success has eluded them but after winning the Under 21C championship this year, they now have a growing blend of youth and experience. This view is emphasised by Tom O’Loughlin, the Michael Cusack’s manager who pointed out that the current side should have no hang-ups over their previous final defeats. “This is a completely different team. I mean, you would have some of the lads still there but if you look down through it, there are eight or nine of the lads for whom this is their first final. It’s a whole new generation of lads and we don’t necessarily have to look at the fact that we lost three finals because that was six years ago. It’s great to get to these finals because it shows that you have a consistent group of players with a good consistent backbone and hopefully the experience of those three finals for the lads who have been there before might show this time.”

After comprehensively beating Cratloe in the semi-final, O’Loughlin admits that they have been working even harder in training to improve their shooting because despite scoring twelve points against Cratloe, they also hit 14 wides which he feels will not be good enough against Ballyvaughan.

“The lads are training hard at the moment and tryig to up it another gear because I feel we will have to if we are to beat Ballyvaughan. The lads are focused and they know what they have to do. They will need to produce a massive performance against Ballyvaughan because the way they disposed of Clongdegad in the semi, you would have to put them in as favourites. They play some brilliant football and have some lovely young players and it’s a credit to Pat Costello and what he has done with Ballyvaughan.”

To their credit, Ballyvaughan have undeniably been the surprise package of the championship. Since winning the Junior A championship in 2003, they failed to win a championship game until this year. However, after a confidence inspiring win over Clooney-Quin in the first round, they went on to beat Naomh Eoin to qualify for the semi-finals. At the penultimate stage, they produced their best performance to date to emerge victorious over an experienced Clondegad side who have been in two finals in three years.

Nevertheless, it was their huge work behind the scenes which manager Pat Costello attributed their current successful campaign. “In the last two or three years, we have done savage hard work. We couldn’t win a game in the intermediate championship for the last three years, only the relegation battle and to come out and win the semi-final this year and be in a county final is a dream come true really. But an awful lot of work has gone into it in the last few years and it’s all about hard work if you want to be up there at the top. “This year’s team are a year older and that’s what has been holding them back and as the years have gone on, the younger lads have gained experience and that’s the big thing. They have learned from the last couple of years of playing intermediate. You just can’t arrive into intermediate and win it. You must be there for a good few years to try and win it.”

Having been involved in the St Fachtna’s amalgamation, Costello knows all about the strengths of Michael Cusack’s, a club which he feels always had the right attitude of striving for the top and as a result, he realises that if Ballyvaughan are to win the decider, they are going to have to play to the top of their game. “We are going to have to have one massive performance. They have been there before, they know what the tension is going to be like and they have all that in their heads and they are going to be favourites on the day. If you are underdogs, you simply have to perform and if our lads can perform on the day, you never know what could happen.”

However, with all local derbies form goes out the window and as Cusacks manager Tom O’Loughlin assessed, it will probably come down to which team can make the least amount of errors on the day. “There is no need for motivation or anything. Each team I’m sure will be well motivated going out. Both teams will want to have the cup going home. But I think it will be the team which makes the least mistakes inside in Cusack Park that will come away with the cup. That’s how tight it will be.”

Verdict: Michael Cusack’s.