Clonbullogue boss calms nerves as final day looms

AFTER a glittering career on the pitch and on the sidelines with his own club Rhode, Joe Kilmurray is just one game away from landing a county title in his first ever year as a manager.

Prior to his switch to Clonbullogue, Kilmurray was assisting Malachy McNulty at Rhode and he brought many years of playing and coaching experience to the managerial role.

“This is my first year officially coaching as a manager. I only started with the [Clonbullogue] guys this year and I'm really enjoying it,” he said.

“They're a good bunch of lads. They're a nice community too.”

After deciding to commit himself to Clonbullogue he was impressed with the attitude of the GAA club.

“They're trying to do things right in the club. They're a young team and they're enjoyable players to be with. They're good lads.”

Anyone tracking Offaly's remarkable march to All-Ireland Under 20 glory this year will be familiar with Keith O'Neill, a player who made an impact on several occasions during the campaign.

But Kilmurray contends he is just one of several products of Clonbullogue's admirable youth development policy.

“Everyone has seen what Keith can do. He's performed at county level too. But at the end of the day these guys are very young, unlike Raheen.”

Shifting the focus to his opponents in Saturday's final, Kilmurray describes Raheen as “mature” and “strong” and a team with more intercounty players than his panel.

“Clonbullogue are just progressing and we're just happy to progress from each game to the next. At the end of the day [with Raheen] you have Dylan Hyland, Conor Carroll, all the intercounty players; James Lalor, an excellent intercounty player, one of the best with Offaly for the last number of years, a big man, very athletic.”

He also believes that Declan Byrne, another Raheen man with intercounty pedigree, has “been having an exceptional year”.

Having spoken so highly of Raheen, Kilmurray denies that he is playing down his own team's chances, though that is a strategy which would be understandable so soon in advance of such a high stakes encounter.

“No. We're happy, it's a young team, we're just trying to play football,” he said. “As a club we're just quite happy to get where we are and see how it goes.”

There were some injury concerns after the semi-final victory over Daingean, with both the aforementioned Keith O'Neill, and his brother Ruairi affected by ankle injuries.

There were some issues with Daryl Quinn and Harry Judge too. “We'll just have to mind them and see how we get on,” Kilmurray said last week.

If Kilmurray tries to make the argument that Clonbullogue are a young side, then they are certainly one which has matured quickly.

How else do you explain results like the 2-17 to 0-10 defeat of Kilcormac Killoughey or the 1-18 to 0-2 drubbing of St Brigid's?

The only blip was the loss to Daingean in the group but that was only by a single point and was avenged by a nine-point margin in the semi-final.

Does all of this point to Clonbullogue, losers of the 2019 intermediate final to Shannonbridge, going one better this time?

Kilmurray again puts the emphasis on Raheen. “Raheen would be very well coached, they're a great management team and have been there for a couple of years,” said Kilmurray.

The former Rhode defender has been assisted on the sideline by Ciaran Heavey, Niall McEvoy, Tom Gorry, Nigel Smith and Willie Melia this year in Clonbullogue's quest for a first ever intermediate crown.

Saturday afternoon in O'Connor Park will determine if their work delivers the ultimate prize.