O’Dwyer passed fit to lead Clare kingpins in replay

KILMURRY/IBRICKANE captain Odhran O’Dwyer will be fit for Sunday’s AIB Munster Club SFC final replay against Stradbally in Kilmallock (1.30).

O’Dwyer sustained a heavy knock in the latter stages of the drawn game at Semple Stadium which required lengthy medical treatment. However, Pat O’Dwyer, manager of the Clare champions, confirmed yesterday that his son will be fit for the replay.

“Last Sunday wasn’t good for the heart, but I delighted to be still in the title race. It was riveting stuff and even if it’s late in the season, it’s great to be still involved in the championship,” said O’Dwyer senior .

“My overall impression is that Stradbally are a very good side and all the talk we had heard about them being a physical team was utter nonsense. You expect to get hit, in a legitimate way, at this level of competition, and Stradbally hit hard, but fair.

“They played some excellent football, particularly in the second-half, and it looked curtains for us after we surrendered that five point lead.

“We were extremely lucky to be still in the game at half-time after Stradbally wasted those goal chances. There was an awful lot of slack marking in defence and that’s an area will have to work on in the coming days.

“But I want to give my team the credit they deserve. In adversity, they have always been able to raise their game and they did so again on Sunday.

“When we got three points in-a-row early in the second-half I though we could go on a win it, but we didn’t pile on the pressure and kill them off. Again that comes with experience playing at this level.”

O’Dwyer still does not know how his side let a commanding five point lead slip.

“Maybe they began to feel the title was won when we went five points in front, I don’t know until we talk about it.”

“It would be very easy for me to say that we slackened off, but you have

to give great credit to Stradbally. They came back at us playing beautiful football.

“While we shaded midfield for a while over the full game we lost that area. Players on both sides were given a lot of space which was surprising, but the tight pitch in Kilmallock will rule that out for the next day,” said O’Dwyer.

“If there is anything we can take from the drawn game it’s that we never give up. I’ve always said we are a very resilient group of players and we finished strongly, and could well have won it at the death.”

There is a change of referee for Sunday’s replay with Paddy Russell (Tipperary), who ran the line in the drawn game, taking over from Michael Collins.