Darragh O'Sullivan hails his Ballygunner history makers

"Now to say that we are equal top level with Blackrock (five titles), three in a row. Huge achievement for the lads," said O'Sullivan.

PROUD: Ballygunner manager Darragh O'Sullivan. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

History made, Darragh O’Sullivan was happy to contextualise Ballygunner’s latest Munster success.

The three-in-a-row was something the group avoided at all costs ahead of this campaign and final but the manager revelled in the significance of being the first club to complete it.

Fine club teams of the past like Newmarket-on-Fergus (1967, ’68), Roscrea (1969, ’70), Blackrock (1978, ’79) and St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield (1998, ’99) had tried and failed to achieve the hat-trick.

“That’s why it is amazing to be where we are as a club,” gushed O’Sullivan.

“To be alongside Blackrock now for most Munster titles. And when I was playing we couldn't win one. And we couldn't get over the Clare teams. And now to say that we are equal top level with Blackrock (five titles), three in a row. Huge achievement for the lads.

“To win three Munster titles (in a row) it's not something we spoke about, that's the truth and yet when you do it, it is hugely pleasing from a club point of view. We'll quickly focus again, recover tomorrow, focus on St Thomas’.”

This latest victory came largely on the back of the displays of two of their more unsung inter-county heroes – Kevin Mahony and Peter Hogan – who between them scored 1-8.

"Maybe they will be (leading inter-county players),” O’Sullivan stressed.

“They are serious guys and serious athletes. We had 20 fellas there, we had another 10 lads in the stand that we could have brought on. We're elated with it.”

Clonlara manager Donal Madden took heart from the fact the team didn’t surrender despite the obvious difference in class.

“We’re a tiny little parish and we’re taking on the guys of their standing and their stature and I’d be very proud that we didn’t let ourselves down and I think we represented the people of Clare well.

“Let’s be honest, six or seven of those guys played in an intermediate relegation against Clarecastle two years ago above in Shannon and now they’re going out trying to chase around after the Mahonys and Dessie Hutchinson.

“It is a complete and utter different level and that’s why, look it, there was lots of things said coming up to the game and look it, this, that and the other thing and that hurt us. Criticising… that full-back line have had to listen to a lot of nonsense all year.

"They came up against some fantastic forwards in Clare and they held their own and, look it, I thought they held their own for long periods today but that level of pressure and that quality of ball in, our inter-county backs are going to struggle against those guys, not to mind club players.”

Madden was already putting it up to his players during the week to come back as brightly in Clare in 2024.

“I said to the guys during the week, the cup will be given back in six months and the medals will be in a box but the respect and the friendship and the camaraderie and the resilience and all those memories that we’ve had throughout this journey will live with us forever.

“The challenge for our club now is can we sustain this? I think we’ve done it well for one year but you talk about trying to sustain a culture or trying to put proper structures in place, you’ve got to do it again and again and again and the really good clubs in Clare have done it over long periods and the challenge for us is can we sustain this, certainly in terms of winning championships but can we sustain the effort and behaviours and culture over a longer period.”