Dicing with the drop: how relegation play-offs shred the nerves

The biggest of GAA clubs can end up skirting with the worst pressure games of all - the relegation play-off. Christy O'Connor watched former Munster Club SFC champions Doonbeg go through the wringer last weekend

HIGH STAKES: Doonbeg's Padraig Gallagher holds off the challenge of Ian Twiss of UCC during the 1999 Munster Club SFC tie at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

AT ONE stage of their Clare SFC relegation match on Sunday against Kilmihil in Cooraclare, David Tubridy heard an echo from the past that offered a resounding reminder of how some people from clubs all across Clare have never forgotten the pain administered by their Doonbeg predecessors, no matter how long ago those scars were first inflicted.

A Kilmihil player mentioned wanting revenge for a previous county final defeat. The last time Doonbeg beat Kilmihil in a senior decider was 1988 but Tubridy is sure the opposition player was talking about the 1982 final, which Doonbeg won after a replay on a scoreline of 0-4 to 0-3. Colm Collins, the former Clare manager, was the only player to score from play as all of Doonbeg’s scores came from placed balls.