Unbelievable scenes make Feakle's Clare SHC title famine worth the pain
OVERJOYED: Feakle’s Shane McGrath celebrates winning. Picture: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton
This is what it’s all about. The famine finally ended. The best performance of the year delivered in a county final against a team that have made a natural habit of winning county titles. Every person in the parish on the pitch, celebrating.
It can’t get any better.
“It’s well worth the wait, the scenes out here are unbelievable,” said Ger Conway, Feakle manager.
“It’s all you think about growing up in Feakle, to win the Clare senior championship. After 36 years, there was probably pressure on some of these players, some of them are playing senior 12 years, but by God did they work out there today and put in a shift.”
It was almost the perfect performance, especially in the circumstances. Feakle were in control from the first whistle to the last.
“We had played well all year but we have only played well in patches for 30-40 minutes,” said Conway.
“We knew this performance was in them. They’re a brilliant bunch of hurlers, great attitude, they’ll do anything you ask of them. We knew it was in them, it was only to get it out of them, to get them to believe in themselves. Luckily enough, it happened today.”
Despite being so dominant for most of the first half, a saved penalty did give Sixmilebridge some momentum at a time when Feakle had a chance to suck even more wind out of their sails. When the ‘Bridge reduced the deficit to two points shortly afterwards, Conway wasn’t concerned.
“We had always talked about that kind of thing,” he said.
“We knew that the ‘Bridge were always going to have a go at us. The ‘Bridge are there on merit, they’re there year after year, they are regulars in county finals. It was brand new to us but we knew that they were going to get their purple patch at some stage, and we just had to dig in when those patches came. We knew that our chances would come, and they did come.”
Despite none of these players having been born when Feakle were last county champions, there was still an expectation in the group. When St Joseph’s Tulla won a historic first Dr Harty Cup in 2022, seven Feakle players started on that team. One of them, Adam Hogan, is expected to win an All-Star and be crowned Young Hurler-of-the-Year on Friday night.
They may not be an underage powerhouse but Feakle have always carried an inherent belief in themselves.
“They have always given their all every day they go out with a Feakle jersey on their backs,” said Conway.
“They won an U21 last year when joined with Killanaena. These lads are a brilliant bunch of hurlers. They’re a brilliant bunch of lads. They deserve their day in the sun.”
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