Munster final 'a step too far' admits Éire Óg boss O‘Connor

The Clare champions were outclassed by a vastly experienced Ballygunner.

Tadhg Foley of Ballygunner in action against Éire Óg Ennis players, from left, Marco Cleary, Aaron Fitzgerald and Shane O'Donnell. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Éire Óg, Inis manager Gerry O‘Connor admitted this Munster final was virtually over after 15 minutes.

Six unanswered points from Ballygunner put them into the driving seat midway through the opening half and the Clare champions were trailing in their wake for the remainder.

“They're 10 years down the road in terms of their preparation,” said O’Connor. “We've two years done, some of our lads have a year done. And it was always the fear factor that with an inexperienced team like that, we were going to face a really difficult challenge. And we did today.

“But, look, we're still incredibly proud of our lads. We're thrilled to have come out and represented Clare, but ultimately it was just a step too far.

“Fifteen minutes into that game, the writing was on the wall, really. They were exceptional. I suppose in that first 15 minutes, we turned over the ball poorly that we'd be disappointed with, but ultimately every poor decision that we made was punished.” 

O’Connor acknowledged the gulf in class between the sides. “Their pace from the middle third and their running off the shoulder, we just weren't able to get to grips with that. And as well as that, their defence, defensively as a unit, they were excellent.

“We now know the bar that's required to take the next step for us. And that's probably important, you know, that we've a winter ahead of us at training and we know exactly where that bar is. But it's a large gap based on what we saw out there today.” He continued: “We're a fierce young team We've given debuts to 11 players over the last two years. Ultimately, that was a step too far for those young fellas today.

“They now know where that standard is and where that bar is. They're very, very focused young men, and they'll come back stronger than this again.” 

Having completed the senior double in Clare, it remains an exceptional year for Éire Óg whose football campaign concluded the previous weekend against St Finbarrs.

“It is massive, but I suppose it doesn't feel massive right now,” said O’Connor of the double. “Ultimately, we came down here, we had a solid game plan, we had trained very well.

“Absolutely no excuses whatsoever. There was no lack of energy, there was no lack of focus. We just met an exceptionally good team on the day.”