Kilmallock achieved their goal for the year by claiming a first Munster club SHC title in 20 years, according to manager Ger 'Sparrow' O'Loughlin.

Speaking after plotting the downfall of his fellow county men Cratloe in yesterday's extra-time thriller at the Gaelic Grounds, the former Clare All-Ireland winner revealed: "I said to them when I went in there first that I wanted to win a Munster club with this team. I have been ramming that down their throat for most of this season.

"That was our aim. I just felt I had seen this crowd . . . they had lost a bit of spirit. Tony Considine had done tremendous work with them for a couple of years and had won two championships with them but I just felt last year I came in to watch the semi-final as a neutral to watch the semi-final that the spirit was gone out of them.

"In January I told them I don't just want to win a county championship, I want to win a Munster club."

O'Loughlin felt Kilmallock's physicality eventually told.

"Yeah, maybe at this time of the year, a bit of physicality (and) you can come out on the right side of it but to be fair to Cratloe, their forwards had us at sixes and sevens for most of the game when the ball went in. That's something you nearly have to put up with," he continued

"I said it during the week that we had forwards I felt could outscore them anyway. That's nearly the way it panned out.

"There was a bit of physicality in that we were probably bigger, stronger men than they had but in saying that, they have such athleticism and mobility that it counteracts a lot of the physicality."

The Clarecastle man said Kilmallock will celebrate for a few days before turning their thoughts to next February's All-Ireland semi-final against Portaferry.

"We have to go back and celebrate for a few days, which they deserve because they have sacrificed an awful lot.

"Portaferry is an unusual name to have in an All-Ireland club semi-final. They got there on merit so we'll have to just go and see what's involved.

"It's like everything else, if you take your eye off the ball they are the ones that you can be caught out on. We'll have to work hard again in the New Year."

Tweet

Most Read Stories