STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS
Kilkerrin Clonberne’s Chloe Miskell talks to Daire Walsh about how previous players inspired their 2022 title defence
In the aftermath of her side securing back-to-back currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship titles at Croke Park on December 10, Chloe Miskell’s mind was drawn to those who had inspired the current crop of Kilkerrin-Clonberne heroes.
When Kilkerrin recorded their breakthrough Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup success over Mourneabbey in St Brendan’s Park, Birr at the start of this year, former Galway stalwart Annette Clarke appeared off the bench as a 52nd-minute substitute. An All-Ireland inter-county winner with the Tribeswomen in 2004, Clarke also featured for Kilkerrin in their national intermediate championship triumph at the expense of Cooley Kickhams five years earlier.
That aforementioned cameo against Mourneabbey was her final game for Kilkerrin, but it was a fitting way for the two-time All Star to bow out. Aisling Costello (sister of Galway footballer Shane Walsh) and Sarah Ward also stepped away from the set-up for this season, and Miskell acknowledged this triumvirate inspired them towards a defence of their All-Ireland crown against Monaghan outfit Donaghmoyne.
“I would have looked up to Annette when I started off football, all the way up. I had her as a manager too, many times. It would have been great for her to be here today. The likes of Aisling Costello and Sarah Ward, we lost them too,” Miskell explained in the minutes that followed Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s superb final victory.
“They deserved to be here today. Lots have gone before and haven’t gotten the opportunity to play here and we were doing that for them today.”
Aside from the obvious elation of winning a second successive national title – both of which came within the same calendar year – there was an extra thrill for Kilkerrin in the fact that their latest Dolores Tyrrell victory took place at Croke Park. Having played in Longford, Limerick and Offaly for their previous All-Ireland final appearances, the Connacht supremos were afforded a glorious chance to showcase their undoubted talents at GAA HQ.
While it wasn’t something they thought about until their place in the decider was officially sealed – thanks to a comprehensive semi-final win over Ballymacarbry a fortnight earlier – Miskell admitted she was playing out a childhood dream at the Jones’ Road venue.
“To realise that we were actually going to Croke Park, it’s a great feeling to actually look at it now and take it all in.
“It’s a great occasion for the club to get two All-Irelands in the one year. To come to Croke Park with your club and win an All-Ireland is always a dream. When you’re small growing up and watching on the telly, this is the dream. To get to Croke Park and win.”
A goalscorer when Kilkerrin dethroned previous winners Mourneabbey in January, Miskell also shook the net to help her side overcome the challenge of Waterford’s Ballymacarbry. She maintained her excellent form against Donaghmoyne, kicking 0-4 from open play to ensure Francie Coleman’s side were kept at bay.
While she has marked herself out as a player of great attacking abundance, Miskella stressed the importance of having so many high-calibre performers alongside her in the Kilkerrin team.
“We don’t really have a weak link in our team. We lost a few girls last year. Girls have come in and you wouldn’t even know the difference. Everyone is as strong as each other. Even in our training, there has only been a point between challenge games that we’ve had with each other. It’s very competitive there. It’s good for girls on the bench to push on for the starting team as well.”
When Donaghmoyne defeated Dublin and Leinster champions Kilmacud Crokes in an All-Ireland semi-final on home soil in November, a strong start to the game paved the way for their eventual 1-11 to 0-7 win. With just under 20 minutes gone on the clock, the Farney women had developed a convincing seven-point buffer and never looked back from there.
Kilkerrin were the ones to find their feet in Croke Park earlier this month, however, registering four unanswered points (including one from Miskell) inside the opening five minutes of the action. A couple of inspirational scores from Cora Courtney kept Donaghmoyne in touch, but Kilkerrin kicked on either side of the interval to establish an insurmountable advantage.
“When we were looking at Donaghmoyne during the week, they love to get fast starts. We really looked at that and it was very crucial for us to get on top of them very early on, and then to set the tone from there on.
“Before we started the game, we said we’d be happy even just going in at half-time with a draw or even a point up. We were a few points up at half-time, so that gave us a comfortable lead. We knew coming out in the second half that we really needed to put the foot down again, because they were going to come at us all guns blazing.”
While Miskell and TG4 Player of the Match Olivia Divilly might have stolen the headlines against Donaghmoyne with a combined tally of nine points, the Kilkerrin-Clonberne defence once again proved their weight in gold. In the eight games played across their Galway, Connacht and All-Ireland campaigns, they conceded just 2-31 – coming in at a phenomenal average of less than five points per fixture.
By chipping with 0-7, Donaghmoyne were the second-highest scoring opposition that Kilkerrin have faced. Only Roscommon’s Clann na nGael in the Connacht club semi-final (1-8) have surpassed this haul and Miskell believes Kilkerrin should be recognised for their defensive efforts as much as for their attacking output.
“I said it earlier on in the week, I don’t think the defence sometimes gets the credit that they deserve. From our scorelines, you can clearly see that our defence, midfield and forwards all contribute to the defending. That’s how we’ve kept other teams scoring very little.”
2022 was a hectic year overall for Miskell – who is currently studying for a masters in teaching at University of Galway – and 2023 looks set to be no different. In between their All-Ireland club successes, Miskell was one of nine Kilkerrin players in the Galway squad for a Brendan Martin Cup quarter-final reversal to eventual champions Meath.
Although they might be given a well-deserved break, the Tribeswomen will begin their LIDL National Football League Division One campaign at home to Donegal on January 22.
With no fewer than seven of them starting that agonising one-point loss to the Royals, the Kilkerrin-Clonberne contingent are expected to play a key role in Galway’s league and championship odysseys next year. Though it can be a difficult transition, Miskell is hopeful their club success can inspire the county side to scale similar heights.
“There’s a good load of us in there with the county. We’ve been playing with each other for I don’t know how long now, since we were five or six. We just know what runs girls are going to do. The way they like the ball and stuff like that. With the county we could push on. Hopefully we’ll bring more success to our county going forward,” Miskell added.