PEIL CLUB FOCUS
3 IN A ROW FOR KILKERRIN-CLONBERNE
GOALKEEPER LISA MURPHY DISCUSSES WHAT GOT HER TEAM OVER THE LINE IN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST BATTLES THEY FACED TO DATE. BY DAIRE WALSH
When Louise Ward made her speech from the steps of the Hogan Stand on December 16 of last year in the wake of Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s magnificent currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship triumph over Ballymacarbry at Croke Park, she was keen to identify all of those who had played a part in helping to get the Galway side over the line.
Aside from the likes of her father Willie (the team’s manager), Michael Divilly, Gerard Noone and TP Fanning, the dynamic centre-forward also heaped praise upon the team’s goalkeeping coach, Suzanne Murray.
A new arrival to the set-up in 2023, Murray was hoping to build on the excellent work of her predecessors and ensure that Kilkerrin-Clonberne remained at the top of the All-Ireland club ladder for a third year in succession. The Tribeswomen managed to do just that with six points to spare (0-18 to 1-9) over their Deise counterparts at GAA HQ and speaking in her capacity as the side’s starting goalkeeper, Lisa Murphy said that Ward was correct to highlight the important work that Murray did behind the scenes.
“Over the years there has been different coaches. I had Eoin Martin last year and the year before Catriona Connolly from Sligo, but this year Sue Murray came in and I think we just straight away clicked. Not that I didn’t with Eoin or Catriona, but we just got on very well,” Murphy acknowledged in the aftermath of their latest All-Ireland club final victory.
“She was there every evening early, setting up drills. She really pushed me and asked questions of me. We had that relationship where we might be giving out to each other, but it’s something that I probably needed, that bit of a push. I even see myself, I’ve progressed from when we’ve started to now.
“She has really brought the best out of me. I think that is why Louise gives a special mention to her because they see what she’s done. I think that’s a compliment really to her and me!”
In claiming the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup for a third consecutive time, Kilkerrin-Clonberne became the first club outside of Ballymacarbry themselves to do so in the 46-year history of this top-tier competition.
From 1989 to 1995, Ballymac (who have remarkably ruled the roost for the last 42 seasons on the local scene in Waterford) claimed an astonishing seven All-Ireland club titles in-a-row. The aforementioned Dolores Tyrrell was captain when the Munster outfit won their first national crown in 1987 and the senior trophy was subsequently named in her honour in 1994 – a year after she had sadly passed away.
Despite registering a convincing 2-10 to 0-2 win at their expense at the semi-final stage of the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior Club Championship in 2022, this incredible pedigree kept Murphy and her team-mates on their toes for the Christmas time showdown at the Jones’ Road venue – where Murphy previously featured for Galway in their TG4 All-Ireland SFC final defeat to Dublin in 2019.
“We totally wrote that off [the previous year’s semi-final] as if we hadn’t played them at all. They were a completely different outfit this year. They won their semi-final against Clann Eireann comprehensively and the Banner Ladies were probably tipped in the Munster.
“I do think that we were really taking this seriously, that they’re a club steeped in history. They’ve won numerous All-Irelands, Munster titles, even county titles.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and what they bring. Even their supporters out there, it’s a community. Small, like our own. We knew it was going to be a tough, tough battle and we did not take them for granted by any means.”
In many respects, this is what helped to fuel their outstanding display against Mike Guiry’s Waterford side. Leading at the break on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-3, Kilkerrin-Clonberne knocked over six points on the bounce to leave Ballymac with far too much ground to cover inside the final-quarter.
To their credit, they were much-improved during the closing stages as a plethora of points – and a goal from county star Clare Walsh – enabled them to cut significantly into their deficit. Yet Kilkerrin-Clonberne remained in control and it was thanks in no small part to their attacking triumvirate of Eva Noone, Chloe Miskell and Lynsey Noone that they created such a gap between the two teams.
Supplementing four points from her sister Lynsey, Eva Noone emerged as their scorer-in-chief with an exceptional tally of 0-6. Just behind her with five points was their ever-dependable inside forward Miskell, who also contributed four excellent scores when Kilkerrin-Clonberne defeated Monaghan’s Donaghmoyne at Croke Park a little over 12 months earlier.
“I think they relish the day. They relish playing in Croke Park. Chloe, the Noones, Olivia [Divilly], Louise [Ward], Niamh Divilly. The forwards we have and the calibre of players, we’re just very, very lucky that any day you can depend on any of them to get three or four points each.
“They’re just brilliant and they stepped up today. I think everyone had a good game and I think we were in control. Maybe there was a few minutes [when we weren’t], but we were very controlled there. Once we got the lead at all, I think that was it. We just held onto it and there was no way we were giving up the title.”
Last December’s final represented a quick return to north Dublin for Kilkerrin-Clonberne as they had overcome the challenge of Dublin and Leinster champions Kilmacud Crokes at nearby Parnell Park a mere 13 days earlier. This was a game where the title holders had to display their true championship mettle as their Metropolitan opponents were in the ascendancy with 45 minutes gone on the clock and then brought the game into extra-time courtesy of a free from Cork native Niamh Cotter.
However, Kilkerrin-Clonberne dug deep over the course of 20 additional minutes and eventually emerged on the right side of 0-15 to 1-10 final scoreline. Murphy described this as one of the toughest games they have encountered during their extraordinary run of recent years and it ultimately had them battle-hardened for their now annual trip to Croker a little under a fortnight later.
“I’d say it was probably the toughest match we had in at least three years. I was in floods of tears, it was for the community there. I’d say we’d 2 to 1 supporters versus Kilmacud. We’re doing it for all of them as well and that game, if we ever thought the hunger wasn’t there, that game definitely made sure that we realised that it is!” remarked Murphy, who works as a legal secretary with RDJ LLP in Galway.
“They’re a brilliant team, they had their homework done on us. I think as the game went on, we almost got better. Our fitness told. Johnny Carter there, he’s really pushing us at training and to come out of that with a win after such an epic battle is something that we’ll remember for a long, long time.”