KILMALEY PROFILE

MANAGEMENT

Brian Culbert (Manager); Conor McMahon, Padraig McGough, Eoin O’ Malley, Martin Bennett (Coaches/Selectors); Eva Moynan (Physio), Liam Buckley (Stats)

CAPTAIN Daire Keane

KEY PLAYER Conor Cleary

ONE TO WATCH Colm Killeen

FRESH BLOOD

Sean Crowley, James Fitzpatrick, Colm Killeen, Oisin Looney, Thomas McGuire, Cian Neylon, Jack Warren

DEPARTURES GATE

Cathal Darcy, Eoin Enright, Aidan Griffey, Bradley Higgins, Eanna McMahon, Aaron

Moloney, Sean O’Loughlin, Peter Ronan (abroad); Brian McNamara, Gearoid O’Grady, Sean Ronan, Sean Ryan (Injured)

SHC TITLES WON 2

LAST SEASON Group stage SCHEDULE

Round 1 v Ballyea at Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 6.30pm

Round 2 v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Clarecastle (Saturday, July 29th), 3.45pm

Round 3 A bye (Weekend of August

11/12/13th)

Round 4 v Inagh/Kilnamona (August 25/26/27)

Round 5 v Scariff (September 8/9/10) ing into their late 20’s and a few new lads coming in this year and last year but there has also been a fair turnover of players over the last few years with lads traveling etc as well.

“I think that the players are sensing the fact that it’s a short enough mances consistently. They’ve always been able to put in good performances on a given day but it’s getting that consistency that we’ve struggled a little bit with over the last four or five years”.

Especially when embroiled in a five team group, maintaining high standards is almost a prerequisite.

“The group is tough and there’s no easy game in it but then you look at all the groups and there’s actually no easy game in the whole championship. The senior championship is so well balanced that every team can take a scalp off another on a given day so you just have to be at your best every day you go out. To be honest, I’m happy enough to be in the group of five because there’s an extra game so with four matches, if you do manage to get out of the group, you do so on merit”.

With their absentee list extending to double figures, their squad will certainly be tested to its optimum against then holders but far from wallowing in selfpity, McMahon feels that his players will savor a crack at their three-in-a-row chasing neighbours.

“We have a few injuries.

Brian Mc [Namara] is a huge loss to us after getting hurt last week, Gearoid O’Grady is carrying a knock and I think we’ve seven traveling at the moment that played championship last year. So it will have a huge impact but I think a lot of clubs are experiencing the same thing. Lads are traveling more now on the back of a couple of years that they couldn’t travel with COVID and you’re seeing a lot more people in the mid20’s traveling whereas previously you wouldn’t have.

“That said, we’ve planned without those guys and overall we still feel that we’ve a good panel of lads that have worked extremely hard over the last number of months and are really motivated. Obviously facing the county champions on Saturday is a tough assignment but it is one you relish at the same time.

“I mean if you do have aspirations within the county championship, you want to be testing yourself against the best and over the last few years, there’s no question that Ballyea are the best team in the county.”