REACTION: Hennessy lauded Loughmore Castleiney players in aftermath of huge win in Ennis

Shane Hennessy was the happiest man in Ennis on Sunday evening after his Loughmore Castleiney players and teammates produced a brilliant away performance to clinch a famous win and a place in the Munster Club Senior Football final in the process.

“I’m on a bit of a high after that. Trying to put it into words is difficult,” Hennessy said on the pitch after the game.

“It was a performance we knew we had in us. We have been playing well in the football all year and we knew we had to bring that today.

“Ennis are a good team, they’ve won three out of the last four county finals and have experience of winning in Munster. They’re a seasoned and quality outfit.

Loughmore had a real battle with the Clare champions on their county ground pitch, and despite the away trip, the support was surely in the favour of the travelling Loughmore Castleiney support, who witnessed substitutes Phillip O’Connell and Ciaran Connolly swing the game in their favour in the final quarter.

“The substitutions really paid off in the end,” Hennessy highlighted.

“We have a serious panel like. We won the Premier Junior and it was no surprise to me that we did win that.

“It really did pay off. Two subs, two goals and Paul probably could have got another one!”

Éire Óg are no mugs at this level and had a good chunk of county players both current and in the past playing on the day and during their recent successful spell, so Hennessy was well prepared for how they would set up and try to stifle his team.

"They're a defensive team, they're set up defensively but if you ask them questions, can they answer them.

"Personally I don't want to play defensive football. Most lads have to go back and defend, that's just the way football has gone now.

"But we don't stay there. Once we have the ball we're going forward and it doesn't matter if you're numberone to 15.

“Everyone goes and we know we get into a shape that we get the right lads on the ball who can carry it with pace and we get the scorers into the scoring zone and get on the ball.”

Despite playing against the wind in the first half, Loughmore Castleiney were by far the better team but some poor lapses defensively coughed up two goals and it eventually saw them go in a point down at the break. Far from a disaster, but with the way the game was being played, it could have infected the players confidence.

“We were playing against the wind and we have been utilising the wind well. In the county final we played with the wind first but we put ourselves in a great position early on against it.

“We got caught for a silly goal after one of the lads got dragged out of position and that opened up space in the corner. That was just a small lapse in concentration.

“The wind was never going to win it for us, it was our willpower, determination, and impact from the bench was that was going to win it. As well as taking the right options.

This squad of players have been on the go all year, and Hennessy has been a big part of the winning mentality with the group this year, and he admitted that there is a special group of players in the club at the moment and they are hoping they can go one step further and claim a very first Munster title in the big ball in two weeks time.

“There is something special in that dressing room and we just want to keep it going,” he said.
Dr. Crokes of Kerry stand in the way now, and Hennessy can’t wait to have crack at them. We played Crokes in 2013, we played them in 2016 down in their backyard.

"Whilst it was an enjoyable experience, we didn't win and we probably didn't rattle them.But we know that they're a serious outfit, they're some serious, top class footballers. Gavin White, how would you describe him? He's the player everyone wishes they could have on their team.

"But look, they're not invincible, they're only 15 men against 15. Who knows, maybe we can rattle them and it's not going to be in Dr Crokes' home field this time.

"They went to Waterford today, they only won by a point. Maybe there's a chink in the armoury, who knows?"