Carrick Swan turn their attentions towards Clonakenny after success in south Tipperary

The impact of having four All-Ireland winners, with five All-Ireland medals between them, back on the Carrick Swan team was crucial in the side’s success over Killenaule in the South Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship final, according to manager Kieran Reade.

“It’s just phenomenal to have five All-Ireland medals coming back to the club, phenomenal for everyone”, he said.
Aaron O’Halloran, Stefan Tobin and Callum Lanigan were winners with the Under 20s, and Aaron and Gavin O’Halloran with the seniors.

“Aaron, Stefan and Callum came back from the Under 20s. Aaron was out for six-seven weeks with a shoulder injury. He came back and he went back in with the seniors then. But then when we had Gavin back, it was like, yeah, we’ll finally have everyone together. And I suppose the first match all together was probably against Mullinahone. So, we’re delighted for the boys, what they’re doing and achieving and putting their town on the map”.

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He also praised the role of big game players such as Gavin O’Halloran, team captain Eric O’Halloran and Dean Waters.

“They’re our leaders and all the lads look up to them. And you can see in the physicality and conditioning of the rest of the team now, that they all look up to Eric, Gavin and Dean. And the quality of the younger lads is phenomenal as well for us,” said a delighted Reade.

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Many teams might struggle after having a player sent off just two minutes into a high-profile divisional final, but Reade was pleased with how his side coped following the dismissal of Stefan Tobin.

He said – “It didn’t go as well at the start as we hoped with the red card, it was a pure accident. Stefan is not that type of player, and everyone in the county knows what quality he has, and he will be back for us. He’s a quality lad, and we all love Stefan at Carrick Swan.

“But the lads are fairly confident in what they do, and they don’t take that for granted. They respect their opponents because they need to bring a level above it. If they don’t respect it, they won’t bring it up”, said Reade, who highlighted an early point from Callum Walsh in setting the tone for the game.

“At half-time we did well to go in four points up, especially against the breeze and a man down, I thought. The lads were fairly composed. They used the ball well. They even went back and forth a couple of times to try and create a chance.

“The fitness levels are unbelievable. In the second half, I suppose, we were probably disappointed with the amount of wides we had. We kind of dragged them on to us a little, but look, the lads showed great resilience. And obviously, for them alone, like for the club, this is our first double since the 1980s.

“So, it’s a big achievement for the lads. Now they can think of themselves in the same way as the lads in the 80s. It’s for them now. It’s also great for all the supporters. And it’s great for the lads when they’re finished playing. They’ll be able to look back on it”.

The manager paid tribute to everyone involved in the success, with a special mention for club secretary Kenneth Francis Nolan for the amount of work he has done, and for Jason Fleming of JSF Construction for his support.

“They’ve helped us phenomenally over the last two years and we all appreciate it”, he added.

Reade and his team will have little time to rest on their laurels, as they face Clonakenny in the first round of the group stages in the county championship in Boherlahan at 3pm this Sunday – a group that also contains the team they defeated on Saturday, Killenaule, as well as a third South side in St Mary’s.

“I’m sure that Killenaule will love to have another pop at us but for now all the attention is on Clonakenny”, he remarked.