Jersey deal helps to unify Clare GAA, says Murphy

The extension of a jersey sponsorship to Clare's camogie team has been a unifying force in the county, according to goalkeeper Doireann Murphy.

In February, Pat O'Donnell and Co announced a deal with Clare's senior, Under-23 and minor camogie squads. O'Donnell's plant machinery supplier has backed the men's hurling and football teams for over three decades, his name emblazoned across the shirt on many a Banner glory day.

For Murphy, it's a psychological lift that sends out all the right messages.

"We just arrived to training one night and they said they'd news: Pat O'Donnell was the new sponsor for our gear," she said ahead of Sunday's Centra Camogie League Division 1B final against Dublin.

"You mentioned the word unity there, that's definitely massive. If a kid goes away with a jersey now, at least it's the same for the camogie, the hurling, the football. That's the way it should be.

"I suppose if you're an outsider, you're just thinking, 'oh, they all have the same sponsor now'. But if you've been supporting Clare GAA since you were a young kid you've always seen Pat O'Donnell on the jerseys. It's just great now that we have the chance to wear the jersey with Pat O'Donnell on it."

Clare square up to the Dubs at Nowlan Park in the 1B decider this weekend hungry to head into the summer with a trophy under their belts. Eugene Foudy - in his first year as manager - has targeted the league since the winter; now his charges get the opportunity to do the business on their biggest outing of the year to date.

"We don't get to too many finals, so we're definitely looking forward to this one," said Murphy, back in the panel this year after a spell away.

"When we sat down at the start of the year and you're going through your goals and aims for the year, getting to the 1B final was definitely one of them, and hopefully winning it as well.

"We played Dublin in the first round of the league and we drew. It was just a really tight game. I suppose it's on the day, both of us. It was our first day out, and you don't know where you stand really until you play your first league game.

"We weren't long finding out they're a really big and strong physical team. They're very fit, so we have to bring our own work rate and intensity and get going from the start if we want to win."

"We just have to turn up and bring our own intensity and work rate from the first whistle to the last."

Clare meet Dublin again next month in their opening All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2 game. The top two in that six-team group progress to the quarter-finals, so the stakes will be high.

Could this league decider be something of a phoney war?

"I don't think we're thinking about that at the moment," stressed Murphy.

"They're two different competitions. It would be nice to win the league final then, at least if you're playing them again in May you have got that win, but it's not the end of the world either.

"It's like any sport, if you're losing a match, you just have to try and forget about it and move on as quick as you can. There's no point in the round after saying, 'oh, we could have done this, should have done that'. It's just move on to the next game, and that's it.

"Our task is Dublin. They're a team we've got to know well over the last few years. We just know if we don't turn up on the day, that won't be good enough for us to win it. We just have to turn up and bring our own intensity and work rate from the first whistle to the last."

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