Even though it’s all about winning, it’s not ALL about winning.
Cratloe is a hurling area, always has been. The village won county hurling titles before it even saw a football.
The footballers came over from the west around 20 years ago and now Cratloe enjoys a kick-around as much as it enjoys a puck.
Winning the elusive county senior hurling and football double in 2014 put the south-east Clare village on the map as one of the best clubs and indeed one of the best dual clubs in the country.
Since then, expectations have risen.
When they don’t win the hurling, the football is blamed and vice versa but men like Podge Collins know a sporting life is too short to measure it on winning alone.
He’s well aware that sacrificing the football might give them a better chance of winning the hurling. Playing a competitive game every single week obviously catches up with a team in the long run, as does training for both.
But they play football and they play hurling because they love playing games. Of hurling and football.
He feels that too often, people are chomping to write off dual clubs as a failure and the dual dream as an impossibility the minute they lose a game.
It’s the easy thing to blame sure.
“It’s always my pet peave that no matter how well we do in a year as a dual team, like for example, when we won the double in 2014, we had lost the Munster hurling final after extra-time, we lost the football semi-final after extra-time – everyone comes back to you then saying you can’t do both…Like do you have to win the All-Ireland in both for people to be like ‘Oh (that worked out for them’)…”
Collins has been around long enough to know that the journey is just as important as the destination.
“We’re always going to hear it that we can’t do both or whatever, but obviously, we love playing both so it’s not really a thing of whether we’re successful in both or not – it’s a massive bonus, yeah, but we do enjoy playing both games.
“Definitely. Especially after a year of inter-county, when you come back to kick a ball, it’s something different…when you’re constantly playing hurling, it’s all consuming so it is nice.”
This weekend, Cratloe are in the Clare hurling final, their first since 2014. They were on course for the double up until last week when they lost the football semi-final but with all bar three of the hurling panel involved last week, they didn’t have time to dwell on that loss.
“We played them already in the championship. We lost it after extra-time – obviously the way the structure works, we could get back in but yeah they’re a tough task,” he said.
Containing Tony Kelly will be the battle.
“Tony’s been playing exceptional stuff. We really struggled with him the day we played them but he’s gone from strength to strength since that. The radar is definitely on but he’s got some big, strong physical lads around him too who are well able to win their own ball. They’re a very effective team…
“The way he’s playing at the moment, he’s nearly unstoppable. Hopefully I won’t be saying that Monday but judging by the last few games, I could be,” he said.
“His touch, his striking, his athleticism, he puts a lot of work into that too and he’s the full package now – he’s a very tough lad to mark.”
But Collins and the Cratloe boys are up for the challenge.
Get to Cusack Park or get the deferred coverage on TG4 on Sunday.
Podge Collins of Clare was at Dublin Airport this morning where Aer Lingus, in partnership with the GAA and GPA, unveiled the one-of-a-kind customised playing kit for the Fenway Hurling Classic which takes place at Fenway Park in Boston on November 18th. Aer Lingus will once again be the Official Airline of the Event and will be responsible for flying the four teams to Boston.
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