Clonmore looking to build on promising league campaign

Billy Lawlor represented his club, Clonmore, at the launch of the senior football championship which was held last week.

He was a good man to have in Netwatch Cullen Park that night. He spoke passionately about what it means but he wasn’t getting the run of himself because his club had won a few league games against the likes of Rathvilly and Éire Óg earlier in the season.

“We can’t wait. First time in 20 years that we will be playing senior football. The last two years have been a dream. Everything has been motoring so well. Spirits are high and, hopefully, we can go up and have a good stab at it,” he said.

“We did have a good league, but you know yourself, you can’t read too much into that. We beat every team but we lost to Old Leighlin in the semi-final. We could have won that. We made mistakes and have learned a little from that game.” But is there a danger, that no matter what they say, those league wins will lull players into a false sense of security?

“I think we know ourselves that the county players were missing from their clubs. We know championship football will be different. Most of the lads have had only one year of senior football,” says Lawlor.

He agrees that Palatine, Rathvilly and Éire Óg are formidable opposition in Group 2. Yet Lawlor is not intimidated by three clubs who have won county senior titles in three years.

“Our aim is to get over the first game with a win and then try and get out of the group. Once we get out of the group everything is a bonus,” he says defiantly.