Corby and Clough/Ballacolla are concentrating on their own game
Aidan Corby says his main concentration, and that of his Clough/Ballacolla teammates is on their own preparation, not anyone else Photo: Denis Byrne
CLOUGH/Ballacolla captain Aidan Corby is feeling confident and focused as his team prepares for the Laois SHC County Final against Rathdowney-Errill. With the squad in top shape, Corby is pleased with how smoothly things are going in the lead-up to the big match.
“Just training away the last few weeks now, looking forward to the final. Just another week really for us, normal week preparation and stuff, so it’s going well. This is the first time we actually have a full-strength panel, thank God,” he said.
Reflecting on their semi-final victory over Camross, Corby acknowledged the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams but emphasized that Clough/Ballacolla’s focus is firmly on the upcoming final.
“It’s always a close game when we play Camross, it’s always nice to get one over them, and the same for them with us, but we’re just delighted to be back in the final really. We don’t really care who it is we’re playing,” Corby explained.
Corby also highlighted how tough the Laois SHC competition is, with several teams competing for the title every year, making each opportunity to win all the more precious.
“We were just saying that we’re delighted to be back in it because you’d give them all up to win the next one. You don’t know when you’re going to get back here, you don’t know when you’re going to win one. They’re fairly hard to win here. There’s always the four or five teams that could win it in any given year, so all we want to do is just win this one,” he stated.
This final will mark the first time Clough/Ballacolla and Rathdowney-Errill have faced each other in a county final since 2012, when Rathdowney-Errill claimed victory after a replay. Corby is hoping for a different result this time.
“It’s been a long time coming. There’s a lot of finals between the two of us and it’s a bit mad that this is only the second one since Rathdowney-Errill joined up. They beat us in the last one, so hopefully we can get one over this time,” he said.
Corby praised the younger members of the team, who have firmly established themselves alongside the more experienced players. He believes their involvement will be crucial in what promises to be a closely contested final.
“First year for Joe (Corby) and Cormac (Hogan) and maybe one of the other boys, but it’s a big week for them, they’re looking forward to it. They have plenty of experience to get them through. The last 10-15 minutes there, there’s not going to be a puck of a ball in it, so they have plenty of lads around them to get them through it,” Corby said. “Cormac and Joe, they’re nearly leaders in the group anyway. They’ll probably be helping us over the line rather than the other way around.” On a personal level, Corby shared his joy at being named captain this season, calling it a dream come true.
“I was delighted when I got picked to be the captain. It’s something you’ve always wanted to do, captain your club to a county final, so it’s a massive honour, and hopefully we can get over the line now,” he shared.
Corby also reflected on what winning the title would mean for the club and the local community, where hurling plays a central role in people’s lives.
“Hurling’s everything really over here. It’s all most kids really do from when they’re growing up, so it’d be huge for the whole of the parish again to get another one,” Corby said.
