Tipperary county football champions Clonmel Commercials have 'a really good group'

Above: Clonmel Commercials players Cian Smith (left) and captain Seamus Kennedy, with Ballina’s Steven O’Brien, at the launch of the FBD County GAA Championships at FBD Semple Stadium. Picture: Bridget Delaney 

County senior football champions Clonmel Commercials “just want to keep the good days coming”.

That’s according to new team captain Seamus Kennedy.

The Clonmel club have dominated the championship in recent years, winning three titles in the last four years, and four in six years, and they begin their 2023 campaign against Kilsheelan/Kilcash in Ardfinnan at 3pm on Saturday.

“We’re very lucky to be part of a really good group,” says Seamus Kennedy.

“With Commercials, a lot of us are on the road a good while, since 2012, and the core group have probably been there since then.

“We never lack motivation. We’ve a great rivalry with the likes of Loughmore and Moyle Rovers, and we’ve been very lucky to have got a couple of good runs in the Munster Club Championship as well.

“We’ve had some really good days with the club. Obviously we had a very disappointing day after extra time against Newcastle West (in the semi-final) last year, we’re carrying that hurt with us.

“We feel we have a group of a really good age with a lot of good young lads coming through as well, and we want to make the most of it. It’s very enjoyable, and it’s a great group to be part of”.

The dual player admits that it wasn’t easy to put the setback of Tipperary’s defeat by Galway in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final behind him.

“It’s not easy to move on when you’re coming off a disappointing defeat like the Galway game. After a disappointment like that, it’s great to have the club to go back into, refocus and get back in among the club lads that you’re not with for a lot of the year, so that’s great as well”.

He is one of a core group of Commercials footballers who also play hurling with St Mary’s.

Is it a distraction or a help to have hurling one week, football the other, and as the season goes on it places extra demands on players?

“What players want are games. The further the year goes on the bigger and better the games you’re playing,” he says.

“I don’t see it as a hindrance. We have a lot of dual players, particularly our young lads coming through such as James Morris, Peter McGarry, Tadhg Condon, their age group. They and other lads have given us a huge injection as well. It’s something we have to deal with. They’re all great lads, there won’t be any issue.

“Preparations have been really good, we’re just getting into the thick of it in the last few weeks. All the inter-county stuff is finished and lads are finishing up their holidays, things like that. So it’s really coming together in the last couple of weeks.

"I think after the first round draws were made, it gives lads an extra focus as well. You have a date and time to look forward to, it focuses everyone”.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s opening game in the football championship, he says “We played Kilsheelan in a county semi-final a couple of years ago and it was tight enough, 0-12 to 0-6 at the finish.

“They have some cracking players and they’ve an awful lot of work done. They’ve a lot of good young players, and a lot of dual players and underage players on hurling and football panels in the county, so they’re not too dissimilar to ourselves in that regard.

"They won the South Intermediate Hurling Championship final a few weeks ago, so spirits will be high there as well.

“It’s going to be very tough. The first game is so important, it sets you up for the rest of the championship and in the group. “Hopefully we’ll get out the right side of it”.

On a personal level, Seamus describes it as “a huge honour and privilege” to captain the team this year.

“It’s a club with an unbelievable history and tradition, a club my grandfather (Seamus Wall) played with back in the 1960s. It (the captaincy) is a huge honour for me and the family.

“We’ve a great group at the minute. I started back in 2011 and 2012, so to get the chance to captain the club is massive.

“We’ve been lucky to have played under such unbelievable captains as Kevin Harney, Fergal Condon, Jamie Peters and Donal Lynch, who have been unbelievable players for the club over the years. So hopefully I can be some bit as good as them and hopefully, if I have the same bit of luck that those lads had I’ll be very happy.

“I don’t think it (the captaincy) puts extra responsibility on my shoulders. I’ll just stay trying to do what I always do and lead inside the white lines, the most important place to be leading, and continue doing that.

“We’re an experienced team and have a lot of leaders around the field, so it won’t be just me.

“There’s a team of leaders there, thankfully”.