Conor Ryan was full of praise for the Cratloe defence and backroom staff after they became Clare senior hurling champions for only the second time in Cusack Park, Ennis yesterday.
Cratloe, who have a shot at a unique double with the football final against Éire Óg next Sunday, saw off the challenge of Crusheen 0-14 to 0-06.
Man-of-the-match Ryan told RTÉ Sport: “We knew with Crusheen it was never going to be an easy game out there and that’s the way it proved.
“It was a battle, it was a dogfight and we knew it was going to be every bit as tough as that. And like you said, it was probably a game for defences and thankfully we just kept it a bit tighter at the back.”
Ryan said Cratloe’s strong finish came from their preparation for the game: “Well we did [finish strongly], you know, we can’t thank the lads enough for having us in the shape we are.
"One thing we are confident of is our fitness and thankfully it showed in the end and we got over the line, and probably the scores came a bit easier for us at the end.”
Focus now switches to the shot at a double which was last achieved by Ennis Dalcassians in 1914.
Ryan concluded: “That’s what drives us, the club behind us, we have the right people in place and we’re just delighted to do it for this club and it’s not every week you get to play two county finals so we’re looking forward to that as well.”
