Local hoodoo that haunts champions

As Louis Mulqueen sees it, Sunday is the crunch game for his team. Since they won the All-Ireland hurling club championship last March, St Joseph's Doora-Barefield have struggled to find the balance which sustained them throughout the autumn and winter of last year and their every outing is a mystery, even to the players themselves.

"You can see it clearly whenever there is an action photograph taken of our games. Last year, there were three or four of our guys around whatever opponent had the ball, we hunted in packs. Now, there is a lot more space there," says Mulqueen. ?Such was the slog involved during the push for last year's All-Ireland title that the club players - as well as intercounty men Jamesie O'Connor, Seanie McMahon and Ollie Baker - are feeling the effects of burn-out. That lethargy has been all to evident during their uncertain progression to the semi-final stages.

"To be honest, we might well have been caught out in the earlier games. We struggled against Scariff and looked gone against Ogonnelloe. We just haven't been clicking."

Their meeting with Clarecastle in Newmarket on Sunday has whetted appetites in Clare as it is a meeting of the reigning All-Ireland champions against the Munster club champions of 1997.

Recent history between the two clubs has been one of Clarecastle domination; they beat St Joseph's in the 1994 and '97 county finals.

"The joke last year was that we only won the All-Ireland because we didn't meet Clarecastle. I suppose it is important for us to end this hoodoo. The feeling locally is that they should come through fairly easily and their performances to date would substantiate that, they have won their games very smoothly. But we think we have it in us to give it a crack."

While the St Joseph's intercounty contingent has been well documented, Clarecastle also boast an illustrious list of household names, headed, as ever, by the redoubtable Anthony Daly. "Anthony is there and Stephen Sheedy going well also. Up front they have the Sparrow (Ger O'Loughlin) and Fergie Touhy and Ken Ralph, who is top scorer for them. It really is a lethal forward line - I think they combined for 1-12 in their last match. They really are firing well right now," says Mulqueen.

Although the prospect of another successful All-Ireland run is deeply alluring, conventional wisdom would suggest that St Joseph's are, for the time being, all hurled out. If that transpires on Sunday, what then?

"If we are beaten, well, after the disappointment, it gives the lads their first opportunity for a genuine break in quite a while. There is no reason they can't return strong again. These things are cyclical. But the thing is, if we get through Sunday, things will look different. If we click, well, things could open up again. You wouldn't know what might happen."