Nemo can return to the land of plenty

Munster Club Football Final: For Nemo Rangers the times of plenty have been so fruitful and productive that the small break …

Munster Club Football Final: For Nemo Rangers the times of plenty have been so fruitful and productive that the small break since their last Munster title win in 2002 must feel like a famine.

In the club game though Nemo remain the model for all others to follow. Their underage structures are thriving and perfect, their infrastructure and husbandry likewise.

Nemo recently opened a new clubhouse complex at Trabeg. Four full-size pitches, an all-weather pitch, gym, steamroom and sauna plus two bars which serve food. To celebrate they won the county senior and under-21 titles, the latter achievement being their fourth win at the grade in five years.

It's a testament to Nemo's assiduous work on the underage fields that, of the team which started in the Munster final three years ago and went on to avenge the St Patrick's Day defeats of the previous couple of years, only seven survive tomorrow.

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At county level that sort of turnover might have been feasible in bad times. For a club side between provincial final appearances it's remarkable.

What has caused such a radical transformation to be wrought may of course have been that interference with Nemo's aura caused by those two All-Ireland final defeats to Crossmolina and Ballinderry at the start of the decade.

Throughout the history of the club championships Nemo's only defeats in either Munster or All-Ireland finals had been to star-studded colleges sides.

To see them lose to tyro sides from Connacht and Ulster changed the way we saw things. By March 2003 of course, when they won their seventh All-Ireland, we were willing to believe neither defeat had ever really happened, but in Nemo the response would be more long-term than that.

Tomorrow Nemo will test their newest names. They are in an odd position for a Nemo side in that St Senan's by dint of their size and more limited structure will put out a side with almost as much individual experience as Nemo have, but in terms of institutional experience Nemo have it all, even down to the names on the teamsheets. Morgans, Niblocks and Kerrigans.

We are familiar with players like Alan Cronin, Martin Cronin and Mick Daly, and have become accustomed also to the precocious talent of James Masters up front, but Nemo are brimming with potential.

The last day against Stradbally young Paul Kerrigan (a star in the county under-21 final until being sent off) came in as a late replacement for Mick Kearney and scored 1-5. Voila!

After the Stradbally game Ephie Fitzgerald, the Nemo coach, noted that his side had been a little patchy in their play particularly once they had established a lead. Noel Roche, manager of St Senan's, has much the same complaint.

St Senan's are much the same bag we saw two years ago, albeit with one new midfielder (Kevin Larkin); Ger Keane has been a stalwart of Kilkee and Clare forward lines for many years, but as his star declines with age Michael O'Shea appears to be hitting his prime.

Beyond that the Claremen will look to the Russell brothers, Denis and David, and to the vastly experienced 6ft 6in midfielder Derek de Loughery.

Teams who have played St Senan's this year have found them dogged in defence and just about efficient enough elsewhere.

Nemo though have developed a reputation themselves for parsimony in defence. And with Alan Cronin on the edge of the square and the left-pegged William Morgan at top of the right, as well as Masters, they may just pose a few too many problems for the Claremen.

Nemo get the call.

Sunday, Gaelic Grounds, 2pm