Ballyclare aiming to go one step further and win All Ireland Junior Cup

Mike Orchin-McKeever’s side reached the final against Ulster rivals Clogher Valley but lost 11-9 at Kingspan Stadium.

The Co Antrim team are two games away from lifting the trophy for the first time in their history this season but must negotiate a tricky trip to Tipperary on Saturday afternoon to face Kilfeacle in the semi-final.

Orchin-McKeever said: “It is our second time in the last four, we missed out narrowly in the quarter-finals last year.

"It is exciting to be in a different competition than the league and more All Ireland-based.”

The 2022 final defeat was a hard one to take for Ballyclare.

“It was a cracking final up to about six minutes to go, fair play to Clogher Valley that day they took their opportunities and played the full 80-minute game,” added Orchin-McKeever.

“I’d always be quite keen in saying whenever you look at your losses you learn from them, but I’d rather learn from wins; but you definitely learn from losses.

“That’s what grounds you and puts chips on your shoulder and help you grow for the next opportunity.”

Ballyclare have won the Town’s Cup three times under Orchin-McKeever and shared it when the final couldn’t be played due to Covid. They have also lifted the Ulster Junior Cup

“You are hoping to build on the confidence of knockout rugby, there is maybe a bit more expectation in the league when you are trying to get bonus tries or trying to get a losing bonus point,” Orchin-McKeever said.

“Cup matches [are] what [they are] – it’s a knockout. Last year we retained the Town’s Cup, we won the Junior Cup and we narrowly exited the All Ireland Cup at the quarter-final stage, so there is a bit of history, tradition or confidence that you can draw on for this one.”

Ballyclare head to Tipperary in good form but the coach admits it’s a step into the unknown.

“We are currently top of the league and have a next game approach in it – we’ll go out and have fun and try to play a bit of rugby, defend smart with what is coming at you,” he said.

“We have an ongoing thing in the Town’s Cup, we do like that competition and that is coming up around the corner over Christmas as well as this All Ireland game.

“It is nice to play teams that don’t know you and you don’t know about them, it just gives you a fresh approach.

“I think you get a bit bogged down playing teams that you are familiar with and your presumption leads to an assumption of what you are going to do and what they are going to do, so it is a clean slate for the players to go out and express themselves against the unknown,” he added.

“I’ve looked into them a little, I am expecting a very physical and aggressive game, especially up front in the pack – more of a 10-man game.

"They might try to move the ball around but it will depend on the conditions.”