Sports

Derrick Lynch The crowds may have been missing from Thurles last weekend but the roar from the Tipperary management and squad at the full time whistle almost made up for it. For Clare, it was a stony grey silence which mirrored the skies overhead while the heavy rain which started to fall did little to improve the mood. For a brief moment, Clare boss Colm Collins stood still with his hands in his coat pockets as he tried to make sense of the near 80 minutes of action which had just unfolded. By any standards, it was one of the most abject performances of his seven year tenure but yet in a manner befitting the strange world we live in, by his own admission, it was a game Clare almost stole at the death. “The ironic thing at the end of it all was that the game could have been stolen and stolen would have been the correct word for …

Derrick Lynch Chairman of Clare GAA Joe Cooney has confirmed that the 2020 Annual Convention will be held online on December 15 in order to comply with Covid-19 guidelines. The O’Callaghan’s Mills clubman is one of the officers who will not be seeking reelection to his position, having completed five years in the role. He outlined to the virtual November meeting of delegates that nominations for positions would be submitted prior to Convention, with a postal or delivery vote taking place once candidates have been finalised. The results of those votes will be announced on the evening of December 15. It is unlikely that a large volume of motions from clubs will be submitted, with a circular from Croke Park to each county stating that “it is advised that any matters that can wait to make them wait and remain conservative – 2020 is not the year to consider contentious motions”. Treasurer Michael Gallagher also outlined to the meeting that …

Joe Garry Colm Collins has had a few anxious moments, awaiting results from elsewhere over the course of the seven National Football League campaigns he has presided over. Thankfully the news has always been positive and the Banner have preserved their status, and in the 2016 instance, been promoted, on the back of same. A sprinkling of luck is always a welcome, and indeed necessary, ingredient along all journeys of note. I have never gone along with the line that we are better off in Division 2. We have, in this present squad and management, the ambition and talent to mix it with the big boys, but will only get to the top echelon when we are consistently good enough. In 2020, we weren’t and ultimately the final table cannot be argued with. In this year’s programme, the two best teams Clare met, were promoted, and both teams relegated, lost to the Banner. Of the three remaining sides, Clare lost …

Derrick Lynch Clare’s recommenced 2020 season continues unabated this weekend where a trip to Semple Stadium for a Munster SFC semi-final against Tipperary awaits. Colm Collins’s side come into the game off the back of retaining their status in Division Two of the National Football league, albeit after defeat to Armagh. With that goal now parked, all eyes are firmly fixed on the first step on the potential road to a provincial decider. Victory on Sunday afternoon would tee up a home semi-final against either Limerick or Waterford, but there is no one in the Clare camp looking past the challenge of the Premier. That includes Clare coach Brian Carson who is in his second year involved with the Banner’s backroom team. The UL Exercise Physiology lecturer feels that the competitive nature of their last two games leaves them well placed to take on the challenge that lies ahead. “Both those games were perfect preparation for Tipperary in many ways. …

After the decision to remove all second string teams from the All-Ireland Intermediate and Premier Junior camogie championships, it means that Clare’s hopes of silverware at adult level this year rest on Ger O’Connell’s senior side. They take on Dublin this weekend in a winner takes all showdown for a place in the quarter-finals of the championship, with Tipperary already safely through as group winners. Joint Clare junior manager Ann-Marie McGann looks ahead to that game along with giving her thoughts on the decision to bring their championship campaign to a premature end. It was a disappointing end for management because we had worked very hard but it was even more so for the girls because we really had a good chance. They put incredible work all year and we were training for nearly 12 months because that is how seriously we were taking the championship this year. There have been some rumblings from other counties about moves to try …

Derrick Lynch – Comment Clare’s loss to Limerick in last Sunday’s Munster hurling quarter-final means the wait for provincial honours goes on while the 2020 season now moves into last chance territory. That is it in basic terms but on a grander scale, it means so much more. It is not so much the manner of the defeat that raises serious questions, but rather the nature of it. Going on recent championship form, Limerick were always going to enter the game as favourites and while that can often count for little in derby ties, there was always a sense that this one was going to run to form. It is reflective of the general malaise that is affecting Clare hurling over the last few years, but the burning question is why no one has shouted stop? From the outset, let’s make it very clear that no one is questioning the time, effort or commitment of players and management who put …

The childish excitement as the team gathers before a bus journey to Thurles, the card game down the back or the quietness in the front of the bus or train. The buzz of the crowd as you pull in to the town and head over the bridge and see the stadium. The familiarity of some of the faces you see on the way and the usual gang that awaits before you enter the dressing room. But most of all, that feeling when you enter the field and it all hits you that this means something to more than just you. All of this was missing on what was an unusual start to the Munster championship. And unfortunately, from the couch, it came across like that. The game was played in fits and starts with Fergal Horgan’s whistle dictating it all too frequently to my dismay. The game tried to ignite a few times in the first half but failed to …

Derrick Lynch There are fears that the closure of sporting facilities as part of the level five Covid-19 restrictions will lead to young athletes falling away from their chosen disciplines. Under the current restrictions, underage GAA, soccer and rugby are all on the back burner while sports such as swimming and golf have also been deemed to be non essential for the duration of the measures. For promising athletes like Leana and Sam Liddane, it means that their sporting plans have ground to a halt for the second time in 2020. Leana, who is part of the National performance development swimming squad, also has one eye on the 2024 Olympic Games as part of the women’s relay team. Her routine is now disrupted with the closure of her training facilities, and her mother Christina outlined that this latest setback could have real implications on what comes next. “We were in the pool training on March 12 when everything shut down …