Sports

Derrick Lynch The result of Kildare’s tie with Cavan was still not decided when Colm Collins spoke to the media after Sunday’s win over Fermanagh, but he was quick to point out however things played out, there is still a clear ambition for his side to aim toward this weekend. When asked about how results might fall to keep his side out of the relegation battle, his answer was swift. “That is one side of the table. The other side of the table is also alive so we got to wait and see what happens. The other side of the table is still alive if we win our last game” he stated. Clare’s last victory over Fermanagh came back in 2015 but subsequent games, albeit all on the road, had ended in defeat for the Banner. The fate of the 2020 clash was in the balance in the lead up to the game after the Erne men had an outbreak …

Derrick Lynch Clare will be without one of their key men when they open their U20 Munster hurling championship campaign on Monday next. Sean Doyle and his management team have been dealt a blow with the news that talisman Aidan McCarthy is ruled out of the game after the Inagh-Kilnamona man suffered a broken thumb. It also leaves him in a race against time to be fit for Clare’s Munster senior hurling quarter-final showdown with Limerick on October 25, with the highly rated star due to be in a cast until just a few days before that tie. Fellow promising Combo star Conner Hegarty is also listed in the extremely doubtful category after he suffered a knee injury, but a broken nose is not expected to keep Shane Meehan from lining out under the lights in Semple Stadium. Doyle admits while there is still much uncertainty surrounding how the remainder of the sporting year will play out, his side are …

Derrick Lynch After a seven month wait, Clare’s 2020 National Football League campaign resumes this weekend with crunch Division Two penultimate round tie with Fermanagh in Cusack Park. The Banner come into the game knowing that victory will not only move them further away from the relegation mire, but would also set up an outside shot at finishing in the promotion spots on the final day when Armagh will be the opponents. Defeat for Fermanagh would see them relegated to Division Three ahead of their final round clash with Laois. Clare’s last outing came on March 1 when Joe McGann’s goal was instrumental in securing a 1-14 to 0-15 win over Cavan in Breffni Park. That result sees Clare just above Kildare in the relegation places on the head to head rule, and two points clear of Sunday’s visitors who are sitting bottom of the standings. The Banner have recorded two wins so far in the Division Two campaign with …

Derrick Lynch Sunday afternoon’s clash with Fermanagh in Cusack Park will not only mark the resumption of Clare’s National Football League campaign, but also the resumption of Eoin Cleary’s captaincy duties in Colm Collins’ squad. The Miltown clubman was appointed captain last January, and his six point haul in Clare’s last league game was instrumental in securing a crucial away win against Cavan. That was the last outing for the squad in a competitive setting, and Cleary admits everyone is now focused on making the most of the opportunities that lie ahead. “It is great to have this to look forward to, particularly with the club season finished. Everyone is in limbo and it is unprecedented times so people are just mad to get out to play a bit of sport and meet up with friends. We are privileged to have this now and we are looking forward to playing Fermanagh this weekend. We know what we need to do …

Derrick Lynch The honour of being the first Clare hurling team to embark on their 2020 championship campaign falls to the Banner’s minor outfit this weekend as they take on Cork in the Munster quarter-final on Saturday afternoon. Brian Coffey’s charges go up against the Rebels in Semple Stadium with a 1pm throw in for the right to meet Limerick in the last four in two weeks time. The fate of the minor and U20 championships for 2020 had been in doubt in recent weeks as Covid-19 restrictions left question marks surrounding how they would proceed. Those fears were allayed last week with confirmation that they would go ahead behind closed doors, but it was outlined that one parent or guardian per player could attend games at the minor grade. Banner GAA clubman Coffey, who has been with this crop of youngsters through the underage ranks, admits while the uncertainty was not ideal, they have not allowed it to affect …

Derrick Lynch Clare’s 2020 All Ireland senior camogie championship campaign gets underway this weekend when they take on Tipperary in the Ragg on Sunday afternoon. Ger O’Connell’s outfit are part of the three team group along with the Premier and Dublin, with the top two sides advancing to the quarter-finals. The Clonlara clubman admits while it was a challenge to stay focused in such an uncertain year, their mindset was always fixed on reaching this point. “It has been a long year to be fair about it. We were preparing that the championship would eventually happen and we had to have that mindset really. Even when the girls were off from the middle of March, they were still working on their plans and then once the club kicked in we were always seeing how they were in terms of injuries and staying updated on that. We were always being prepared for it because we had to and you could not …

Derrick Lynch Fermanagh manager Ryan McMenamin has outlined his view that it will be a player led decision as to whether they will fulfill their remaining fixtures in Division Two of the National Football League. The Erne County face the prospect of making a 300 mile round trip to Ennis on the same day that the isolation period for a number of their squad affected by Covid-19 elapses. The former All-Ireland winner with Tyrone revealed this week that he had just 11 players at their training sessions on Saturday and Monday last, with 10 members of the squad testing positive for the virus while another seven were in isolation as close contacts. Fermanagh are teetering on the brink of relegation from the second tier as they lie bottom of the standings, two points adrift of safety with two rounds remaining. It means that should they suffer defeat to Clare, regardless of when the game would be played, they will make …

One of Clare’s most promising stars has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2020 intercounty season through injury. Kilmurry Ibrickane’s Dermot Coughlan sustained a serious knee injury last week with a scan revealing damage to the cruciate ligament. It means the talented attacker, who was one of the standout performers as Kilmurry claimed the Clare SFC title, will miss the remainder of Clare’s upcoming campaign with crunch Division Two league ties against Fermanagh and Armagh along with a Munster SFC quarter-final clash against Tipperary.