Sports

Off the back of a memorable championship summer in which Clare encouragingly made their championship mark, David Fitzgerald is relishing the prospect of trying to surpass that achievement in 2023. Just as the Banner’s swashbuckling provincial performances ignited the whole county, Fitzgerald was also performing to new heights in the Saffron and Blue jersey, scoring 2-18 in just seven championship ties on the way to deservedly becoming Inagh-Kilnamona’s first All-Star recipient (since Catherine O’Loughlin in 2005 at least). Being his seventh championship campaign, the stars had finally aligned for Fitzgerald in terms of finally nailing down a starting place. You see, prior to 2022, his versatility of being able to play in either defence or attack essentially made it difficult for him to be a master of one position as evidenced by 11 of his 24 championship appearances between 2016-2021 being from the bench. “To be honest, with the versatility, just trying to be consistent in a position was tough …

It was an enthralling hurling summer that Clare understandably never wanted to end but while supporters still bask in those indelible championship memories, the players and management themselves have long since parked 2022 and have been gearing towards not only emulating but eclipsing those feats in the coming season. Of course, with such ambitions comes heightened expectations, something which selector Ken Ralph only welcomes as they prepare for their first real tests of 2023 over the next eight weeks. “I would hope that expectations have risen because we had a reasonably good year last year. Obviously it didn’t end too great but we were happy with the majority of our championship run and we have to push on now. We have to kick on and improve and with that inevitably comes expectation and we hope to meet that this year and try and go a couple of steps further than we did last year.” Having incrementally finished each of their …

Brian Lohan has introduced ten new players to the Clare hurling squad for 2023 and points to the ambition among the new recruits and the established stars as they bid to take county seniors to the next level and win trophies, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh It’s hard to believe that it’s now a quarter of a century since one of the greatest examples of the real difference between league and championship was provided by a Clare team that had current manager Brian Lohan as a totem. It was 1998, when the great team that Ger Loughnane built rocked down to Semple Stadium for a joust with Cork in the National League semi-final on the first Sunday in May. Summertime had just kicked in and Clare had their chance to book a final place against Waterford. It was 20 years since the team that Ger himself was part of won the league for the second successive year — why not mark …

Clare cyclist Imogen Cotter has been named on the Irish team for the upcoming UCI eSports Cycling World Championships. Cotter has received a wild card to compete in next month’s World Championships. The selection caps a remarkable comeback for Cotter who just over a year ago was struck by a van driving on the wrong side of the road while she was on a training ride in Spain. The Ruan woman had just signed her first professional cycling contract at the time but despite fears that the collision could cost her a career in the sport, she was able to compete again eight months after the accident when racing at the 6th Grote Prijs Beerens in Belgium. Earlier this month, Cotter was confirmed as part of the renamed Fenix Deceuninck squad’s new development team and will compete as a UCI Continental rider. Before the crash, Cotter was in the form of her life as she secured the biggest race win …

Clare’s premature 2020 Munster Senior Championship Quarter-Final exit to Tipperary was understandably a bitter pill to swallow. With Kerry and Cork set to face each other at the semi-final stage in the other side of the draw, there was a major opportunity for the Banner to contest a first provincial senior decider since 2012, only to flooringly fall at the first hurdle. In the aftermath of that fragmented Covid-19 season, Brian Carson opted to step aside after two years as head coach but has returned this year with renewed optimism of Clare’s potential. “It’s good to be back. I felt that I had a little bit of unfinished business as I was disappointed with the way it finished up at the end of 2020. I even thought at that stage that if I could come back to Clare at some point I would so I was glad when Colm [Collins] approached me and am delighted to come back. “It’s a …

A MEASURE of how much the Clare team has changed over the years and is in a constant state of evolution comes footballing home when you look at the first time Pearse Lillis was handed a senior jersey by Colm Collins in the National League. It was seven years ago this Sunday in Miltown Malbay when Clare started their Division 3 campaign with a 1-11 to 0-7 win over Sligo. Lillis was at wing-back that day — the only other starters still standing are Cian O’Dea and Jamie Malone who were with him in the defence, midfielder Cathal O’Connor and captain Eoin Cleary up front. Gone is the backbone of that first Colm Collins team that helped lift Clare from Division 4 to 3 and then to the higher altitude again of Division 2 for 2017. From Joe Hayes in goal through to David Tubridy at corner-forward, with some other giants — in stature and otherwise and football-wise — in …

Not only is Colm Collins remarkably embarking on his tenth consecutive National Football League campaign but it’s Clare’s consistency in that period that makes the county’s longest serving manager also the most highly regarded. From Division 4 to 2 took only three years and now the Banner, despite being largely written off nationally as relegation fodder each year, are commencing a seventh successive Division 2 campaign. Considering that in the previous decade, Clare had six different managers (John Kennedy, Donie Buckley and Michael Brennan, Paidi Ó Sé, Frank Doherty, Micheál McDermott and Mick O’Dwyer), all of whom were not native to the county, it’s a testament to Collins’ longevity that the Kilmihil man remains steadfast in his clear desire to developing Clare football. So what is it that keeps him coming back for more each year? “The fantastic bunch of players we have is the main thing. They have been a pleasure to deal with and the day that wouldn’t …

SHANNON boxer David Ryan took away the irish-boxing.com Debut of the Year award in Dublin on Thursday night. David was back to work at Morrissey’s butchers in the Town Centre the following morning, and said he was delighted to get the honour and had a fair idea his name would be the one called out. “The guy running the show told me to make sure to be there, I kind of knew then! “It was a fantastic night. I’d have preferred if it wasn’t a Thursday night or the week before a fight, but it was a good night. There were a lot of other boxers there, a lot of other people nominated as well, so it was good to come out on top.” While David couldn’t indulge given his upcoming fight, there were lots of other people in the same boat at the awards ceremony. “99% of the people there were boxers, so everyone was not drinking, not eating …