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Backing Ballyea to back themselves against Ballygunner

UNTIL it is surpassed, 2016 will be regarded as Ballyea’s greatest season as breakthrough county and Munster titles were garnered in a fairytale few months that only ended in the All-Ireland Final on the following St Patrick’s Day. Personally however, 2022 has to be Paul Flanagan’s best year to date, with his immense performances for Clare earning him a first ever All-Star nomination before also excelling once more for Ballyea in securing historic back-to-back Canon Hamilton crowns. Understandably therefore, he is not too keen for 2022 to end anytime soon. “The year keeps going and it’s funny because it kind of instills a bit of extra hunger in you too to go up to Dublin for that awards night. It was my first time at anything like that whereas for some guys they’re probably there every year. “So for me it was all new as the All-Stars recipients are the best in the country and to get to that level …

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Cliona puts best fist forward for gold medal

GORT teenager Cliona D’Arcy won the gold medal in the heavyweight division of boxing’s World Youth Championships last Saturday. It sees the Leaving Cert student at Gort Community School add to the European gold medal that she won in April. D’arcy defeated India’s Kirti Kirti in the final, with all five judges giving her the verdict. “It’s absolutely amazing, I actually can’t put it into words. The support from everyone really helps, and the coaches’ advice has really brought me a long way, I’m absolutely delighted!” she said in the aftermath of the final. “We watched a few fights and saw that she kept coming forward, so trying to stay off her and keep angles was my main strategy for the fight. “I was very, very nervous going in. I didn’t know what to expect, I thought that she probably would have the better of me, but as soon as I stepped in the ring my nerves calmed a bit. …

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Former Deise star confident Gunners’ depth can edge out Ballyea

Former Waterford defender Noel Connors believes Ballygunner’s strength in depth will prove decisive when they meet Ballyea in this Saturday’s Munster final. The three time All-Star believes Ballyea will provide a stern examination of the reigning champions’ credentials, but he believes that Ballygunner possess a squad that is deep enough to withstand the best Robbie Hogan’s side can produce. “They probably have a squad of 32, 33, 34 lads at a similar level. They have players who have starred at minor and U20 level and sometimes those guys aren’t making the panel. Fellas can come in if a guy like Dessie (Hutchinson) is being held. “Probably not many people knew Harry Ruddle before his goal in the All-Ireland final but he was exceptional in the Club Championship all along and was probably the best player in the league down here. “They have quality throughout and that’s why I think they can pull away near the end against Ballyea. I think …

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Shotguns by the bedside: Clare farmers express crime fears

FEARS have been expressed that farmers and dwellers in East and North Clare will be forced to take the law into their own hands in a scenario akin to the infamous Padraig Nally court case following a spate of rural crime. Councillor Pat Burke has revealed one farmer told him he has a “shotgun loaded at the head of the bed” at night to protect himself from any intruder, while former councillor Bill Slattery has warned there could be another Padraig Nally scenario involving North Clare farmers who are being “bullied and threatened”. In December, 2006, Padraig Nally was cleared of the manslaughter of John Ward by the Court of Criminal Appeal, which overturned an initial six-year sentence. Mr Nally, of Funshinagh Cross, Claremorris, shot the father of 11 at his farm on October 14, 2004. In court evidence, Mr Nally said he believed Mr Ward had been on his land to commit a burglary and confirmed he had been …

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O’Brien happy to leave the couch behind and get back on the line

Adrian O’Brien is certainly looking forward to patrolling the sidelines of Semple Stadium this Saturday. The Limerick native was faced with the unprecedented conundrum of seeing two clubs he’s currently coaching clash in the Munster Senior Club Semi-Final a fortnight ago when Ballyea and St Finbarr’s met for the very first time at competitive level.. “As such, there is a huge sense of relief that he can finally get back down to work after stepping back from both the Clare and Cork champions ahead of their Cusack Park bout. “It has definitely been a strange few weeks. That said, the two boys have been brilliant, both Ger [Cunningham] and Robbie [Hogan] and both sets of players and clubs too. “You don’t envisage something like that happening at the start of the year but just the way it came together I suppose was just a very unique situation. “So I watched the game from home. I wanted to remove any emotion …

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Ballyea boss – past is in your head, future is in your hands

It’s unusual to be beginning a Munster Senior Club Final preview on such a sombre note but Ballyea Manager Robbie Hogan is more than willing to go down the cathartic route of embracing last year’s nadir. Indeed, after winning what could be argued as their greatest county title, 17 points subsequently separated Ballygunner and the Clare champions in their quarter-final bout in Cusack Park almost twelve months to the day. “It’s a long time since we took a beating like that,” admitted Hogan in the safe confines of the Ballyea GAA Club dressing rooms. “I’d say Cuala were the last side to give us a trimming and they were back-to-back All-Ireland champions. Signs on Ballygunner ended up being All-Ireland champions last year but regardless it still doesn’t make up for the size of the defeat. “If you look across their results, they scored 3-20 against us and put up the exact same score against Kilmallock in the Munster Final and …

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Twelve Clare sides in race for Munster schools honours

Twelve Clare sides remain in the hunt for Munster Post-Primary Schools honours in eleven different championship races. With the Junior (Under 16.5) Football and Under 15 Hurling Championships still to come in the new year, it’s also straight knock-out from here on in for the current candidates in the Under 19 Hurling and Football Championships, Junior Hurling and Under 15 Football competitions. St John Bosco Community College Kildysart take top billing as they impressively contest semi-finals against Waterford opposition in both codes over the next ten days. First up are their junior hurlers who take on St Paul’s Community College Waterford next Tuesday while six days later it the turn of the Under 15 footballers against Comeragh College. The rest of the Banner provincial hopefuls are at senior level where in football, St Flannan’s (A), CBS Ennistymon (B), Rice College (C), St Anne’s Killaloe and St Joseph’s Spanish Point (D) along with St Michael’s Kilmihil and St Pat’s Shannon (E) …

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Avenue and Celtic on road again for 5th round of FAI Junior Cup

Both Avenue United and Newmarket Celtic will be away from home in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup. Avenue United will face a trip to Cork as they come up against St Marys FC. Meanwhile, Newmarket Celtic will also be on the road for their fifth round tie. They will play either Raheny United of Dublin or Offaly side Clara Town. David Russell’s Avenue United side secured an emphatic 4-0 win over Tuam Celtic last weekend to reach this stage of the competition. The reigning Maloney Hardware Premier Division champions proved too strong for their Galway opponents. Ronan Kerin’s brace alongside efforts from Tomas Hehir and Gary Roche powered them through. Avenue United will be aiming to replicate last year’s run to the Round of 16 as they face a St Marys FC outfit that progressed to this stage after securing a 1-0 win over Wilderness Rovers FC (Tipperary). Tiernan Daly grabbed the only goal of that tie …

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