Sports

Patrick O’Connor won’t be lining out for his third Munster Final this Sunday due to his continued rehabilitation from a cruciate injury. However as the captain of Clare’s last two provincial deciders, he would be only too delighted to see the Banner finally bridge a 24-year gap to their last title in Semple Stadium. “I’m in a different place now in that I’m currently transitioning from running straight to twisting and turning and in that current condition, I’d have no place out on the field. It might be different six or eight weeks further down the line but for the moment, I’m happy to be supporting the lads from the sideline. “Look, there are so many lads out there that I’ve soldiered with for a long long time that there would be no happier person in Thurles on Sunday to see John [Conlon], Tony [Kelly] or lads like that get their just rewards for sticking with it and driving things …

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Round 1 Clare 1-7 Meath 0-6 THE famine is finally over as Clare exorcised their Meath ghosts to advance to the last 12 of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in Cusack Park this evening. Having suffered five consecutive defeats to the Royal County in as many seasons, Clare certainly made hard work out of their revenge mission as despite holding a four point interval lead with the strong conditions to come, the Banner eventually had to come from behind to cement victory with the last three points. Add in eight second half wides, three missed goal opportunities including a 63rd minute David Tubridy penalty that was excellently tipped away by goalkeeper Harry Hogan and it understandably had to take immense character for a persistent Clare to get back on track as Eoin Cleary, Keelan Sexton and Manus Doherty provided the finishing touches to a rousing yet relieving opening championship win. It was all so different in …

ON THE week of the 1995 Munster Final a flag pole was planted on Dr Tommy Daly’s grave on the hill of Tulla — it wasn’t windswept that week because it was a long, hot and benign summer like it was 40 years earlier when Clare and Limerick also crossed sticks in the provincial final. Still, there’s always enough of a wind on that hill for flags to flutter and so it was that the saffron and blue did its thing ahead of the big game. Many times it had been planted, in hope and expectation and a nod to the ‘greatest goal man to ever clutch a ball’, that he might send something Clare’s way. In ’55 until Dermot Kelly took a wrecking ball to Clare history; in ’67 when they came again; on four separate final occasions in the 1970s and all the way to 1995 when the habit of hurling lifetimes wasn’t about to be broken. In …

Pulses are racing ahead of the Sunday’s Munster final, particularly in the high pressure zone along the borderline where families are divided, yet united, between Clare and Limerick as hurling ties run very deep, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. IF you were a hurling man and wanted away from the banter on the borderline separating Clare and Limerick, you’d think that Tipperary would be a good place to go — a refuge where they’d be loath to talk hurling because the blue and gold’s travails this year. Scion of Clonlara Jim Gully, who in 2008 brought the first senior title to the club in 89 years, goes to Newport, where he owns a shop in the village square. But, there’s no getting away from the ties that bind Clare and Limerick, whenever big championship clashes come around. Not that Gully really wants to escape the hoopla — he’s too much in hurling’s thrall for that and automatically defaults to a nugget …

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Quarter-Final Round 3 Clare 0-21 Laois 1-12 A welcome return to form for Clare who deservedly cemented their place in the last four of the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship in front of 619 in Cusack Park this afternoon. Leading from start to finish, Brian O’Connell’s side would soar ten points clear by the two-thirds mark. So while Laois inevitably unearthed a late backlash with the aid of the conditions, thanks in the main to a Ben Deegan goaled 20 metre free at the turn of the final quarter, crucially Clare never allowed the visitors to get within striking distance of a full recovery. Chief marksman Oisin Whelan alleviated any late anxiety when arrowing over a brace of injury-time frees to advance to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals for the first time since 2012. Backed by the strong conditions, Clare were excellent at times in the opening period, with their click inter-play and countless interceptions combining to rebuild their …

CLOONEY-QUIN’S county stars Peter Duggan and Ryan Taylor were on hand to officially open Clooney-Quin’s new astro pitch and ball wall. The pair who are vital cogs in the Clare attack that will face Limerick in the Munster Final took part in an exhibition game, signed autographs and took selfies with their legions of adoring young fans. The astro and ball wall are the latest milestones in the club’s ongoing five year plan.

A showpiece to the work undertaken each season and the strength of GAA within St Flannan’s was on show when their two first year teams contested the Clare Post Primary Schools first year hurling final in sunny conditions at Cusack Park, Ennis. The Whites otherwise known as A-L with a late flurry of scores to deny the Blues who had been very impressive in the opening sections of the game without ever building up a substantial lead. More importantly the Blues, or M-Z, were unable to turn first half possession into goals that were threatened. St Joseph’s, Tulla and Scariff Community College were the defeated semi-finalists, and this set up a near annual contest between the two sides from the Ennis college. One trait of this regular occurrence is that it pits clubmates against each other and classmates as well. A lot of the players on view will in the next four years or so backbone Clare underage hurling and …

It’s been a long five weeks for Colm Collins and the Clare senior footballers, writes Joes Garry. The fact that Clare were history makers as party to the championship’s first penalty shoot-out will have offered little consolation as Limerick made good on their victory, and have since secured a place in the last 12- all be it on the back of a fairly chastening experience last Saturday. Colm & Co. have been long enough on the road to know that that first round display will be nowhere near good enough on Saturday next. The intervening period will have diluted the agonising manner of that defeat, but will, no doubt, act as a reminder of the unforgiving nature of the championship , if chances are not availed of. Therein lies Saturday’s biggest challenge. Clare, as always, will bring an honesty of endeavour but will need to complement same with far greater guile, particularly in front of goal. The 1-14 last day …