Sports

Eoin Brennan previews this afternoon’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 2 between Clare and Tipperary at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles JUST as Tipperary’s sense of injustice motivated an uprising against recently crowned National League champions Waterford last weekend, Clare will be targeting a similar assault this Sunday as they look to hit the ground running in this year’s provincial championship. With both sides justifiably irked at being largely discounted in the conversation for the top three in Munster, Tipperary’s backlash landed but ultimately failed to knock down their opponents which leaves them with no room for error as they scramble for points this Sunday. Being Clare’s competitive bow, they obviously have a little more wriggle room but realistically if the Banner are to make an impression in the provincial series, a win is almost a prerequisite in Thurles. Easier said than done, after Clare took 90 years to previously make that breakthrough back in 2018 on their way to knocking …

Although Ken Ralph has more than earned his Banner citizenship, an intriguing sub plot to this weekend’s clash with Tipperary is the selector trying to defeat his county of origin. Ralph represented Tipperary at minor and U-21 level before he was offered a job at De Beers (now Element Six). After initially living in Limerick, he migrated to Clarecastle as he helped the Magpies enjoy some of the greatest days in their history, when winning county titles in 1997 and 2003. Although the two time county champion with Clarecastle admits that he does hold a soft spot for Tipperary, there is no doubting his determination to inflict a second straight loss on Colm Bonnar’s charges. “Coming up against Tipp is something I’ve dealt with years ago. I’m in Clare longer than I was in Tipp. I do have a soft spot for Tipp but my kids were born in Clare. I’d nearly be forgiven for rooting for Clare. When Clare …

WHEN Shane Meehan answered the phone to The Clare Champion the 19-year-old was almost drowned out by the cheers and excitement of the children hurling behind him. That morning and afternoon, Meehan was down at his own club, Banner, helping the club run their Easter camp. With over 100 kids attending the camp, hopes are high within Banner that they can continue their recent upward trend across all codes. The evening prior Meehan and the Clare U-20 hurlers saw their Championship campaign come to an end after falling to an agonising two point against Cork. For the second game on the spin, Clare let a winning hand slip as Meehan’s final year at the U-20 grade came to a close. Despite the disappointment, the Mary Immaculate student, headed down to coach the young players coming through the ranks. When Meehan spoke to The Champion after the camp, he reiterated the point that heading down to his club helped him deal …

For someone with the mercurial touch of Tony Kelly, it’s intriguing to hear the Ballyea man discuss improving upon and refining his artillery for Championship combat. After requiring ankle surgery last October, Kelly was forced to watch from the sidelines as Ballyea showed remarkable grit to eventually emerge triumphant and lift the Canon Hamilton. The 28-year-old was part of the St. Flannan’s management team when the Ennis school lifted the Dean Ryan Cup in November, three days after Ballyea were crowned county champions for the third time in the club’s history. The teacher believes he can take lessons from watching his clubmates and the students he coaches between the white lines. “It gives me a different perspective when I’m watching games on the sideline. Something I enjoy doing is coaching the younger players. No matter what age you are you can pick up a thing or two watching other players. You can learn a lot from different players.” After a …

With Clarecastle and Feakle having defeated Broadford and Éire Óg respectively already this week, Eoin Brennan previews the rest of the Clare Cup Division 1A and B action with an array of interesting clashes in prospect Clonlara v Sixmilebridge at Clonlara, Saturday 2pm (Rory McGann, Newmarket-on-Fergus) As part of the reparation process post-lockdown is the long-awaited resumption of the Clonlara v Sixmilebridge derby which has been absent for the past three years. At the time, Sixmilebridge were on the cusp of what would eventually become back-to-back county titles for the first time in 27 years whereas Clonlara have had to be content with back-to-back senior B versions over the past two seasons. Under new managements, it will be interesting to see how much water has flowed under the bridge in the intervening period as while they won’t be near full strength, the winner will remain in contention for Clare Cup honours. Cratloe v Ballyea at Páirc Uí hEithir Cratloe, Saturday …

Clare are set for a mouth-watering group decider against neighbours Galway after maintaining their perfect start with a 0-17 to 0-16 victory over North Cork in Charleville last Saturday. It was another gritty character-filled display from Ger Hickey’s side that looked to have blown their chance when eleven first half wides with the aid of the conditions left them with only a minimum advantage by the break at 0-6 to 0-5. That narrative appeared to be playing out when the Banner trailed their gale-assisted hosts by four entering the final ten minutes. However, much like their opening derby with Limerick seven days previously, Clare remained composed under pressure and managed to play their way back into contention. Indeed, it was substitutes Padraic O’Donovan and Eoin Heffron that provide hugely influential in turning the tide as the Smith O’Brien’s clubman scored one and assisted three more points while O’Donovan would raid for six points overall including the injury-time winning free to …

Michael O’Connor was in Rathkeale to see Clare battle hard but fail to overhaul the hosts who did the damage early on and ran out 2-8 to 0-9 winners. NEXT weekend Shannon will host the game that decides the season for Dermot Coughlan’s men. Following an emphatic 26-point win over Waterford in round 1 his charges were left gasping for breath for the opening 15 minutes against a very impressive Limerick side in Rathkeale on Thursday evening as the Shannonsiders scored their first win of the campaign. Waterford are now out of the Minor football championship and play Limerick having lost both games to date by a cumulative total of 46 points. Tipperary are on four points with a scoring average of +27 points. Clare are on two points with a scoring average of +21 points as Limerick are on two points and a scoring average of -2. Clare must win against Tipperary and even then, it may not be …