Tag Archives: football

By Seamus Hayes Both the Clare senior hurling and football teams have been forced to make changes ahead of this weekend’s league action from the teams which tasted defeat last weekend. For this Saturday’s clash with Dublin in the hurling league in Cusack Park, Davy Fitzgerald and his management team have made two changes in personnel. Colin Ryan is unavailable and his place in the forward line goes to Aaron Cunningham while Donal Tuohy had been handed the goalkeeping position ahead of Pat Kelly. Tony Kelly, fresh from his man of the match performance in the mid week replay of the Fitzgibbon cup hurling final, will lead the hurlers attack while the captain of the winning University of Limerick team, David McInerney, will line out at corner back Meanwhile, football manager Colm Collins has been forced into one change with David Tubridy ruled out due to injury for the Banner side’s clash with Armagh on Sunday, also at Cusack Park. …

The days of playing for one’s county while still eligible for the minor grade will end this season. At last weekend’s GAA Congress, delegates voted in favour of a motion, put forward as a result of the Minor Review Group’s report, which bars any player still eligible for minor grade from playing either at U-21 or senior inter-county level. This will certainly mean there are players who will miss out on playing, particularly at U-21 level for their county, until they have passed their 18th birthday. Kilmurry-Ibrickane’s Keelan Sexton is currently a member of the county minor, U-21 and senior football panels. Over the past few years, the Clare U-21 hurling panels have included players who were eligible for minor grade. Amongst those that were called up to the county U-21 squad, while still eligible for minor, were current senior panelists Conor McGrath, Patrick O’Connor, Tony Kelly and Davy O’Halloran. Players must now be over 17 before they can play …

AS Clare prepare for their third league game of 2015 in Cusack Park on Sunday, they do so in the knowledge that if they are to avoid fighting relegation, this is a must win game. Sligo are in even more dire need of the points following defeats to Limerick and Fermanagh. In losing to Louth, Clare simply spilled possession much too often. Although they played decent football in the opening half, once Louth gained in confidence and stepped it up, Clare were left floundering. Losing Ciaran Russell to a black card and Cathal O’Connor to injury, adversely affected Clare. They had to move Shane McGrath to midfield and Shane Hickey to wing back, which resulted in their attack becoming unbalanced while they couldn’t win sufficient primary ball in the middle of the field. Not scoring in the last 27 minutes is a reflection of Clare’s second half display which if replicated this weekend, will lead to certain defeat. Clare must …

By Seamus Hayes There are two changes in personnell to the Clare senior football team for Sunday’s clash with Sligo from the side which lost to Louth in Drogheda  two weeks ago. Kevin Hartnett, selected to play at full back in the opening tie against Wexford but who was forced to withdraw after picking up an ankle injury in the warm up before that tie, has recovered and he returns at full back to the exclusion of Stephen Collins. Podge Collins also missed the Wexford game due to injury but he was introduced against Louth and he will start on Sunday. He replaces David Tubridy who suffered an injury in training this week. The team is; Joe Hayes; Martin McMahon, Kevin Hartnett, Dean Ryan; Jamie Malone, Gordon Kelly, Ciaran Russell; Gary Brennan (capt) Cathal O’Connor; Sean Collins, Shane Hickey, Shane McGrath; Podge Collins, Shane Brennan, Pat Burke

By Seamus Hayes Clare senior football manager Colm Collins has named an unchanged team from that which defeated Wexford last week for Sunday’s clash with Louth at Drogheda in round two of the Allianz football league. Stephen Collins, a late replacement for Kevin Hartnett last week retains his place in the full back line. Hartnett from Meelick, who was due to play at full back, suffered an ankle injury in the warm up in Miltown. Collins came into the side at corner back with Dean Ryan switching to the full back position. Otherwise the team is unchanged and the expectation is that Podge Collins will be available this week. He missed last week’s game due to a hamstring strain suffered in a recent challenge game against Kerry. However, his Cratloe clubmate Cathal McInerney, will be out for a number of weeks due to a hamstring injury. Hopes that he could return to action this week were dashed following further treatment …

By Seamus Hayes A regular defender throughout last season’s successful division 4 campaign, Shane Hickey has been named to lead the attack for the Clare senior footballers as they begin life in division 3 of the Allianz league when they entertain Wexford at Hennessy Park in Miltown on Sunday. Podge Collins, who led the attack last season, is ruled out due to a hamstring injury suffered in last Sunday’s challenge game with Kerry. The Cratloe dual player is one of a number of players not available this week because of injury, including, Martin ‘Oige’ Murphy and Enda Coughlan. A final decision on Cathal McInerney’s fitness has yet to be made. If he passes a fitness test he will be included in the squad for this eagerly awaited tie, Apart from the injured Collins, the starting line up is along expected lines with an experienced central defensive unit of Joe Hayes (goalkeeper), Kevin Hartnett (full back) and Gordon Kelly (centre back). Team …

COME 2.30pm this Sunday afternoon, by the mouth of the River Colligan in Dungarvan, Cratloe will take on The Nire for a place in Sunday fortnight’s Munster club football final. This weekend’s semi-final will represent this group of players’ 14th championship game of 2014. In their 780 minutes of championship hurling and football to date this year, Cratloe have yet to wave the white flag. The only white flag waving has been left to the men in white coats beside the posts. Plenty of people have held the view that winning a hurling/football double in the county was an impossible feat. Now, Cratloe are just 180 minutes from completing a Munster double, which would top their historic county double-winning achievement. Of course, thinking ahead isn’t something this Cratloe panel will be indulging in. They haven’t up to this point and that’s one of the reasons why they are where they are. Another reason is simply because they haven’t been held …

By Seamus Hayes Eire Og 3-10 Liscannor/Kilfenora/Ml. Cusacks 1-7 A strong final quarter helped title holders Eire Og retain the Clare under 21 A football championship title at Hennessy Park in Miltown on Saturday afternoon when they proved too strong for the North Clare amalgamation of Liscannor/Kilfenora/Ml. Cusacks. The victory marked the Ennis club’s third in this championship and there is no denying the merit of their latest success. However, it took them a while to establish the upperhand and there were concerned faces in their camp at the half way point when they were just a point ahead after playing with the aid of the wind in the opening half. The amalgamation side showed one change to their starting line up to that which lined out in the semi-final a week earlier with Cian O’Dea ruled out due to suspension. The Kilfenora teenager’s appearance before the Hearings committee of Clare GAA on the previous night failed. He was replaced …