Tag Archives: National League Final

IT is no surprise to hear Darach Honan say that his “parents would have shaped my interests a lot” and that those recreational interests have hurling high on the list. His father, Colm, was still hurling with Clonlara when Darach was young. “I would regularly meet people who would be talking about hurling. I would have heard all the stories about the league finals that Clare won when he was playing and about the Munster finals in which they played. If we can win on Sunday, I will be half way to equalling his tally, as he has two league medals,” the Clare forward told The Clare Champion. “There is great confidence in the camp. We are going very well this year and we have a lot of work done. We had a bit more done than Kilkenny. It is important for us to do well in the league. The last couple of years weren’t the best for us, so …

Clare have been dealt a double blow ahead of Sunday’s National Hurling League final, with John Conlon and Paul Flanagan both ruled out. Conlon, one of the stars of the win over Kilkenny, has not recovered from a leg injury picked up in that game and, at this stage, he is also a doubt for the Munster championship semi-final on June 5. The injury is understood to be similar to that which kept Tony Kelly and Jack Browne out of action for almost two months. Paul Flanagan will also miss the final due to concussion. Discussing Clare’s involvement in the 2016 National Hurling League final is not something that was expected when the competition got underway back in February. Yet here they are, putting the final touches to their plans for a tilt at title-holders Waterford at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Sunday at 3.30pm. Undefeated in 11 competitive outings this season, Clare will go into Sunday’s decider determined to …

LIKE their hurlers, Kilkenny camogie teams have dominated the inter-county scene over the years. In the past decade, however, they have had to watch as Cork, Wexford and, last year, Galway held the upperhand in the championship. They were never very far away though and in the past year or two, Kilkenny have been close to regaining the top spot. They contested the All-Ireland final last year with a relatively young and skillful side and they have followed up on that progress by reaching Sunday’s league final without dropping a point. Clare have also made a lot of progress, winning honours at U-16 and minor level. Two years ago, they won the Munster senior title but, so far, they have struggled in the championship. This season, the Banner outfit has improved with every outing and are deserving of their place in Sunday’s final, the first time that a team from the county will contest this decider. Team manager Colm Honan, …