Sports

Munster Minor Football Championship Phase Two Round Two: Clare 0-14 Cork 3-9 A late Cork rally saw them overcome a spirited Clare in this Munster Minor Football Phase Two contest. After an entertaining opening period, the sides headed for the dressing rooms deadlocked thanks to a brilliantly struck “45 from Jamie Stack. It was no more than Clare deserved in particular after they stormed into the contest to kick the opening two scores. As ever, Shane Meehan was prominent throughout as he caused problems for the Cork defence with every possession. A trend would develop in the first half which saw the Banner captain fouled on almost every occasion that he won the ball, and he punished the Rebels with 0-3 from placed balls in the first-half. The first of these came after just three minutes, and the Ennistymon duo of Brendan Rouine and Diarmuid Fahy combined for Fahy to notch Clare’s second from the resultant kick-out. The visitors to …

The draws for the 2019 Clare GAA club championships have thrown up some mouth-watering pairings across both codes. Clare Senior and Intermediate Football Championships The new look 13-team Clare senior football championship will see one of the main contenders exit the race for Jack Daly at the group stages, as 2016 finalists Cratloe have been paired with 2017 finalists Clondegad and 2014 finalists Eire Óg. Following a recommendation from the football review committee, last year saw five teams relegated from the top tier in an effort to create a more competitive championship at both senior and intermediate levels. One of the stipulations involved was the accommodation of a group team if one materialised. That led to Loop Head peninsula neighbours Naomh Eoin and O’Curry’s deciding to take their successful underage pairing all the way through to adult level, while also competing individually at the intermediate grade. It was also decided to seed the semi-finalists from the 2018 championship for the …

On this week’s podcast: Derrick Lynch is joined by Fergie O’Loughlin, Peter O’Connell and Eoghan Moloney to review the opening weekend of the Munster SHC & SFC for Clare.

Clare withstood a late Waterford rally to overcome the Deise by the minimum in a titanic tussle in the Munster SHC. The ideal start to the game fell Clare’s way, when John Conlon was allowed the freedom of Walsh Park inside the Waterford area, and he punished them with a brilliant goal. Shane O’Donnell was the architect of the chance, and when he found the big Clonlara man, he rounded Stephen O’Keeffe before lashing home. It set Clare on a pedestal in the first half which saw them go in 1-13 to 0-10 ahead at the break after a brilliant opening period. All bar one of the Clare forwards got on the score-sheet, with Peter Duggan sending over 0-6 in the first half with 0-5 of those from frees. In the closing ten minutes of the half, Clare outscored their hosts by 0-7 to 0-2 to establish a foothold in the game as they put the home side under constant …

CLARE have opened their Munster Minor hurling campaign with a 0-17 to 0-15 victory over Waterford in Walsh Park this afternoon. Clare trailed three points to one after five minutes as Waterford started quickly but Clare soon found their groove and points from their full-forward line of Conner Hegarty, Diarmaid Cahill and Keith Smyth soon gave them the lead. Indeed this inside line combo bagged 12 of the Banner’s 17 points with Smyth notching five, including three frees. Hegarty was massively influential as he buzzed around and caused constant havoc to the Waterford defence, scoring four from play and looking a star of the future. Waterford’s free takers Aaron Ryan and Reuben Halloran did keep them in the game and while Clare were the better side in the opening half, they led by just one at half-time with the score 0-10 to 0-09. The Déise then took the lead in the second half with two more frees from Ryan and …

Two-time Clare All Star Brendan Bugler feels the Banner’s 2019 Munster hurling championship opener against Waterford may prove to be a step too far at the outset of the campaign. Having been forced to play their designated home games in Semple Stadium and the Gaelic Grounds last year, the Deise are now back on home soil in Walsh Park this time around with Clare and Tipperary set to make the trip to the south-east over the coming weeks. 2018 was the first of a three-year trial of the new format, with Clare having home ties against Waterford and Limerick last year. Home advantage proved crucial for every side involved, with Clare being the only team to win on the road thanks to Ian Galvin’s late goal in Thurles on a dramatic day. A crippling injury list coupled with no home games cost Waterford dearly as they failed to register any victory from their four games, picking up just one point …

In many respects it is hard to believe that this weekend is the start of Championship 2019 for the Banner. With April dedicated to club games, it meant that thoughts of inter-county action were subconsciously moved to the back of the mind for a few weeks. It was only when the calendar ticked over into May that the reality seemed to dawn that there was less than a fortnight to go. The time for talking is almost over. It is time to hit series record on the Sunday Game once more. Summer 2018 was one that some of the Clare senior hurling camp have described as being like a renaissance. The lows of the Cork defeats, the highs of the Limerick win, the tailbacks in shops in the mad rush for tickets, the tailbacks near Moneygall on the road to Croke Park for the All-Ireland semi-final, Shanagher’s net-buster in the rain, McCarthy summoning his inner Domhnall O’Donovan, and that goal-post …

As the countdown to the first game of the new Munster championship intensifies, so too does the anticipation for the Clare minor hurlers. Fergal Lynch’s crew will be in action in the curtain raiser on Sunday afternoon as they take on the home side in the first of this year’s round-robin series. With a large home crowd expected in the Waterford city venue, it will be a unique experience for almost the entirety of this squad as they bid to get a huge day for Clare hurling off to a positive start. 2013 All-Ireland winner Lynch admits it is a date that has come around quickly. “Time really has flown since we first met back in October. We have a lot of work done between training sessions and challenge games and we have learned a lot about our players and our management team. It has been very enjoyable so far but the ultimate test will come now on Sunday and …