Sports

Chairman of Clare GAA Joe Cooney is confident progress will be made early next week on the appointment of management teams for the Banner’s inter-county sides for 2020. Football boss Colm Collins has already told The Clare Champion that he is likely to remain in his position for the coming season with confirmation of his backroom team expected in the next few weeks. The make-up of the senior hurling management is creating the most talking points with Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor having come to the end of their three-year term following Clare’s exit from the championship earlier this summer. Following that, delegates requested a review of Clare hurling to be undertaken following a disappointing provincial campaign which saw Clare fail to advance to the All-Ireland series. Cooney confirmed that the review is currently underway and outlined the steps being taken. “It was only for the hurling that the review was requested and that is ongoing at the moment. We …

With the first two rounds now complete, the make-up of the business end of the 2019 Clare senior hurling championship is starting to take shape. We now know our first four quarter-finalists, we know who will meet who in what could be a rip-roaring round three, and we know the four clubs whose focus from here on in will be all about staying in the top tier for 2020. Ballyea and Cratloe are two of those teams who now have to put an extra date in their diaries in their pursuit of the Canon, and for me it was the performances of both those teams that were most disappointing from last weekend’s action. We have spoken before about how both teams have football commitments to also contend with and I really felt they looked tired and had no energy which has to be a major concern for the next few weeks. For Cratloe, I know they were down two key …

On this week’s podcast: Derrick Lynch, Peter O’Connell and Fergie O’Loughlin break down the big sporting stories of the week.

The race for the Canon Hamilton is heating up and the Round Three draw has thrown up some red-hot fixtures. The Senior Round Three draw reads as follows: Cratloe v Kilmaley Ballyea v Wolfe Tones Feakle v Clooney-Quin Éire Óg v Newmarket-on-Fergus The relegation semi-final fixtures were also announced and read as follows: Clarecastle v Tulla Whitegate v O’Callaghan’s Mills   The Intermediate Round Three fixtures announced were: Parteen v Killanena St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield v Bodyke Corofin v Sixmilebridge Inagh-Kilnamona v Cratloe The Intermediate relegation semi-finals are: Ruan v Éire Óg Newmarket-on-Fergus v Clarecastle    

While there might be quarter-final places up for grabs in the Clare senior hurling championship this weekend, it is the games in the losers round that I feel are the really big ones to look forward to. Would we have thought before the championship started that after this weekend, Kilmaley, Newmarket, O’Callaghan’s Mills or Clooney-Quin could all be in the relegation pot? That is not a scenario they would have wanted to find themselves in so they now must deal with that and make sure they are ready. I know that the likes of Cratloe and Ballyea will be gunning to get the win this weekend so they can give themselves that four week break before the quarter-finals, because players in those clubs are also looking towards some really big games in the football championship. In those losers round games, I think Clooney-Quin will have too much for Clarecastle. The key question for Clarecastle is who they will put on …

If you have been anywhere near a television in recent weeks, chances are you will have seen adverts for Eir Sport’s coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. If you have, then you will have seen the emergence of a new star in the form of ‘The Eimear-nator’. Kilmihil native Eimear Considine is part of the coverage of the tournament being held in Japan next month and will be combining her full-time role as a secondary school teacher along with punditry duties and her own rapidly developing international rugby career. She says making the ads for the coverage was an enjoyable experience but she’s not holding out hopes of packing in the day job just yet. “It was great fun doing the recordings. There were a lot of takes so I don’t think my acting career will take off. It was good fun and they came out really well but it just makes you realise how much work goes into …

On this week’s podcast: Former inter-county referee Rory Hickey joins Derrick Lynch & Peter O’Connell to look back on the weekend’s action and gives his thoughts on where officiating in the GAA is going. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/664759868?secret_token=s-EoTIU” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Colm Collins has revealed it is looking likely that he will remain in charge of the Banner’s footballers for next year. Speaking after watching his Cratloe side cruise to victory over Clondegad in the Clare SFC, he said while nothing has been confirmed, he expects to spend another season on the sideline with the county team. “We are meeting the week after next but it is looking like we will be staying on. We have been asked to stay and it’s looking like we will. We just want to make sure everything is right. It was an enjoyable year and they’re a tremendous bunch of lads. We would have met before now only for championship was on. I’m away on holidays next week and we will meet when I get back but it’s looking we will be there again” he revealed.