Sports

IN a statement this afternoon Clare LGFA announced the appointment of Listowel’s Graham Shine as the new Intermediate team manager for the coming season. The former Limerick and Kerry Ladies manager has been appointed for two years, with an option of a third, in charge of the county’s flagship side. Board Chairman Sean Lenihan advised that there were a number of applicants for the post from both within and outside the County and thanked the unsuccessful candidates for their interest in the position.  He outlined Shine’s extensive experience at Club and County level over many years and wished him and his backroom team well over the next couple of years starting soon with preparation for Clare’s return to Division 2 of the National Football League commencing in mid-January. A qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Shine was part of former Manager Wayne Freeman’s Backroom Team last year so he knows the panel of players involved here to date. He has …

Clare’s interest in the Munster Junior (Under 17) Post-Primary Schools Football Championships have been reduced to five after a busy week of derbies in all five grades. St Joseph’s Spanish Point (C), St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart (D) and Under 17E trio St Michael’s Community College Kilmihil and St Patrick’s Comprehensive School, Shannon and Ennis Community College who are due to face each other this morning (Thursday) in Wolfe Tones at 10.45am are the only schools left in the first provincial championship of the 2024/25 season. The Frewen Cup is destined to return to Kerry for another year after St Flannan’s College bowed out at the quarter-final stage to St Michael’s Listowel by 1-13 to 1-09 in The Bog Garden in Rathkeale on Wednesday afternoon. Trailing by 1-4 to 0-4 by the break, the Ennis College grabbed a lifeline on the restart when Kieran Doyle converted a penalty. With Dara Kennedy and TJ Moore dominating the engine room, Darragh …

Clare Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield v Éire Óg Cusack Park Ennis, Sunday 1pm (Martin Downes, Naomh Eoin) To borrow a phrase from well-known philosopher and former Ireland soccer manager Giovanni Trapattoni ‘Beware the cat. No say the cat is in the sack when you have not the cat in the sack’ would have best summed up last year’s derby reunion between Éire Óg and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield. After marauding through a host of potential rivals to soar to back-to-back Jack Daly crowns backed by a 13 match winning run and not a single goal conceded in that time, the prospect of a first senior championship showdown with their neighbours in five years just seemed like another notch on their already pockmarked belt for last year’s quarter-final. After all, having relegated the Parish with a 22 point pummelling at the same venue five years previously, Donagh Vaughan’s side admirably returned in 2021 but while their development graph was …

Junior A Camogie Championship Cup Final Crusheen v Parteen-Meelick at Fr McNamara Park Ennis, Saturday at 4pm (Kevin Walsh, Wolfe Tones) Momentum is the clear driving force as heavyweights Crusheen and Parteen-Meelick finally meet in earnest to decide the Junior A Camogie Championship honours. I say finally as they were forced into a dress rehearsal final group decider a fortnight ago but as expected it was merely a shadow-boxing exercise especially on the red half of the divide as Parteen-Meelick eased to a 9-27 to 0-07 win. Don’t expect the same in Fr. McNamara Park on Saturday afternoon as Crusheen, off the back of their commanding Junior A Ladies Football Final triumph over Cúil Gaels last Sunday will be determined to achieve a historic double. Parteen-Meelick were pencilled in for a ladies football final too last Saturday but being a Junior B Shield Final, they opted to put their full focus on this prestigious decider. There’s no shortage of camogie …

Craig Casey will never forget the emotional high after Munster won the 2023 United Rugby Championship (URC) final, defeating defending champions DHL Stormers 19-14 in Cape Town. Played before an official attendance of 56,334 in DHL Stadium, Munster scrum-half Craig Casey replaced Conor Murray in the 66 minute and was part of a move involving Mike Haley, Jack Crowley and Shane Daly that created the opening for John Hodnett to score a vital try in the closing stages. “Winning the URC in South Africa was the highlight of my Munster career to date. Growing up around the province and being a Munster fan, you always associate Munster with winning trophies. “To be part of the team that broke the 12-year drought without a trophy was unbelievable. I want to emulate this a few more times throughout my Munster career,” he said. Asked how Munster overcome the power and strength of the Stormers, Craig recalled the Reds managed to impose their …

CLARE defender Paul Flanagan has announced his retirement from intercounty hurling. In a statement on social media issued through Clare County Board, the Ballyea man said, “It has been the honour of my life. Thank you for the opportunity and support along the way.” Flanagan leaves the intercounty game having won two senior All Irelands, two National Hurling Leagues, two All Ireland under 21 championships, two Munster under 21 championships and a Munster minor title. He served as captain of under 21 All Ireland and Munster minor championship-winning sides. In a statement this morning Clare GAA said, “We wish Paul all the best in his retirement. He has been a fantastic player, leader, ambassador and teammate throughout his elven year senior career in saffron and blue. Anyone who has shared a dressing room with Paul will attest that he has embodied all a Clare supporter could wish for in a hurler. We thank him sincerely for his dedication and commitment …

Junior A Ladies’ Football Final Crusheen 3-10 – Cúil Gaels 0-14 Crusheen back at the start of the century under the management of the late Michael Cullinan possessed some of the best underage players in the county winning four Under 16A titles plus Minor, Junior A and Intermediate honours finally contested a senior final joined with Kilmihil. Time moved on, players left and lean times followed but once more Crusheen are back in the Intermediate championship for 2025 following a five-point success over Cúil Gaels in Lissycasey on Sunday evening. Cúil Gaels for their part had ample scoring chances over the course of the hour and really worried Crusheen but unfortunately from the estuary’s perspective they kicked a dozen wides as opposed to just five for the title winners. At least four of the Cúil Gael points skimmed the Crusheen crossbar much to the relief of Grace Gleeson. Yet, the matchwinner was at midfield for Crusheen, namely Anna Clancy with …

(FAI Junior Cup) Shannon Town A 2 – Bunratty/Cratloe 1 Shannon Town inched the derby spoils to book their place in the next round of the FAI Junior Cup but it wasn’t the greatest of advertisements for an early morning kick-off in Lynch Park in Shannon on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, all the ingredients were ripe for a memorable derby as a sizeable crowd was in attendance to witness a rare clash of these neighbours while there was the added layer of new Shannon Town manager Davy Hogan playing against his former Premier winning club. However, perhaps the players weren’t given sufficient notice of the 10:30am kick-off as the teams never really livened up until the final quarter. Amazingly, there wasn’t a shot of note throughout the entire opening period and essentially it was only with Charlie Morrison’s 68th minute penalty that this prudent tie finally opened up. It was a huge relief to hosts Shannon Town who, as …