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No Six Nations spot for Varley

Munster hooker, Damien Varley has been bypassed by Declan Kidney for the Six Nations Rugby Championship in which Ireland open their campaign with a home game against Wales on February 5. Instead, the Killaloe man, who received a late call up to the World Cup in New Zealand following injury to Jerry Flannery, has to make do with a place on the 22-man Ireland Wolfhounds squad for the game with England Saxons at Sandy Park on Saturday.Originally from Ballyvalley, Damien won Munster Schools honours with St Munchin’s College in 2002. He studied at the University of Limerick and came to senior prominence in the colours of Garryowen. He made a number of Magner’s League appearances for Munster in the 2005-2006 season before moving to London, where he played for Wasps in the English Premiership. He returned to Munster at the beginning of the 2009-10 season and has now become a regular match squad member. In the continued absence of Flannery …

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New role for All-star Jamesie

Former Clare hurling All-Star Jamesie O’Connor has a new role as selector with the Munster hurling team for this year’s Martin Donnelly inter-provincial series.The Munster team is managed by Tipperary’s Liam Sheedy, with Waterford’s Stephen Frampton making up the triumvirate.Munster face Leinster on Sunday, February 19 in Nolan Park, Kilkenny, with the final scheduled for Sunday, March 4.In the football equivalent, Ger O’Sullivan (Kerry) will manage the team and he will be joined by John Kennedy, coach of Clare county champions Kilmurry Ibrickane, and Maurice Horan (Limerick). Munster play Leinster in the semi-final in Parnell Park on February 19, with the final on Sunday, February 26.

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Timid Clare shrugged off by Cork

There is no point in glossing over Clare’s 13-point defeat in Pairc Uí Rínn last Sunday. The most disappointing aspect wasn’t that they were beaten, it was their collective lack of urgency, physicality, tendency to lose the ball in contact and poor distribution. As Clare manager Micheál McDermott explained afterwards, the panel trained heavily the week before the game and were without some key players including David Tubridy, Laurence Healy and John Hayes. Yet bar some notable exceptions, the players who lined out against Cork will have to up their game considerably if Clare are to have any chance of eventually emerging from Division 4.    Cork led 1-5 to 0-1 after 26 minutes, which clearly underlines their superiority during that period. Michael O’Shea scored Clare’s first point from a free, won by Gary Brennan, but they didn’t notch another point for 23 minutes, when O’Shea pointed again after Stephen Tierney had been fouled. In the interim, the Kilkee man and …

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Major changes proposed to Clare GAA competition structures

Changes in the format of the senior football and hurling championships, a drop in the number of regradings to be allowed, a reduction in the number of senior hurling teams from 20 to 16 over the next two years, delaying the start of the U-21 Football Championship until the end of September and putting a limit of five years on the term in which county board delegates can serve are just some of the proposals that will go before a special meeting of Clare GAA next Monday night.These recommendations are contained in a 20-page report circulated to clubs this week arising from the deliberations of the seven-person structures committee set up back in November. Monday’s meeting will consider the proposals and it seems likely that the majority of recommendations will be adopted.Committee chairman Padraic Boland from Broadford outlined how the committee endeavoured to undertake as comprehensive a review and consultative process as possible within this short timeframe. “All clubs were …

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The science of hurling

AS Clare senior hurling trainer, Joe O’Connor talks to The Clare Champion, a bevy of aides bustle about the UL dressing room. It was just after 6pm and training is not due to start until 7pm. Already every player’s training top, complete with his name on the back is hanging above their neatly laid out training gear and towels. Joe O’Connor, who has lectured on the health and leisure course at Tralee IT for six years, arrived for training at 5pm to oversee some rehabilitation work with Diarmuid McMahon, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Normally the Tralee-based Limerick man arrives an hour and a quarter before training.  His background is in steeple chasing and he is an Athletics Ireland tutor. In fact, he once worked for that organisation as a regional development officer. O’Connor isn’t unknown in Clare. He worked with the Clare minor hurlers in ’05 and ’06, while he has also worked with the Waterford hurlers …

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Mixed results for Clare hurlers

Thirty-five players saw action as Clare continued their preparations for the upcoming competitive hurling season with games against Westmeath and Galway at the weekend.In front of about 200 spectators at Corofin on Saturday, the home side were 2-22 to 1-12 winners over Westmeath while, before a similar attendance at Clarecastle on Sunday morning, Galway won on a 2-19 to 1-18 scoreline.Clare continued with the tactic of playing a short passing game and, in both matches, opted for a two-man full-forward line for most of the game. Clare 2-22 Westmeath 1-12 Two Cathal McInerney goals in the third quarter gave Clare the upper hand in a hard-fought tie at Corofin on Saturday. After playing against the breeze, Clare held a two-point advantage, 0-10 to 0-8, at half-time but a strong third quarter during which they scored 2-5 without reply put them in the driving seat.The sides were level five times in the first half before the home side finished strongly and …

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Honan played through the pain barrier

One of Clare’s brightest hurling stars played through the pain barrier for as long as he could but corrective surgery on his hips means that Darach Honan should make a return to action in time for this year’s Munster championship.The Clonlara and Clare forward expects to be back jogging in three weeks time following surgery on both hips prior to Christmas. The hip bones were not sitting properly in their sockets and this has been corrected. Now Darach is going through an intensive rehabilitation programme designed to strengthen the muscles and the hips.Out of the game since Clare lost to Tipperary in the Munster semi-final last June, Darach spoke to The Clare Champion this week about the injury that has confined him to the role of spectator.“I had the first operation on November 18 and the second on December 16 and I hope to be back jogging in three weeks time. I won’t be running for another three weeks,” he …

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Galaxy of Clare athletes sparkle at awards

THE 12th annual Clare Athletics Sports Star award winners were honoured on Friday at the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis.The special guest was Mossy Woulfe, chairman of the Munster Athletics Association and together with Michael Lillis chairman Clare AAI, they presented the awards to all the winners. The overall award and the West County Hotel Trophy went to Sean Hehir (Kilkishen and Rathfarnham AC) for his outstanding achievements over cross country, track and field and road championships.Forty years ago in 1972, his mother Cushla (Murphy) was the overall winner at 16 years of age when she was the All-Ireland U-16 Cross Country Champion and the national track and field 1,500m and 3,000m champion. Girls’ U-8: Ciara Meehan (Marian), Clare Track and Field Championships 1. 150m, 200m, ball throw; 2. 80m, Clare Cross Country; 2. U-8; 5. U-9. Boys’ U-8: Noah McConway (St Cronan’s), Clare Track and Field Championships 1. 80, 150m, 200m, ball throw. Clare Cross Country 1. U-8. Girls’ U-9: …

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