Chaplin ‘happy’ with progress on Lohan deal

Clare GAA Chairman Jack Chaplin believes “the process was pretty fast” when discussing the County Board Officers’ agreement to reappoint Brian Lohan for a three year term.
Although a full meeting of the Clare County Board is needed to confirm Lohan’s appointment, Chaplin is happy with how the situation has been handled.
“The process was pretty fast. We spoke with Brian a week after the last match against Cork. He had to discuss with the people around him so we understand that. We simply asked Brian would he stay on. He wanted a three year term and we are going through the process to confirm that now.”
When asked by The Clare Champion when a full meeting of the County Board will be held to make the final decision on Lohan’s future, the Cratloe man stated that there is no fixed date yet for the meeting.
“We will probably be meeting sometime in September. Something we are actively working on is finding a date that suits everyone.”
Chaplin is content that there will be no last minute drama and that Lohan will spend three more years working with the Clare hurlers.
“The appointment is nearly there. From our point of view there is a process that we have to go through. As far as I’m concerned, Brian is there for the next three years.”
The results at minor and U20 level were disappointing from a Clare perspective with the latter side falling to Limerick by 13 points in a Munster semi final while the minors suffered a heavy beating at the hands of eventual All-Ireland champions Cork.
The senior side suffered an exit in Round Two of the qualifiers although they did have wins against Waterford and Wexford.
The County Board Chairman believes that Clare need to improve at underage level but he insists that they are working hard behind the scenes to ensure the improvements can be made.
“We had a bit of a setback at underage. I’m not making excuses but it’s important to note that we’ve had two years of COVID. It’s not easy as it complicates things. We know we need to improve and we are working on doing that.”
“The senior team are on the right track. In the end there was a puck of the ball in it in their final game (the defeat to Cork). Cork got to a final and although they didn’t play as well as they would have liked, they are still a top side. That could have been us there in Croke Park.”
Chaplin is hopeful that under Lohan, Clare can claim Liam MacCarthy for the first time since 2013.
“We would be hopeful of winning an All Ireland in the next three years. We want the team to improve as we go. Only one team can win it and the competition is tough.
“We have the neighbours next door holding the cup. Hopefully we can claim it (Liam MacCarthy) soon.”

by Ivan Smyth