CLARE teams have gone into Munster Hurling Championship action on many occasions as rank outsiders but rarely have supporters had such little hope facing into the provincial campaign.

Demand for tickets for next Monday’s provincial semi-final date with Waterford is very poor. While the game’s Bank Holiday Monday setting is a contributory factor, the reality is that the poor form shown by the team during the recent Division 2 league campaign has left followers fearing Clare will make an early exit from this year’s championship race.
Manager Ger O’Loughlin had only a couple of weeks to get a squad together last January when he was appointed as successor to Mike McNamara.
As defending champions, Clare made good progress through to the semi-final of the Waterford Crystal tournament, their most impressive display coming in a quarter-final tie played under lights in Borris-Illeigh, where they dished out a big defeat to Tipperary.
Five days later, however, they came a cropper when convincingly dethroned by Waterford and there are fears the margin will be as big this time around.
Clare progressed, as expected, to the Division 2 league final without losing a game but they were anything but impressive on route and struggled to beat Antrim and Carlow, in particular.  Another poor performance followed in the final and this time their luck ran out as Wexford, playing in the final for a second successive year, came out on top.
That defeat was certainly a blow to Clare, who go into this weekend’s game without the experience of Gerry O’Grady and James McInerney, who are out of the squad due to injury.
Having missed most of the league campaign to injury, Gerry Quinn was in the starting line-up for the final but hobbled off the pitch after a couple of minutes and has been out of action since then.
In terms of the senior championship, the team for this week’s game is relatively inexperienced and could have anything up to eight debutants. As many as nine of last September’s All-Ireland winning U-21 team could play at some stage, with at least seven likely to be in the starting line-up.
In contrast, Waterford go into the game with a very experienced side. In fact, the most difficult task facing team boss Davy Fitzgerald could well be to decide on his first 15, given that the vastly experienced Tony Browne and Ken McGrath have been back training with the squad for the past number of weeks.
Two weeks ago, Clare travelled to Thurles and ran Tipperary to a point. Spectators were impressed and came away with renewed hope that the Banner men could do well next week. That view changed last week when a Clare side very similar to that which played in Thurles was comprehensively beaten by Dublin in Athenry. Managing just two points in the opening half, Clare ended up seven points adrift and were fortunate the margin wasn’t greater.
Adding to the problems ahead of Monday’s game is doubts concerning the fitness of Darach Honan and Diarmuid McMahon, one of the team’s most experienced members. Honan is struggling to shake off a hamstring injury while McMahon is troubled by a groin problem and these injuries have hampered their training in recent times.
A debate has raged for some time as to where McMahon’s best position is. He first impressed as a defender but in recent seasons, including this year’s league, he has played most of his hurling in attack. When Clare played Tipperary two weeks ago he was at centre-back and filled that position again last week against Dublin. If fit for action next week, it is likely he will play in defence.
It would appear at this stage that Corofin’s Gerry Quinn will not be involved, at least in the starting line-up. He has missed most of the season’s training and has only played a couple of games with the team. It was expected that he would have played with his club in the Clare Champion Cup at the weekend but this didn’t happen and it will be a surprise if he is on the team sheet for Monday.
Going on the line-up for the games against Tipperary and Dublin, Donal Tuohy looks set to get the number one jersey ahead of Philip Brennan and the six backs will come from Pat Vaughan, Cian Dillon, Conor Cooney, Domhnaill O’Donovan, Pat Donnellan, Diarmuid McMahon, Brendan Bugler and Nicky O’Connell.
Captain Brian O’Connell could be chosen in the half-back line but it’s more likely he will be named at midfield and could be partnered by Nicky O’Connell, which would leave Seán Collins, Jonathon Clancy and John Conlon as the front-runners for the half-forward line but Cormac O’Donovan is also in contention for a place at wing-forward or midfield.
Colin Ryan will be at corner-forward, with Clooney’s Fergal Lynch pressing strongly for the full-forward spot. The make-up of the full-forward line will be determined by whether or not Darach Honan is fit to play.
It’s an inexperienced team going into action against a Waterford team that will include Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, Stephen Molumphy, Eoin Kelly, the Prendergast brothers, Clinton Hennessy and possibly Tony Browne and Ken McGrath.
Optimistic Clare supporters will point to the fact that defending Munster champions Tipperary went to Cork last week and came away at the wrong end of a 10-point margin after most had tipped them to win. Cork, however, contested the Division 1 league final and there had been signs in their league campaign that they would be a force in the championship.
Clare’s form has been anything but impressive this season and while training has gone well in recent weeks, it will be a surprise if they come away from Thurles on Monday having secured a place in the provincial final.

No fear in store for captain O’Connell

“The championship is everyone’s main aim each season. Everyone wants to do well and perform well in the league but at the end of the day, it’s all about championship hurling and that is what we are looking forward to and excited about.”
So said Clare senior hurling captain Brian O’Connell this week as he looked ahead to leading the Banner into action against Waterford next Monday.
He is not concerned that Clare are underdogs. “We have done nothing to justify being favourites going into this match. We haven’t performed to the best of our ability,” he said. 
“There will be a good group of the U-21s from last year playing. We are going to be underdogs but that doesn’t bother us too much. We are going to give it a good lash and that’s all we can do,” he continued.
“We were very disappointed to lose the league final. We would have wanted to come up to Division 1. Both teams didn’t perform on the day. We will be looking for a good performance and all the signs are there that we will put one in,” he noted.
Training has been going well, he maintains. “It has really picked up and lads are applying themselves well,” the Wolfe Tones man said
O’Connell agrees that Waterford will be very difficult opponents. “Any team coached by Davy [Fitzgerald] will be well coached, well disciplined and well trained. A lot of us would have experienced training under him and we know they will be well geared up,” said the Shannon native.
That said, he believes Clare will do well in this outing. “Hurling is a simple enough game. It’s 15 against 15. You can look at it a lot of different ways but at the end of the day it’s a battle with 15 against 15,” he said.
The promotion of a number of the U-21s from last year’s All-Ireland winning side is a boost to the team.
“The U-21s are a group of winners. After their success last year people would have asked how many would come through.
“Everyone that has come on to the panel has stepped up to the mark. We all admire them. It’s important that there is a good young group coming through,” said the team captain.
“There are a couple of injuries as the ground had hardened up but almost everyone will be ready to go come match time on Monday and we are all looking forward to it,” he concluded.

O’Loughlin hoping to spring a surprise

Clare manager Ger O’Loughlin isn’t surprised that Waterford are heading into Monday’s clash as hot favourites.
“I know that they are going in as favourites. They have looked impressive. They are a seasoned team and most of their panel have a couple of Munster championship medals. They have brought in a few new lads this year and they have settled in well. They will reckon that they will be in the shake-up for honours this season and that’s the challenge we have to face. I hope that our lads will be up for it,” the Clarecastle man said.
“There is no pressure on Clare as everybody will be thinking that Waterford will win.”
Facing into a Munster Senior Championship game for the first time as team manager, O’Loughlin, one of the heroes of Clare’s victories in ’95, ’97 and ’98, added, “We started out to try and get out of Division 2 but it didn’t happen as we played poorly in the final. We refocussed after that and we have really upped the tempo in training since then and it has gone well.
“It will be a huge challenge but these are the days you would be living for and hoping the lads will play with real championship flair and if they do that I can’t ask for anything more. We will give our best and hope luck will be on our side,” he said.
While the team to take on Waterford won’t be finalised until later in the week, O’Loughlin added “A number of the 21 and 22-year-olds who will be making their debut have never been beaten because they haven’t played at this level.
“They will go into this game in a confident mood and will play up to the standard that they set at U-21 level. They are very focussed and will give it a right lash. Then we have seven or eight who have been there for the last few years and they want to get into a Munster final. We have experience and we have some new players and I hope they will blend and do us proud,” he said.
O’Loughlin confirmed that there are doubts about the fitness of both Darach Honan and Diarmuid McMahon. “We are assessing their injuries on a daily basis but their fitness is a worry, given that we have already lost some players to injury,” O’Loughlin said.
It may be his first season as manager at senior inter-county level but O’Loughlin has been in management for a number of years. He guided Adare to the last three Limerick senior titles while he has also been in charge of a number of teams with his native Clarecastle.
He is disappointed that his charges failed to win promotion from Division 2 of the National League but he concedes that the championship is the main event.
The odds seem to be stacked against Clare going into Monday’s game but O’Loughlin has upset the odds in the past and he will be doing all in his power to spring a surprise on Monday.

Fitzgerald not looking forward to the day

Normally all involved in the inter-county GAA championships look forward to championship time but this is not the case with former Clare All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald.
On Monday, the Sixmilebridge man will be in Semple Stadium in Thurles leading Waterford into action in this season’s title race.
The opposition will be provided by his beloved Clare and this is the first time he will come up against his native county at championship time.
“It’s very difficult and I am not looking forward to it,” he told The Clare Champion. “A few years ago I was asked to do a job. I am enjoying it but facing Clare won’t be easy. However, it’s a job I have to do and whatever happens on Monday, we will shake hands afterwards,” said the Waterford boss.
Apart from a couple of niggly injuries, Waterford have a full squad available for the Munster semi-final.
“People were saying the team is gone over the hill. We are still competing and we had a good league. We have a lot of young lads coming through and still have a mix of older fellas,” he said.
Fitzgerald said he finds it amusing that some people are talking down Clare.
“I saw the U-21 games last year. They have serious character and have found an exceptional full-back. The young lads like O’Connell, Ryan, Honan, Collins and Conlon have super temperament, which is very important. I am not taking any of these for granted. They showed everyone in last year’s U-21 championship against Waterford, Galway and Kilkenny that they are not afraid of a fight,” he said.
“The biggest thing I learned last year is that you have to pay these guys respect. They are itching to have a go at Waterford. Maybe that’s because I am involved,” he added, before expressing surprise that his charges are being made such hot favourites.
“In 15 years Waterford have beaten Clare once. I saw Clare play Tipperary last week and they worked very hard. If they repeat this we will have our work cut out and that is not blowing Clare up.
“James McInerney will be a big loss, I have him in LIT, and he certainly will be a loss. He was exceptional last year,” the Waterford manager said
“The only game Clare lost this year was against Wexford. Sparrow is learning a lot about Clare. He is doing a great job and it’s important people get behind him.
“Give him as much time as he needs because he needs the time and he deserves support,” Fitzgerald concluded.