Clonlara edge closer to play-offs

CLONLARA go into this Sunday’s meeting with South-East Clare neighbours Smith O’Brien’s in the knowledge that a win will see them safely into the quarter-finals.
While they are unbeaten in the group stage to date, they haven’t been overly impressive but their performances haven’t been helped by the absence of a number of key players due to injury. They again go into this week’s tie with Domhnaill O’Donovan, Darach Honan and Cillian Fennessy all ruled out with long-term injuries.
Smith O’Brien’s haven’t delivered on the promise they showed a few years back and they have had to battle against relegation in recent seasons. They are heading for another relegation battle this year unless they can get a result from their remaining games, against Clonlara and St Joseph’s.
Clonlara will carry the favourites’ tag into this week’s game, which will be played at Cusack Park. In Cormac and Tomás O’Donovan, John Conlon, Nicky and Ger O’Connell, John Moloney and the Nihills they have experienced players who should be strong enough to see them record another victory.
That said, the Killaloe outfit can, if they play to their best form, trouble the favourites. They will be looking to Pat Vaughan, Trevor Howard, Seamus Gleeson, Kevin and Liam Walsh and Micheál Ryan.
The other game in this group sees Broadford take on St Joseph’s at county headquarters on Saturday and both need to win to keep their hopes of progress alive.
Broadford lost their opening game to Clonlara but bounced back into contention with a win over Smith O’Brien’s. St Joseph’s have a win and a draw from their meetings with Clonlara and Killanena respectively, so there is a lot to play for.
A couple of years ago Broadford threatened a major breakthrough but they have failed to build on that promise in the past year. They haven’t been helped by injuries but their form also dipped last year. The Gunnings, O’Briens, Chaplins and Corcorans fill important positions in the East Clare line-up.
Kevin Kennedy and his backroom team are still looking to some of the players that were key figures when the club dominated Clare and Munster campaigns in the late ’80s. Darragh O’Driscoll, Ken and Damian Kennedy, Cathal O’Sullivan and Noel Brodie have been regulars in the Doora-Barefield line-up for over a decade. They are joined by Marty O’Regan, Jarlath Colleran and Alan O’Neill and will go into this week’s game as slight favourites.
On paper there doesn’t seem to be much between the sides but in a tight contest, it may well be that experience will prove vital and steer the Doora-Barefield men to a narrow win.