Seamus Hayes and Peter O’Connell preview this year’s Senior Football Championship

Group 1

Cooraclare will stage the opening game in Group 1 of the 2011 Senior Football Championship at 2pm on Saturday. Reigning champions Doonbeg take on Lissycasey, who were champions for the only time thus far in their history, four years ago.
Since reaching those heights in 2007, Lissycasey have lost some of the players who were central to their championship win. Martin Daly is now managing Éire Óg, while Colin Lynch, although hurling for Kilmaley, is not playing football with Lissycasey. Monaghan man Michael Slowey hasn’t featured since, while Anthony and James Kelly are also unavailable these days. James Kelly captained Lissycasey to Jack Daly triumph from the half-back line, while Anthony lined out at centre-field. Both are living and working in Australia along with Cathal McMahon.
Another ’07 man, Senan Hayes, is now living in the US. While approximately five of that starting team are likely to start against Doonbeg, Lissycasey have a number of quality youngsters breaking through. They won the 2009 minor A title and reached last year’s U-21A final.
On their day, players like Martin O’Connor, Francie Hayes, Enda Finnucane, Danny Clohessy and Matthew O’Shea are capable of playing a high level of football. Mix them in with the experience of Joe Hayes, Michael Melican, Cathal Hill, Alan and Paul Nagle and it’s evident that if Lissycasey click this weekend, they should compete manfully with Doonbeg.
The county champions have been hit by emigration issues themselves. Last year’s full-forward Shane Ryan, who created space for players like David Tubridy and kicked some crucial scores, is now in the US. A number of other players including Jamie Whelan and Shane Killeen are also based overseas.
Doonbeg still have one of the tightest defences in Clare club football with Conor Whelan, Pádraig Gallagher and Joe Blake a particularly tight full-back line.
Brian Dillon is also playing more regularly this year, while his brother Colm, Frank O’Dea, David Tubridy and Kevin Nugent will have influential roles to play.
While Lissycasey have struggled in the Garry Cup, winning just one game so far, they have improved considerably in recent weeks. They are likely to be very competitive on Saturday but it’s still very difficult to see beyond Doonbeg winning by three or four points.
On Sunday, Liscannor play Ennistymon in Miltown at 5.30pm in this group. This could be one of the most keenly contested first-round championship games this weekend. Given the clubs’ proximity to each other, everyone involved will know plenty about each other.
Liscannor’s doughty ability to compete year on year at the top end of Clare club football is well established. Although viewed as an ageing team, players like Brian Considine, Niall Considine, Kieran Considine and Noel Kilmartin in goals, aren’t at the stage yet where they are likely to put out to footballing pasture. Liscannor will be relying on those players, along with Alan Clohessy, Dara Blake, Shane Canavan and Michael Foley to pull them through this weekend.
Ennistymon won the U-21A title last year. Clare minor Oisín Vaughan, Micheál O’Loughlin, Ronan Linnane, David Davenport, Michael McDonagh and Seán McConigley featured prominently in that team and most are likely to play a part this weekend.
Laurence Healy, Joe Dowling and Brian Conway add experience and knowhow to Ennistymon.
Ennistymon will field a younger team and will probably try to play at a high pace. Getting the better of Liscannor though is a tough ask any day out and it might prove marginally beyond Ennistymon on Sunday evening in Miltown.

Group 2

Cooraclare and Éire Óg tipped to win

Kilkee and Cooraclare will have to wait until 1pm on Sunday before they enter the championship arena in Doonbeg. When Michael Fitzgerald throws the ball in at Shannahan McNamara Park, it could be the start of one of the best hour’s football this weekend.
Under Aidan O’Keeffe, Kilkee appear to have trained harder than they are renowned for, earlier in the year. They have shown consistent form in the Garry Cup, having lost just once to Ennistymon. They won four successive games prior to that though.
In the same division, Cooraclare have also won four of their five games. Significantly the game they lost was a 2-8 to 0-8 defeat to Kilkee.
Last year’s county semi-finalists, who lost to Liscannor at that juncture, have most of their players based in Dublin. Therefore, holding mid-week training sessions with a reasonable turnout of senior players has proven virtually impossible.
On the other hand, Kilkee have most of their players regularly available and have had no player regularly on the county senior football panel. In previous years, they had up to five players on the county panel and that would not have aided their early season club training.
Perhaps their former county players might be fresher as a result of their lack of county commitments.
Kilkee will look to Darragh Kelly, Brian Clancy, Kevin Larkin, Micheál Keane, Gearóid Keane, David Russell and Michael O’Shea to inspire them.
Cooraclare will need big performances from Fergal Lillis, the Marrinans, Thomas Donnellan, Joe Considine, Mark Tubridy and the Donnellys to lead them to victory.
Rory Donnelly played superbly for Clare against Cork in Pairc Uí Chaoimh and a repeat display would stretch the Kilkee full-back line to breaking point.
In what should be an excellent hours football, Cooraclare might just overturn their Garry Cup defeat to Kilkee.
On Saturday evening at 7pm, Éire Óg play St Breckan’s in Corofin. The Ennis men have been going well in the Garry Cup, while St Breckan’s, who reached last year’s intermediate Munster club final, are playing Division 3 league football.
Éire Óg were only knocked out of last year’s championship in a second replay against Cooraclare. St Breckan’s defeated Clondegad in the intermediate final in Miltown.
County U-21s Stephen Tierney and the Cormican twins, Daniel Carey, Darragh Considine, Seán Rouine and their top-class free taker Pat Nagle, will be key men for the Lisdoonvarna/Kilshanny/ Doolin club.
Éire Óg will look to Darren O’Neill, Donie Lyne, Nicky Hogan, Eoin Glynn, Stephen Hickey and Shane Daniels to lead them.
St Breckan’s are certain to be hugely motivated for their first senior championship game since they were relegated in 2007. Having won the U-21B title last year, in addition to the intermediate, St Breckan’s are definitely on the up. This weekend though may prove a step beyond them at this point as Éire Óg should make a winning championship start under Martin Daly.

 

Group 3

Emigrations and injuries could be  decisive factors

Senior championship favourites Kilmurry Ibrickane play Kilmihil in Cooraclare on Saturday at 3.30pm. Kilmihil’s biggest plus going into this game is the fact that they will be viewed as rank outsiders.
Nobody outside of their own panel and management will believe that they have any chance of winning. As much as John Kennedy, Patrick Murrihy and Joe Hurley try to persuade their Kilmurry players that they must be fully focused this weekend, they are hardly immune to the fact that they are overwhelming favourites. So if Kilmurry go into this game lacking some intensity and Kilmihil hit a good day, the contest could be much tighter than anticipated.
If Kilmihil start Timmy and David Ryan at midfield, they are more than capable of winning plenty of possession, especially early in the game. The downside of that strategy is that Kilmihil could do with having one of the Ryan brother’s in the full-forward line. However, Paul Reidy is likely to fill that role and is capable of kicking scores if hit with good ball. Others who must perform if Kilmihil are to stun Kilmurry include Mark O’Connell, Shane Mangan, Stan Lineen and Martin O’Leary. Conor Crowley has picked up a leg injury and is a doubtful starter.
Kilmurry are without Mark Killeen, who has emigrated, but retain most of the players who helped them reach last year’s All-Ireland club final, bar Dermot O’Brien and Odran O’Dwyer.
Enda Coughlan is now lining out at full-forward and has been playing well there in the Cusack Cup. Peter O’Dwyer will lead Kilmurry’s midfield sector, with possibly Paul O’Connor either beside him or at centre-back. The Hickey brothers, Martin McMahon and Declan Callinan are top-class defenders, while Mark McCarthy, Stephen Moloney, Michael O’Dwyer and Noel Downes will put Kilmihil under serious pressure defensively if they go well.
A Kilmihil win would be the shock of the weekend. Not impossible but unlikely.
In the same group, Kilrush meet Wolfe Tones in Lissycasey at 4pm on Saturday. Wolfe Tones have lost several players to emigration including Brian O’Connell, Johnny Bridges and Jamie Roughan. David Reidy is also unavailable due to an ongoing knee injury, while Frank Lohan has retired. Seán Brennan, Chris Dunning, Brendan Hughes and Daniel Gallery will have to produce huge performances if Wolfe Tones are to perform and possibly win.
Kilrush scored a good win over Liscannor in their last Cusack Cup game. Although they didn’t escape from the group last year, Kilrush reached the county semi-final in 2009. They have a good mix of young and not so young players at their disposal. In John Hayes, unlucky to be substituted for Clare against Cork in the Munster championship, Con O’Brien, Paddy Clancy, Donal O’Sullivan, Rory O’Connor and Peadar McMahon, they have a sturdy backbone to their panel.
With Kilmurry Ibrickane warm favourites to emerge from this group, the winners of this game will feel that they will make the last eight if they beat Kilmihil.
Kilrush look the stronger panel wise at the moment and should have enough to put one over the Shannon men.

 

Group 4

Tough matches ahead in toughest championship group

Supporters of Cratloe, Shannon Gaels, St Joseph’s and Miltown, the teams that make up Group 4, are confident that their favourites can qualify from this group for the play-off stages of the Clare Senior Football Championship this year.
It’s expected that this will be the tightest of the groups and that scoring difference may well be required to determine final placings at the end of the group games.
All but Cratloe are participating in Division 1 in the league, with Cratloe playing in Division 3 having been relegated last year. They have won three of the four games they have played and will be strong contenders for promotion.
Given that the majority of their players also make up their hurling team, the success that Cratloe have achieved in both codes in the past decade has surprised many.
With minor A and U-21A championship titles to their credit in recent years, they have genuine reason for approaching the senior championship race in a confident mood.
Their opponents in the first round this Saturday are Shannon Gaels, who have promised more than they have delivered in recent years. Cusack Cup finalists last year, they lost out to Miltown and struggled after that. They were fortunate to overcome Kilmihil in the opening round of the championship but they should have defeated Doonbeg in the quarter-final but faded in the closing stages and lost 0-7 to 0-6. It was a game they should have won.
Five games into this year’s Cusack Cup, they have won just one and will need to show improved form this week if they are to make a winning start to their campaign.
Inter-county panellist Keith Ryan is a strong goalkeeper while in defence they will be looking to John Neylon, Cathal O’Neill and Tomas Madigan to lead the way. Michael O’Donoghue and Noel Kennedy will need to dominate but a lot could hinge on the fitness of the talented John Paul O’Neill. He has been out of action in recent weeks due to injury and it remains to be seen if he will be fit to play in this one. O’Neill at his best will trouble any defence.
Cratloe manager Colm Collins will call on a number of the players who have steered the South East Clare club to various titles in recent years. Clare defender Barry Duggan is expected to be at full-back, the position he fills for the club’s hurlers. Liam Markham, the county U-21 centre-back, is expected to fill this position for the club while elsewhere they will be looking to Sean and Paudge Collins, Conor McGrath, Conor Ryan and Cathal McInerney. It should be a very close contest with little between the sides at the end.
Given that the ’Gaels have been able to concentrate very much on this fixture unlike their opponents, many of whose players have had commitments with a variety of county hurling teams as well as their own club hurling sides, the odds would suggest that the West Clare outfit will be ahead at the final whistle.
That said, however, they will do well not to take Cratloe lightly as the South Clare side has the players capable of winning this game.
News of the death of Niall White on Monday rocked not only his fellow team members at St Joseph’s but all those involved in sport, Gaelic games and soccer in particular, across the county and their first-round championship meeting with Miltown has certainly taken a back seat. The game has been deferred until Friday next (June 10).
Niall had recently returned to training after injury and was set to be an important cog in the Doora-Barefield championship squad.
After drawing their opening game in the league and winning their next two outings, they had suffered a bit of a setback in recent weeks by losing their last two outings. One of these was to Miltown, their championship first-round opponents, to whom they lost by a point. In that tie at the end of April, they were short a number of regulars and there are those who will say that both went into this game determined not to give anything away ahead of their championship meeting.
Miltown have had a change of management after Michael Neylon stepped down some weeks back. Former Kilrush player John Fennell has been appointed in his place.
Miltown will be looking to Eoin and Joe Curtin, the Kelly brothers, Kevin Keavey and Enda Malone to give them an edge.
Cathal O’Sullivan, Sean Flynn, Declan O’Keeffe, the O’Briens, Enda Lyons and Kevin Dilleen will lead the Doora-Barefield challenge. It’s a hard one to call as there appears to be little between the teams.