The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
TONY Kelly is one of only three hurlers from outside of Limerick to be named on the 2021 All Star team.
The Ballyea man was named at corner forward and it is third All Star, with the others having come in 2013 and 2020.
Kelly was in outstanding form during the 2021 season and his selection had been widely expected.
Limerick won the 2021 All Ireland with some ease, and that has been reflected with an incredible 12 of their team being named All Stars. Other than Kelly, the only other non Limerick inclusions are Kilenny’s Eoin Murphy and Conor Prunty of Waterford.
In an interview with the Champion this week, Kelly said he feels Clare can enjoy a good 2022. “We are confident we are moving in the right direction. Clare were a puck of a ball away from beating Cork who got to the All-Ireland final. I know Cork got a trimming in the All-Ireland final but that was down to them not performing. We know we are not too far away.
“Munster is a minefield with the teams that are extremely strong. Clare have a couple of new faces on the
panel, which is always good, a few coming back from injury like Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan
coming back from Australia.
“We feel we are strong, if we can get a bit of luck and stay injury free, we will have a crack off it in April
or May. With a bit of luck, we can keep progressing from where we have been over the last few years.
“Every year brings on a new challenge with injuries or other things.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
