New faces on board as footballers gear up for 2012

AS the Clare senior footballers prepare for their opening game of the McGrath Cup against UL in Miltown Malbay on Sunday, January 8, they will play GMIT in a challenge in Galway on Monday, January 2.
Several newcomers have been added to the Clare panel for the McGrath Cup campaign. The newcomers include David Murphy and Seán O’Driscoll (Ennistymon), Stephen Tierney (St Breckan’s), Killian Malone (Kilfenora), Seán Haugh (O’Curry’s), Podge Collins (Cratloe), Thomas Downes and Thomas Donnellan (Cooraclare), Luke O’Loughlin (Corofin) and Chris Williamson (Kilkee).
County champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane have four players on the McGrath Cup panel; Peter O’Dwyer junior, Martin McMahon, Darren Hickey and Stephen Moloney. Declan Callinan, who featured against Down in Cusack Park, is injured at the moment.
Fellow 2011 panellist Mark Tubridy (Cooraclare) has emigrated to Australia, while Niall Browne (Two Mile House, Kildare) is injured but will be part of the panel when he recovers in about four weeks.
Kilkee veteran David Russell is also on the panel, having featured just briefly for Clare against Down in last June’s first-round All-Ireland qualifier. Russell will again be joined by his long-time county team-mate Ger Quinlan (O’Curry’s) along with other fairly experienced players including Joe Hayes (Lissycasey), Rory Donnelly (Cooraclare), Michael O’Shea (Kilkee), Alan Clohessy (Liscannor), the Kelly brother’s (Miltown), Timmy Ryan (Kilmihil) and Laurence Healy (Ennistymon).
Clare manager Micheál McDermott told The Clare Champion the panel has been on an individual strength and conditioning programme for the last six weeks, under the direction of new team trainer Micheál Cahill.
However, the Clare manager, who is in his third year in the post, is concerned Clare might be short of match practice as the McGrath Cup approaches.
“The McGrath Cup is, to a degree, coming four weeks too early. We’re really only back on the field with our first challenge game against GMIT on Monday. That game will go a long way to determining, along with the training, who is going to be in contention to start in the match against UL,” he said.
McDermott is also concerned that lack of match practice, due to the GAA’s winter training ban, might lead to players picking up early season injuries.
“The thing about the McGrath Cup being run in January, from a player welfare point of view, it’s very unfair on players to ask them to not do any training collectively in the months of November and December. In any sport, pre-season is a must to prevent injury,” he pointed out.
“I’d have no problem with players having November and December off if the league started in the month of February as it does but not having the McGrath Cup starting on January 8. It’s very, very unfair on players to expect them to go out having not trained on any pitches for maybe three to four months,” he reiterated.
As for the make-up of the current panel, McDermott says players may drop in and out depending on their game and training form in January.
“I would say that it’s very, very early to tell what the finalised panel will be. The McGrath Cup and the on-field training in the month of January will go a long way to determining what the panel will be for the league in the first week in February,” he stated.
If Clare beat UL in Miltown on Sunday week, they will have to travel to Páirc Uí Rínn on Sunday, January 15 to play Cork. The semi-finals are dated for January 22 with the McGrath Cup final to be played on January 29.