Old friends to go head-to-head in Croke Park

FROM the moment Clare went out of the Munster championship to Waterford a few weeks back, the odds suggested that their opponents in the qualifier would be Dublin.
There was no surprise when those watching the live broadcast on Monday morning saw Dublin’s name followed from the draw drum by Clare.
Yes, it’s Anthony Daly v Ger O’Loughlin and the head-to-head between the close friends who grew up a stone’s throw from each other in Madden’s Terrace in Clarecastle will take place on Saturday week in Croke Park.
With Dublin having home advantage in both hurling and football (Tipperary provide the opposition in football) the Dublin County Board has set up a double header for Croke Park on Saturday week. The hurling game will be at 4pm with the football taking place at 6pm.
The match will start off a busy and important few days for Clare hurling. Less than 24 hours later, Clare fans will be in Semple Stadium in Thurles for the Munster minor hurling final in which Clare will play either Waterford (holders) or Cork.
The teams played a thrilling draw last Saturday in Pairc Ui Caoimh but the involvement of five Cork players in this weekend’s Munster minor football final means the minor hurling replay will not take place until next Wednesday in Walsh Park in Waterford.
The winners will then just have four days to prepare for the clash with Clare. A Waterford win would mean a repeat of the first round tie when the Déise outfit defeated Clare on a score of 1-21 to 0-16.
Three days later on, Wednesday, July 14, the U-21 hurlers will begin the defence of their Munster and All-Ireland titles when they take on neighbours Limerick in the provincial semi-final in the Gaelic Grounds.
A number of the heroes of last year’s memorable success are eligible again this year and these include Donal Tuohy, Nicky O’Connell, John Conlon, Sean Collins, Darach Honan, Caimin Morey, James Gunning, Cathal Chaplin, Liam Markham, Conor McGrath, Patrick O’Connor and Cillian Duggan.
For the Croke Park clash with the Dubs, Clare hope to have all members of the squad available for selection. James McInerney will again be an absentee and the Newmarket man remains doubtful for the rest of this season.
Jonathon Clancy picked up a knock in last week’s challenge game with Laois but he is due to be back in full training this weekend. John Conlon, Nicky O’Connell and Brendan Bugler sat out that tie but all are expected to be back in training.
“There is a bit of concern about Nicky O’Connell. He is carrying an injury picked up in a club game but I hope he will be back in action this week,” team manager Ger O’Loughlin said this week
The manager said he is happy with Croke Park for the game. “We would, of course, have preferred if we had the game in Ennis but the lads are looking forward to Croke Park. It’s where most hurlers would love to be playing. A lot of our lads will be going there on a winning note having won the All-Ireland U-21 title there last September,” he added.
Fellow Clarecastle man Anthony Daly will take his Dublin team to headquarters hoping to bounce back from the disappointing defeat suffered in the Leinster semi-final against Kilkenny. They received a timely boost a few nights later when they beat the noresiders in the Leinster U-21 championship, ending their reign as Leinster title-holders. Dublin also beat Kilkenny in the Leinster Minor Championship last week so they will be considerably boosted by both of these victories ahead of their date with Clare.
The last time Clare and Dublin met competitively was in the National League in 2009 when the Banner County secured their only point of that campaign by earning a draw at Parnell Park. A few weeks before Clare’s Munster championship clash with Waterford, they played the Dubs in a challenge at Athenry when Dublin won comprehensively.
Defeat next week will mean the end of the season so it’s fair to expect that both sides will be in determined mood that should make for a lively contest.