By Seamus Hayes The Clare team named to start against Kilkenny at Nowlan Park on Sunday shows four changes in personnel from that which lined out against Dublin on Saturday last. Into the team comes Patrick Kelly, Jack Browne, Seadna Morey and Colin Ryan and they replace Donal Tuohy, Brendan Bugler (suspended), Pat O’Connor (injured) and Shane Golden. Colin Ryan was unavailable for the Dublin game while Seadna Morey will be making his first start of this campaign. Joint team captain Pat Donnellan will line out at wing back where he impressed in the second half of the game against Dublin. Morey is named as midfield partner to Colm Galvin but may be asked to fill a sweeper’s role with Tony Kelly moving out to partner Galvin. The team is Patrick Kelly; Paul Flanagan, David McInerney, Jack Browne; Pat Donnellan, Conor Ryan, Cian Dillon; Colm Galvin, Seadna Morey; John Conlon, Tony Kelly, Colin Ryan: Aaron Cunningham, Shane O’Donnell, Conor McGrath …

By Seamus Hayes Cross and Passion, Ballycastle 1-10 St.Josephs Tula 0-12 A physically stronger Cross and Passion side from Ballycastle ended St.Josephs Tulla dream of All-Ireland Colleges B hurling honours at Navan on Saturday afternoon. The Clare side will bemoan a number of missed chances, particularly in the final quarter when they just could not manage to level the game on a day when all but two of their scores came from placed balls. The big talking point, however, amongst Tulla supporters will be the decision to dis-allow a Tulla goal in the eleventh minute of the match Two points ahead after ten minutes, Munster champions Tulla split the Cross and Passion defence with a good move which ended with a Matthew Culloo goal. However, referee John Keenan called play back and awarded the Clare side a 20m free in front of goal. On what was a bumpy pitch, Brian Fahy slipped as he took the free and the ball …

TWENTY-one winters after winning a Fitzgibbon Cup medal on the field with UL, Brian Lohan was delighted and relieved to lead his Alma Mater to the 2015 title after a replay win over Waterford IT last week in Cork. Amongst the Clare contingent who played key roles were Tony Kelly, David McInerney, Jack Browne, Cathal McInerney and Gearóid Ryan. The double All-Ireland winning full-back and four-time All-Star felt the Fitzgibbon Cup helped him to develop as a player more than two decades ago and is now aiding his management career. “I played in three Fitzgibbons before eventually winning a fourth one. It was a huge learning curve for me as a player. Even though I wasn’t saying it, I felt that having been involved in the management set-up for three years already, you’d want to be learning in the fourth year. Without saying too much about it, I felt that this year we had to do it,” the 2015 Fitzgibbon …

RESULTS in the National Hurling League’s Division 1 games last weekend mean that Clare travel to Nowlan Park for their final group game on Sunday in the knowledge that victory there, allied to a win for Galway over Dublin, will see the Banner side into a league quarter-final. A Clare victory will confine Kilkenny to bottom position on the league table and send them into the relegation play-off. Should Clare and Dublin finish on four points each (following a Clare win and a loss for Dublin), Clare will climb above the Dubs on the head-to-head result and leave Dublin to face Kilkenny. Irrespective of the result, league champions Kilkenny will be in the relegation play-off. They have already lost to Galway and Dublin and as a win over Clare would see them draw level with the losers of the Galway v Dublin game on points, they would still lose out on the head-to-head result with whichever of the sides loses …

ANYBODY who has been involved in a team sport, be it at elite or grassroots level, understands and accepts that if an agreed disciplinary code is breached, those who breached it must be dealt with. Otherwise, why have a code of conduct at all? Punishments applied can vary wildly, depending on the level the particular group play at. Most clubs will not get rid of a player who is their main man, for example, simply because a manager knows that he needs him on the field. Therefore, clever club managers won’t back themselves into a corner by announcing, often early in the season, what measures they will apply if somebody is caught illicitly socialising later in the year. If the manager tells players what action he will take, prior to any infringement, then he has to follow through. Otherwise he will be undermined in front of the rest of the players. The problem for the manager arises when a player, …

CLARE GAA County Board chairman, Michael McDonagh, said he would have made himself available to mediate between players and management in the disciplinary dispute that has rocked the local hurling scene. On Wednesday evening, the Clare senior hurling management and panel issued a brief statement in response to the controversy surrounding the disciplining of Davy O’Halloran and Nicky O’Connell. “The Clare senior hurling panel and management have met on the recent disciplinary issues that have been aired in the public domain. All involved are happy that the matter was dealt with fairly. “While there are numerous inaccuracies reported in the media, on social media and in a former player’s statement, the matter is now closed and we, as a group, are all happy to move forward united and to continue to enjoy working hard for Clare hurling.” The statement was signed by Pat Donnellan and Cian Dillon, on behalf of the players and the management trio of Davy Fitzgerald, Michael …

Tipperary       0-15 Clare                0-7 DESPITE a valiant effort in Thurles on Wednesday evening, Clare exited the Munster U-21 Football Championship at the semi-final stage. Clare did not lack effort or commitment but the fact that none of their starting forwards scored from play underlines where they primarily fell short. Although beaten by eight points in the end, 11 minutes from time Tipperary led by just four, 0-11 to 0-7, and Clare were still competitive. Tipperary, however, kicked four points in the remaining minutes to pull away from Clare, who would have lost by more were it not for the goalkeeping excellence of Killian Normoyle. He made two excellent first-half saves and one late in the second period. The winners led 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time, with Keelan Sexton scoring three of Clare’s points from frees, while Paddy O’Malley put the remaining point over from a dead ball. An incisive move, in the 19th minute, instigated by Cian O’Dea and carried …

Armagh 3-11 Clare 1-11 TEN points down at half-time, Clare produced a stirring second half display to drag themselves to within two points of Armagh half way through the second half. However it wasn’t sufficient to reel in the visiting county and joint division 3 table toppers. A second Tony Kernan goal, four minutes from time, sealed the win for Kieran McGeeney’s team who had lead 2-8 to 0-4 at the interval having comprehensively outplayed Clare in the opening half. Ironically the home county started very well and led 0-2 to 0-0 seven minutes with Shane Brennan and Jamie Malone pointing from play. Armagh however preceded to take over and kicked 2-5 without reply. In fact Clare were held scoreless for 17 minutes. In the interim full forward Ethan Rafferty, held off Clare full back Kevin Harnett to bury Armagh’s first goal, which was also their opening score. Thereafter Andy Mallon, one of three Armagh players to be black carded, …

By Seamus Hayes Clare 2-22 Dublin 2-20 A second man of the match performance in five days from Tony Kelly inspired the Clare hurlers to their first win in this season’s Allianz hurling league when they overcame Dublin at Cusack Park this Saturday afternoon. Outstanding in U.L’s victory in the Fitzgibbon cup final replay in mid week, the Ballyea and his Fitzgibbon cup captain David McInerney maintained that form when inspiring Clare to a merited win over Dublin in round four of the league It was a win that didn’t appear likely when the home side was reduced to fourteen men just before half time when Brendan Bugler was sent off following an off the ball incident. Kelly’s display was one of a number of outstanding performances from the Clare side for whom David McInerney, John Conlon, Conor McGrath, Shane O’Donnell, Colm Galvin in the final quarter and substitute David Reidy also had key roles in this impressive win, a …

By Seamus Hayes Both the Clare senior hurling and football teams have been forced to make changes ahead of this weekend’s league action from the teams which tasted defeat last weekend. For this Saturday’s clash with Dublin in the hurling league in Cusack Park, Davy Fitzgerald and his management team have made two changes in personnel. Colin Ryan is unavailable and his place in the forward line goes to Aaron Cunningham while Donal Tuohy had been handed the goalkeeping position ahead of Pat Kelly. Tony Kelly, fresh from his man of the match performance in the mid week replay of the Fitzgibbon cup hurling final, will lead the hurlers attack while the captain of the winning University of Limerick team, David McInerney, will line out at corner back Meanwhile, football manager Colm Collins has been forced into one change with David Tubridy ruled out due to injury for the Banner side’s clash with Armagh on Sunday, also at Cusack Park. …

AFTER a great start to the league with impressive wins over Tipperary and Kilkenny, the Dublin senior hurlers were brought crashing back down to earth on Saturday night, when they suffered a drubbing at the hands of Cork at Croke Park. An 11-point loss should see the Ger Cunningham-managed side come to Ennis on Saturday for their meeting with Clare determined to get back to winning ways and secure a place in the play-offs. Another defeat could see the Ger Cunningham-managed Dubs with relegation worries on their minds going into the final game of the group stage. Davy Fitzgerald and his team will be hoping that the improvement shown in their game against Tipperary will continue and lead to a Clare win this weekend. Clare will have to win their remaining two games and hope that other results go in their favour if they are to have a chance of avoiding the dreaded relegation play-off. It’s unlikely that all of …

Nicky O’Connell and Davy O’Halloran have turned their backs on the Clare senior hurling panel. Clonlara’s O’Connell, an All-Ireland senior and U-21 medal winner and O’Halloran, from Éire Óg, also an U-21 All-Ireland medalist, left the panel last week after they were punished for an alleged breach of discipline. O’Connell’s brother Cathal (Tots) was also disciplined by the team management but he has not withdrawn. He was with the squad for last Sunday’s league tie with Tipperary. It is understood that the trio were given a three-week programme of physical training and informed that they would not play any part in three league games as a result of a breach of the strict discipline guidelines put in place by the team management. The alleged breach is understood to have occurred on the Friday prior to the opening league game against Galway. Davy O’Halloran and Nicky O’Connell have played key roles in the Munster and All-Ireland successes that Clare have enjoyed …

FOLLOWING confirmation at the weekend that she has been awarded a full-time contract with the Irish Rugby 7s side, 23-year-old Kilmihil girl, Eimear Considine, has taken a step closer to participating in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. An Irish and PE teacher in Glasnevin, Considine has been playing senior football for Clare since she was 16 and has also represented the county senior camogie team for several years. “You’d never even imagine, that you might be in the Olympics,” she told The Clare Champion this week. Considine had not played rugby before and, incredibly, she was approached to try out via a message on LinkedIn, which she almost missed completely. “I have never played rugby. I’d heard of a lot of people who have transferred over to it and I always wanted to try it but I didn’t know how to go about it. I got a message on LinkedIn, which I only joined because we were …

Clare 2-11 Waterford 0-3 Clare coasted into next Wednesday’s Munster U-21 football semi-final meeting with Tipperary in Thurles, following a facile win over Waterford in Miltown. Played in front of an attendance of 518, Clare restricted Waterford to just a single second-half point. Clare put the game away in the opening three minutes of the second half, when Jamie Malone raced through for a superb goal. Prior to that, Keelan Sexton had put over a nice point from play, set up by Dale Masterson. Malone won the subsequent kick-out and buried his second goal. Sexton followed up with a superb left-footed score, putting Clare into a 2-6 to 0-2 lead. Waterford had battled gamely in the opening half but following Clare’s burst after half-time, the confidence and ambition visibly drained from their opponents. Malone’s first goal, six minutes before half-time, helped Clare into a 1-4 to 0-2 interval lead. The goal opportunity was presented to the Corofin man following excellent …

THE Clare U/21 footballers will play Waterford in the Munster quarter-final in Miltown next Wednesday at 7.30pm. The winners will play Tipperary in Thurles on Wednesday March 18 in the provincial semi-final. The Clare starting team is as follows: Killian Normoyle (Lissycasey); Cian O’Mahoney (Doonbeg), Jack O’Dea (Kilfenora), Conor Brennan (Éire óg-captain); Darren Nagle (Liscannor), Conor O’Brien (Doora-Barefield), Cian O’Dea (Kilfenora); Dara Walsh (Éire óg), Jamie Malone (Corofin); Liam Corry (Éire óg), Paddy O’Malley (Éire óg), Dale Masterson (St Breckan’s); Martin O’Leary (Kilmihil), Keelan Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Eimhin Courtney (Éire óg). Clare took part in the Hastings Cup tournament in January, beating Offaly and in recent weeks they have played Wexford and Louth in challenge games, winning both. “The Wexford game in particular was a good work out. Both teams were close to full strength. We have another game this week (Limerick) and then we’ll be winding down towards the game. We’ll have a couple of handy enough session at …