Tag Archives: Clare GAA

Waterford 6-9 Clare 4-12 CLARE exited the 2014 Munster minor football championship in a thrilling tie at Fraher Field in Dungarvan on Tuesday evening. Both teams were committed to all out attack and notched some superb scores during 60 minutes of terrific attacking football, although the defending, at both ends, was not quite as impressive. Waterford scored a goal with their first attack when Joe Allen netted 13 seconds after his team won the throw in. That set the tone for a magnificent spectacle. Come half time the home county had added three more goals and led 4-4 to 1-4. Darren Nagle scored Clare’s first half goal with a top class finish while Evan Courtney, Liam Madigan and Keelan Sexton pointed some great scores. The second half was full of goals with Sexton twice netting for Clare, while Evan Courtney added the remaining goal. However every time Waterford attacked they looked dangerous and raised green flags too regularly for the …

Peter O’Connell Tipperary 1-16 Clare 1-15 CLARE put in a brave, unyielding display in Saturday evenings NFL division 4 league final in Croke Park. The highlight was a magnificent goal, early in the second half from Kilmihil’s Martin O’Leary who was played in by fellow U/21 Jamie Malone. At that stage Clare led 1-11 to 1-8 and backed by a strong wind, it looked as if their first appearance in Croke Park since 2004 would end in victory. However they added just four points in the closing half hour with Tipperary tagging on 0-8 during the same spell. The game was watched by a crowd of 8,654 people. Conor Sweeney was the winners main man in attacking scoring their goal in the opening half and kicking an array of impressive points. Tipperary led 1-7 to 0-9 at half time, thanks to Sweeney’s 19th minute goal. In fact were it not for two excellent blocks from Kevin Hartnett, Tipperary could have …

CLARE football management have made two change to their starting 15 for Sunday’s NFL Divison 4 game against Tippeary in Thurles at 3pm. Óige Murphy returns after injury and comes in for Kevin Hartnett, who picked up a hamstring injury against Wicklow last Sunday. Under-21, Jamie Malone from Corofin, replaces Podge Collins, who will be part of the Clare hurling panel, also against Tipperary on Sunday. The footballers starting 15 is: Pierce Deloughrey; Dean Ryan, Gordon Kelly, Martin McMahon; Óige Murphy, Enda Coughlan, Shane Hickey; Gary Brennan (captain), Cathal O’Connor; Shane McGrath, Seán Collins, Shane Brennan; Martin O’Leary, David Tubridy, Jamie Malone. Clare are currently top of Division 4 on seven points. However, they have played a game more than Tipperary, who sit on five points.

Clare 2-13 Wicklow 1-8 THE Clare footballers maintained their drive for promotion from division 4, with an eight point win over Wicklow in Cusack Park on Sunday. Clare are now top of the division with three games left to play. Both teams were unbeaten before the game, with Wicklow having won both of their games prior to this tie, while Clare had beaten Waterford and London, while they drew with Leitrim. The biggest talking point to emerge from this game came in just the sixth minute when Wicklow captain Leighton Glynn was red carded following an incident with Martin McMahon. Wicklow were incensed at referee Seán Joy’s red card and while Clare didn’t immediately capitalise, they assumed control the longer the game wore on. With David Tubridy excelling in attack and Gary Brennan netting a first half goal for Clare, they led 1-4 to 0-6 at half time, having played into the breeze. Clare restricted Wicklow to 1-2 in the …

FIFTEEN minutes into Sunday’s game in Ruislip, London corner-back Philip Butler was met with the curly finger. He had been beaten to virtually every ball by his 19-year-old opponent, who was playing just his third national league game for Clare. To date, Kilmihil’s Martin O’Leary, who scored 0-4, has been one of Clare’s most potent forwards in the 2014 campaign. He attributes this to the quality and guidance of the more experienced players around him. “They’ve been around the block. The likes of Tubs [David Tubridy] inside in the full-forward line, his movement is unbelievable and then we have the likes of Gary [Brennan] kicking in the ball. If you make it stick, take on your man,” is how he put it after Clare’s second league win of the new season. Clare introduced five subs, including a couple of U-21s and a few old stagers. “There’s a good mix. We had two young lads in Jamie [Malone] and Jack [O’Dea] …

LONG before Sunday dawns, one of the main items of interest will be where Clare’s opening league match is played. Recent inclement weather has placed a premium on the use of Cusack Park. Last Sunday’s Division 4 National Football League game had to be moved to Miltown Malbay, which will have helped to protect Cusack Park but it will not guarantee its use this weekend. In fact, the pitch itself might be playable but if, for example, the area behind the terraced stand is flooded, that might present a health and safety issue. Hopefully, come the weekend, the weather will be more compliant but if Cusack Park is deemed unplayable, where the game is played will become a matter of some intrigue. When the Waterford Crystal final against Tipperary had to be moved from Sixmilebridge, the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick was the chosen venue. The fact that happened indicates the paucity of top level floodlit playing fields in Clare. However, …

CLARE full-forward Shane Brennan wasn’t initially buoyed at hearing other results in Division 4. Waterford’s draw with Tipperary did Clare no harm, while Antrim’s defeat to Wicklow leaves the Ulster county at the bottom of the basement division. A Clare win would have been a huge boost but a point wasn’t a bad return, although the Royal College of Surgeons student wasn’t in full agreement. “We’re never looking at the other teams’ results. We have to look at ourselves first. We set ourselves a target of winning that game. It’s heartbreaking at the moment that we didn’t but looking at it in the last minute of injury time, we could have it lost. You have to take the positives from it and the whole thing is still in our own hands,” he said. The Clondegad man felt Clare could have utilised the first-half breeze to more telling effect. “We probably should have a few more scores got in the first …

IN a year in which the county won two All-Ireland hurling titles, Clare still managed to record a profit of €59,289, according to the financial report that will be presented to delegates at next week’s annual convention, which takes place on Thursday, December 19. Income for the year amounted to €1,796,854, with expenditure coming to €1,737,565. Team expenses for the year amounted to €913,919 (€671,570 in 2012). This is an accumulative figure for all county teams and a breakdown for each team is not given. A breakdown of this figure shows that players’ travel expenses amounted to €324,365 (€267,842 in 2012); catering cost €199,541 (143,656 in 2012); medical physiotherapy and masseurs cost €99,835 (€86,353 last year); buses and overnights cost €61,001 (€53,255 in ’12); sportsgear, equipment and laundry cost €78,468 (€79,531 in ’12), while training facilities cost €23,197 (€20,856 last year). The team expenses figure includes provision for €100,000 for the senior hurlers’ holiday. There was a slight increase in …