Tag Archives: football

Suspensions have been proposed for two Clare footballers and team manager Colm Collins arising from the referee Jerome Henry’s report on Sunday’s national league game between Clare and Tipperary at Cusack Park. Clare will appeal the red card shown to Jamie Malone following his clash with Tipperary official Shane Stapleton, 11 minutes into the second half. While Stapleton was quickly back on his feet, he collapsed moments later and having received medical attention on the sideline, he was stretchered from the pitch and later removed to hospital, where he remained overnight. After the game, Tipperary manager Liam Kearns said Stapleton had hit his head off concrete when he fell. He stated he felt unwell and subsequently collapsed. Malone, who was attempting to retrieve the ball, which had gone over the sideline adjacant to where the Tipperary officials were positioned, was shown a straight red card. It is believed he was subsequently reported for a category four offence, which deals with …

A 14-point defeat leaves little room for putting much of a spin on things. Clare were beaten in almost every sector on Sunday. From a management point of view, Colm Collins’ task is to try to pick up the players’ morale before Sunday’s game against Tipperary in Cusack Park at 2pm. As poor as Clare were in Navan, if they manage to somehow beat Tipperary, they will move ahead of them on the Division 2 table. For that to happen though, a mammoth improvement and lifting of effort levels is required. “We win together and we lose together. No player goes out to play poorly. This week we’ll have a look at it and go after the areas we feel we didn’t do well in. These things happen. Sometimes you turn in a really magical display and sometimes it’s poor. You’re never really as bad or as good as either. You just have to park it. There’s nothing we can …

AS they head for Meath on Sunday, the Clare footballers and management will feel confident they have the capacity to kick a match-winning total. However, they will also dwell on the issues that were highlighted against Cavan and Cork in the McGrath Cup final. In those games, Clare have conceded 5-15 from play, while they kicked enough themselves to win either game. Management are introducing younger players to pivotal positions and those players must be given time to learn what football at this level is about. Based on what they have conceded in the games referred to, Clare will have to look at slightly readjusting their defensive plan for Meath, who beat them by nine points in Ennis last season and who drew with Roscommon on Sunday. They could opt to play a sweeper, if not for the entire 70 minutes, perhaps in the opening 15 minutes, to help them to settle and get a foothold in the game. Employing …

WHILE Clare used the McGrath Cup to give younger players a run, there is no ignoring the fact that they will start the 2018 league without several experienced defenders. Goalkeeper Joe Hayes has retired, while Liam Markham has opted out for work reasons. Dean Ryan is in Australia, while Kevin Harnett is recovering from a shoulder operation. Martin McMahon and John Hayes have yet to return to the panel and it is unclear as to whether they will. Liscannor’s Darren Nagle is now in Australia. However, Éire Óg’s Ciaran Russell is back training, having recovered from a hamstring injury. Clare manager Colm Collins, who is starting his fifth season in the post, says that the absence of those players is a “natural progression” and that it will afford opportunities to younger defenders on Saturday against Cavan. “It’s the natural progression of things. A team develops for one reason or another and you’re going to be without some players. Certain players …

CLARE referees are getting old and their representative association in the county is very keen to recruit up to 30 new whistlers for an upcoming training course. There are 39 active referees currently, with 70% of them over 40 and 10% over 60. Inter-county referees Rory Hickey and Rory McGann are adamant that a new injection of younger folk in black is imperative, with just five referees aged under 30. “We’re getting older. Clubs might be sick of looking at us but there is no one else. In Clare, we have an older demographic in our referees’ association. We need to be pumping new people into it,” Rory Hickey told The Clare Champion this week. Hickey has been refereeing since 2000 and has taken charge of seven county finals, while Rory McGann took charge of the 2016 drawn hurling final. Both are aiming to make it back to the list of inter-county referees this year and will know this weekend, …

THE Munster GAA Council has announced details of the 2017 Development Grant Scheme, which has provided €1,004,700 in funding for club and school capital development projects. Clare received €118,600 from 10 applications, Cork received €344,229 from 38 applications, Limerick received €185,258 from 18 applications, Kerry received €93,308 from 15 applications, Tipperary received €202,413 from 23 applications and Waterford received €60,886 from seven applications. Funding is allocated based on the amount spent and on the category of development. Local clubs were presented with their cheques at Clareabbey on Monday. According to council chairman, Jerry O’Sullivan, “These grants have supported an impressive range of capital development projects, with clubs investing close on €7,750,000 million in upgrading their facilities. This level of expenditure is testament to the strength of the GAA in the province and reflects the impressive vision of our clubs to continually improve facilities for players and supporters alike. The grants provided would not be possible without the great support we …

Almost 100 years to the day of Clare’s only All-Ireland senior football final appearance, the names of the players and mentors who were part of the panel, the clubs they represented, the results of each round, the venues where they played and the dates on which the games took place have all been recorded on a poster, framed and put on display at Clare GAA headquarters at Clareabbey. The framed document was handed over to Clare GAA during the senior footballers’ medal presentation ceremony at Tubridy’s in Doonbeg last Saturday night, in the presence of a number of relatives of those involved in 1917. Kilkee native JT Larkin and his brother, Michael, who played senior football with the county for a number of years, were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. “Michael is a newsagent in Miltown and various people coming in to his shop this year raised the topic and asked if some commemoration was to take place. …

A new draw for the under 21 A and B football championship was made this week after Wolfe Tones applied to be upgraded from the B grade to the A division. Thirteen teams will now compete for the A title with just six in the B competition. The details are Under 21 A; Byes to A- Wolfe Tones, B-Ennistymon and C-Ml. Cusacks /Kilfenora/ Liscannor; Preliminary Round; 1-D-Eire Og v Kilmihil/Shannon Gaels; E-Lissycasey v Kilmurry-Ibrickane; F-Cooraclare v St. Breckans; G-Kilrush-Killimer v St. Josephs, Doora-Barefield; H—Naomh Eoin/O’Currys v Miltown St. Josephs; Quarter finals; 1—G v C; 2—D v A; 3—B v F; 4—E v H Semi-finals; 2 v 1 and 4 v 3 Under 21 B; Byes to A—Cratloe and B—Clooney-Quin; Quarter finals; C—Corofin v Clarecastle; d—Doonbeg v Clondegad; Semi-finals; A v B; C v D.