Tag Archives: hurling

CLARE and Tipperary both know Saturday could be their last outing for the 2017 season. “It’s a do or die game for both. We feel we have a huge amount we can improve upon from our last performance, in terms of our defence set-up, our puck-out strategy, our shot selection from the middle third and our decision-making as a whole,” joint team manager Gerry O’Connor said ahead of the panel’s second last training session. “Ultimately, if you look at the amount of scoring opportunities we created against Cork, they were significant and we didn’t take a high enough percentage of them,” he added. He conceded that David McInerney’s chances of playing are slim. “At best, his chance is 50-50. Right now we are considering him as unavailable. Anything else will be a bonus. We will know more following training.” McInerney is the only serious injury worry. “There are the usual knocks and bruises following our game in training on Sunday …

Comment WHO dreamed up, implemented and then didn’t change Clare’s puck-out strategy? Why did Clare seemingly set out to stop Cork and neglect to concentrate more fully on playing their own game? Why was Tony Kelly left on penalties and why was Oisin O’Brien started on Alan Cadogan, when surely Seadna Morey was the man for that job? These and a few other questions abounded on Sunday evening and Monday morning as the dwindling Clare hurling public digested what had just happened in Thurles. Since winning the 2013 All-Ireland title, Clare have beaten Limerick and Laois (both twice) and Offaly in championship hurling. Any time they have met a top tier county, including Cork, Galway or Waterford, they have not cut it. Repeatedly this panel have shown that they are not as good as people in this county thought. Their 2013 win must now be consigned to the ‘lucky, flash in the pan’ category and while their All-Ireland medal cannot …

Limerick 1-28 Clare 1-15 Disappointing times for Clare GAA followers continued at the Gaelic grounds in Limerick this evening when the county’s under 21 hurlers were comprehensively beaten by Limerick in the Provincial semi-final. The writing was on the wall from an early stages as the home side dominated all the key areas. By half time they were nine points clear, 1-14 to 1-5 and Clare were fortunate that they were not much further behind at this stage as Limerick has failed to convert four clear goal chances in the first half Limerick went into the game as strong favourites and the writing was on the wall early as they took a commanding lead after just ten minutes. When Clare hit five unanswered points inside the first ten minutes of the second half to cut the winner’s lead to five points, Clare supporters in the official attendance of 5,577 held out hopes of a rally. However, it wasn’t to be …

The Clare team to play Limerick in the Munster under 21 hurling championship semi-final was named after training this Monday evening and it includes David Fitzgerald, Aron Shanagher and Jason McCarthy who played in the Munster senior final loss to Cork on Sunday. the match takes place on Wednesday evening at the gaelic grounds in Limerick with the throw in at 7.30p.m The team is Killian Nugent (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Ciaran Cooney (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Dara Walsh (Éire Óg), Conor O’Halloran (Éire Óg); Con Smyth (Feakle), David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona), Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones); Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona), Michael O’Malley (Kilmaley); Ben O’Gorman (Wolfe Tones), Ian Galvin (Clonlara), Brian Cahill (Kilmaley); Colin Corbett (Tulla), Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones), Billy Connors (Cratloe) Subs:Dan Vaughan (Tulla), Michael Moloney (Éire Óg), Michael O’Shea (Smith O’Brien’s), Padraic O’Loughlin (Clonlara), Cathal Noonan (Killanena), Jack Cunningham (Wolfe Tones), Darren Chaplin (Broadford), Ronan Monahan (Tubber), Evan McMahon (Feakle)

Since Clare made the breakthrough in winning their first provincial U-21 hurling title in 2009, Banner teams have dominated the championship. They have won four of the last eight titles, including three-in-a-row in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Next Wednesday’s semi-final tie between Clare and Shannonside rivals Limerick will take place at the Gaelic Grounds, the first meeting of the counties at this level since the final of 2015, when Limerick were victorious. This year’s manager, John Carmody, is happy that there is no pressure heading into next week’s game. “A number of the players involved this year were in the team that suffered a big defeat in Waterford last year and they will want to atone for that. We are playing the All-Ireland favorites in their own back yard and we are confident that the players will perform and express themselves on the evening,” commented the Kilmaley man. “There is a huge rivalry between the counties and form goes out …

WHEN Cork stripped their great rivals, Tipperary, of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship title in a semi-final replay at Pairc Uí Rinn on Monday evening, it installed the Leesiders as favourites for Sunday’s final clash with Clare at Semple Stadium. Clare’s progress to the final has surprised some, as their semi-final opponents, Limerick, were fancied to make it a fifth successive provincial final appearance, given that they had a fair scattering of last year’s squad that contested the All-Ireland final in their ranks. However, Clare’s greater hunger for victory proved decisive in last week’s clash and they emerged as deserving winners in a tie that required extra time. The fact the Cork v Tipperary tie was still level after extra-time, which led to Monday’s replay, confirms the view held by the Clare management that the four semi-finalists were evenly matched and that there will not be much between the teams on Sunday. In the drawn tie, Brian Turnbull and Daire …

TICKET-mania has gripped the county ahead of what is a huge week for Clare GAA, when four teams will be trying to progress in their respective championships. The minor and senior hurlers face Cork in Thurles on Sunday, the senior footballers host Mayo in round 3A of the qualifiers on Saturday while, on Wednesday evening next, the U-21 hurlers will play Limerick in the Munster championship semi-final. The Munster Hurling Championship has always had a special appeal and on Sunday, Clare will contest both the minor and senior finals on the same day for only the fourth time ever. Clare won the minor title in 1981, when captain by John Lynch from Sixmilebridge, but suffered defeat in the senior final. Clare lost to Tipperary in the 1997 Munster minor final but won the senior crown the same day. Less than two months later, both teams were crowned All-Ireland champions. 1997 was the first year of the back-door system. Clare lost …

The Clare minor team to fave Limerick in the Munster minor hurling semi-final this Wednesday evening shows five changes in personnell from that which comfortably overcame Waterford in the opening round at the beginning of April. Omitted are corner backs Cian McInerney and Conor Ferns, midfielder Cathal Darcy and forwards Gearoid Cahill and Conor Tierney. They are replaced by Sean Crowley, Bradley Higgins, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Riain Considine and Paul Corry. The game throws in a 7.30p.m and extra time will be played in the event of a draw. The winners will go through to the provincial final on Sunday week where they will play either Cork or Tipperary who play this Thursday evening in the second semi-final. The team is Eamonn Foudy (Inagh-Kilnamona); Sean Crowley (Kilmihil) Ross Hayes (Crusheen), Bradley Higgins (Kilmaley); Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe), Cian Minogue (Bodyke), Aidan McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona); Keith White (Inagh-Kilnamona) Lee Brack (Clarecastle); Tiernan Agnew (Sixmilebridge) ,Riain Considnne (Cratloe), Eoin Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona); Paul Corry (Sixmilebridge), Gary …