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Tag Archives: hurling

Injury concerns for Clare hurlers

IT’S an indication of the standing enjoyed by the teams involved that Sunday’s National Hurling League relegation play-off between Clare and Kilkenny is to be televised live by TG4 ahead of a number of quarter-final games and ahead of a number of attractive football league ties. Prior to the commencement of the league, few would have thought that the All-Ireland champions of the past two years, Clare and Kilkenny would now be preparing to do battle to decide who will remain in Division 1A for next season. Kilkenny will carry the favourites’ tag. They will welcome back a number of their leading lights, who missed last week’s game due to injuries and the fact that management decided to rest some players ahead of the crucial play-off. They were boosted on Monday when they won the toss for venue, which means that Clare must make the journey to the Marble City for the second time in seven days. While the Noresiders …

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Minors can no longer play senior county

The days of playing for one’s county while still eligible for the minor grade will end this season. At last weekend’s GAA Congress, delegates voted in favour of a motion, put forward as a result of the Minor Review Group’s report, which bars any player still eligible for minor grade from playing either at U-21 or senior inter-county level. This will certainly mean there are players who will miss out on playing, particularly at U-21 level for their county, until they have passed their 18th birthday. Kilmurry-Ibrickane’s Keelan Sexton is currently a member of the county minor, U-21 and senior football panels. Over the past few years, the Clare U-21 hurling panels have included players who were eligible for minor grade. Amongst those that were called up to the county U-21 squad, while still eligible for minor, were current senior panelists Conor McGrath, Patrick O’Connor, Tony Kelly and Davy O’Halloran. Players must now be over 17 before they can play …

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Pointless Clare facing relegation play off

By Seamus Hayes Tipperary 2-19 Clare 0-20 Despite showing improved form on their previous league outings, Clare suffered their third defeat in succession when going under to Tipperary at Cusack Park in round 3 of the Allianz hurling league on Sunday afternoon. Goals in the 43rd and 66th minutes proved crucial in a tie played before 7,363 patrons. Tipperary showed the greater sharpness on the day and this was a crucial factor on the day. The visitors started brightly and led 0-4 to 0-1 after twelve minutes. With centre back Conor Ryan in excellent form Clare hit the next four points to lead by one, 0-5 to 0-4, after twenty minutes. The home side failed to build on this, however and the premier outfit fought back and led by four, 0-13 to 0-9, when the half time whistle sounded. Clare returned with Aaron Cunningham in at wing forward in place of Shane Golden but Tipperary hit the first two points …

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No easy league games, says Galway boss

EVERY county has massive ambitions heading into the 2015 National Hurling League, according to Galway boss, Anthony Cunningham. He pointed out that Kilkenny are league and All-Ireland champions; Clare will want to come back and repeat what they did in 2013; Tipperary want to pick up from where they left off in September; Cork are the Munster champions; Limerick were very unfortunate not to beat Kilkenny last year, while Galway were very close to Tipperary and Kilkenny. “There will be no easy games in what will be a very competitive league,” he pointed out as he looked ahead to this Sunday’s opening league tie when the Tribesmen will entertain Clare at Pearse Stadium. “We will probably be stronger in the second half of the league. At present, we have a good few injuries and we are unlikely to see players such as Davy and Niall Burke, Conor Cooney and Joe Canning before March. Five or six of our players have …

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Clare hurlers determined to beat Galway

ALL-Ireland final hero from 2013, Domhnall O’Donovan looks set to be named at corner-back, the  position he starred in two years ago, for Sunday’s opening game in this season’s league campaign against Galway at Pearse Stadium in Salthill. The Clonlara man’s absence from the 2014 championship side was one of the big talking points of the year. He has played in most of their games to date this year and has impressed. Darach Honan, Peter Duggan and Jamie Shanahan won’t play any part in this weekend’s game and are unlikely to see much action in the coming weeks due to injury. The team to take on Galway is expected to be along the lines of that which faced Waterford in a behind-closed-doors challenge game in Sixmilebridge last Saturday night. David McInerney and Brendan Bugler didn’t start that game but both are expected to feature this week. Saturday’s challenge ended in a draw, 4-18 for Waterford to Clare’s 3-21. The home county led …

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Understrength Clare to test Tipp

SIXMILEBRIDGE will host the Waterford Crystal senior hurling quarter-final between Clare and Tipperary on Sunday at 2pm. A repeat of last year’s final, which Tipperary won at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, the Premier outfit go into Sunday’s tie with the benefit of a first-round win, as a result of which they will carry the favourites’ tag on Sunday. On Friday, January 9 at Dr Morris Park, a hat-trick of goals from Seamus Callinan helped the holders to a 4-16 to 1-16 win over Mary Immaculate College from Limerick. Callinan, one of the stars of last season, finished that game with a tally of 3-7. Tipperary fielded a relatively strong side in last week’s game, while experimenting in some positions. Paul Curran, Shane McGrath, Conor O’Mahoney, Pádraic Maher, Kieran Bergin, Gearóid Ryan, Patrick Maher, Seamus Callinan and James Woodlock all saw action against the Limerick college and are expected to be in the squad again this week for the clash …

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GAA president visits Quilty

GAA President Liam O’Neill says he favours having just one player in goals for penalties in hurling, while he also defended the GAA’s deal with Sky. The media rights deal featured at the Clare GAA convention last Thursday, when Éire óg successfully proposed that when the current deal expires, games shown on Sky should also be available for viewing on non subscription channels. “I want penalties taken from 20 metres. I have a preference for one player in goal. When a penalty is given the expectation should be a goal, favouring the attacker,” the GAA President said with reference to the ongoing penalty issue in hurling. Midway through this years championships penalty takers were forced to strike from the penalty line,” he told The Clare Champion. “The hurling 20/20 committee, chaired by Liam Sheedy, will have a definite proposal on that. We had to act on what was happening. We couldn’t have a situation where people were endangered. It was a …

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Daly to head Limerick’s hurling academy

Clare’s All-Ireland winning captain from 1995 and 1997, Anthony Daly is to head up the Limerick underage hurling academy. Daly also managed Clare before taking on a similar role with Dublin, whom he led to National League and Leinster titles, after many years in the wilderness The announcement, this week, means that the Limerick underage hurling and football academies will, in 2015, be managed by two people who have played a huge part in the success enjoyed by Clare hurling. Back in October, Paul Kinnerk, coach to the Clare senior and under 21 All-Ireland winning hurlers of recent years, was appointed to take charge of the Limerick underage football academy. Kinnerk, a member of the Monaleen club in Limerick, has played all grades of football for the Shannonsiders. Since Daly stepped down after six seasons in charge of Dublin hurlers, there has been much speculation as to what team he would manage next. He was strongly linked with a move to …

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