Tag Archives: hurling

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 …

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 …

THE presence of Brian Lohan on the Cratloe training field, dressing room and sideline is one that adds solidity and steel to the Clare champions’ set-up. You get the feeling that when Lohan talks, his words are taken on board. That’s simply because of what he achieved on the hurling field and how he went about it. Many of the Cratloe players won’t remember 1995 or 1997 but what happened and Lohan’s role in that will be well known to them. More pertinently, Lohan, along with fellow coach, Alan Neville, has what everyone in Cratloe wants on Sunday, a Munster club medal.That’s a medal the Shannon man, who lives in Cratloe, says he values more now than he did in 1996, when Wolfe Tones ruled Munster. “As you live longer, it gets more important. It wasn’t that big a deal when you were playing but the longer you’re retired, the more important it becomes. It was the same when we …

Most GAA clubs feature families who have been involved as players or administrators for generations. Cratloe have some of that type of influence but most of their active GAA families are not originally from the parish. Cratloe native and former Kilmallock senior hurling manager, Tony Considine feels this is in fact a huge advantage to Cratloe and adds freshness to the club. Generational baggage handed down is not a factor. “Management-wise everyone they have is inside but remember they’re not from Cratloe. Maybe if there was an insider, they mightn’t be as successful. Somebody didn’t buy the right pig from a fella or stole his hen,” Considine suggested. “In a club where someone local is involved, everyone knows you and, more importantly, they know everyone belonging to you. Your great uncle might have hit a slap at some fella in a pub or told him he was useless years ago. That’s the same everywhere. “I think this is why Cratloe …

By Seamus Hayes Cratloe move a step closer another title when they defeated Thurles Sarsfields from Tipperary at Cusack Park on Sunday but down the road in Sixmilebridge there was disappointment for the county intermediate hurling champions Feakle who suffered a one point loss to their Waterford opponents Cappaquin Cratloe 1-18 Thurles Sarsfields 0-14 While the sending off of Denis Maher from Thurles Sarsfields in the opening minute of the game will lead to much discussion, it cannot detract from the fact that Cratloe delivered another impressive performance when defeating their Tipperary counterparts in the semi-final of the Munster senior club hurling championship at Cusack Park in Ennis Conor Ryan, Enda Boyce, Podge Collins and Conor McGrath, with a haul of 0-11, delivered outstanding displays as Cratloe qualified for yet another final, this time in the Munster championship where they will meet the Limerick champions, Kilmallock on November 23. Of course Maher’s dismissal in the very first play, will be …

O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge will host the Munster Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-final on Sunday (throw-in 2pm) when county champions Feakle take on their Waterford counterparts Cappoquin. Little is known about the Déise representatives and with home advantage, Feakle will go into the game as slight favourites. In their only competitive outing since winning the title, when beating Parteen in the final, they made county senior champions, Cratloe, fight all the way before going under narrowly in the semi-final of the Clare Champion Cup. The East Clare side have a couple of injury worries ahead of Sunday and won’t finalise their line-up until nearer match time. Definitely ruled out of contention is defender Ger Hanrahan who suffered a cruciate knee injury in the championship final. This will keep him out of action until well into next season, at the earliest. “Ger is due to have his operation this week and he is certainly a big loss to us. We also have …

THE Clare Champion supplement for the All-Ireland hurling final of 1995 contains a fine interview with the most senior member of the squad, Cyril Lyons. At the end of the interview, in a very thoughtful observation, Lyons, a man who has given sterling service to Clare hurling as a player, manager, selector and coach, expressed the opinion that the GAA in the county ought to capitalise on this golden opportunity of an All-Ireland appearance, to promote hurling among youngsters. “Young boys and girls, who are just beginning to play the game, will be very excited about seeing Clare in an All-Ireland final and clubs must nurture this enthusiasm. Now is the time to prepare for the future,” he said. It is now very evident that the Clare victory of 1995 marked a watershed in the fortunes of Clare hurling. Some may argue that Clare should have won more All-Ireland trophies since 1995. But when one compares Clare’s All-Ireland appearances and …

By Seamus Hayes A haul of eleven points from teenager Jason McCarthy steered Inagh-Kilnamona to the Clare junior A hurling championship title when they proved too strong for Clonlara at sun splashed Clarecastle on Saturday afternoon. A goal from full forward Dermot Gannon, eleven minutes into the game gave the winners a six point lead (1-5 to 0-2) after a quarter of an hour. P_laying with the assistance of the breeze, Clonlara fought back and when the half time whistle sounded they were just three in arrears, 0-6 to 1-6. The South East Clare side scored the first two points of the second half to move to within a point of the winners but that was as good as it got and Inasgh-Kilnamona hit back with seven unanwered points to lead by eight inside the final quarter. Clonlara made a number of changes in an effort to get back into contention but Inagh-Kilnamona had the better balanced outfit and they …