Tag Archives: hurling

THE U-21 hurlers and management team are an ambitious bunch, according to joint team manager Gerry O’Connor. “We are very ambitious and we set ourselves ambitious goals at the start of the season. Number one was to win the first game in the Munster championship, get to the final and win that, get to an All-Ireland final and try and win that. That’s why we are here on a Sunday evening, getting everybody back in to assess their injuries and get a recovery programme in place. The management team met over the weekend to plan how to put a performance together that will beat Wexford,” he said at last week’s press evening. Clare have analysed the Wexford and Galway semi-final to death, O’Connor points out. “We have also watched the Dublin v Wexford U-21 Leinster final. Wexford have strengths and weaknesses. They have two very obvious strengths, they have conceded very little goals and the one against Galway was the …

WEXFORD senior manager Liam Dunne believes Wexford have a good chance of winning the county’s first U-21 All-Ireland since 1965. “Clare play a running game but a lot of our guys were involved with the seniors, who played against a Clare team that play a similar style to the U-21s. If Wexford can be with Clare by half-time in this game, I’ll give them every chance of winning it; they won’t falter, they won’t die. Clare could open them up in the first 20 minutes but if they can hold that off, I think they’ve a great opportunity,” Dunne says. He masterminded an unexpected victory over the Banner this summer, something almost no one outside the Wexford camp saw coming. Eight of the senior panel are involved again on Saturday and while he is adamant that Wexford do have a real shot, he is under no illusions about the strength of the Clare threat. “They’ve (Wexford) beaten Offaly, Kilkenny, Dublin …

A class act on and off the field, the moment that Clare U-21 captain Tony Kelly will wring most enjoyment from on Saturday is the journey from the dressing room to the turf of Semple Stadium. If Clare win the 51st final at this grade, Kelly will become the 47th captain to lead his county to glory. The 2013 hurler of the year has been central to some of Clare’s greatest moments at senior, U-21 and minor but it’s those tension-laden steps before entering the cauldron that the Ballyea hurler lives for. “For a player, it’s coming out, down the tunnel. You know the county is behind you and they’re willing you on to win. As a player that’s maybe the best part of the day. If you can then deliver a performance and go on and win it, all the better,” he reflected. All-Ireland final evening incorporates parades and pre-match pageantry, which adds to the atmosphere, but can drag …

ALL-IRELAND-winning Clare captain, Pat Donnellan  will be the most recent representative from the county invited to take part in fundraiser for Pieta House. For the first time in the history of the GAA, all 100 surviving All-Ireland-winning captains in hurling and football have been invited to come together in a unique event in aid Pieta House. Nearly 70 have already confirmed that they will attend what is to be the greatest ever gathering of GAA legends from all over Ireland, going all the way back to the Meath captain of 1949, Brian Smith. They will all take part in the final leg of 100k Steps for Cormac, a remarkable three-day fundraising walk throughout County Galway, taking place from August 28 to August 30. It’s being organised in memory of Cormac Connolly, nephew of Joe Connolly, the All Ireland-winning Galway hurling captain of 1980. Cormac died of an inoperable brain tumour three years ago, at the young age of 24. Knowing …

CLARE hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald and Clare Champion journalist, Peter O’Connell, have both given their version of events regarding an incident at Cusack Park on Saturday evening, following the Banner’s draw with Wexford. As a result of the incident, Fitzgerald was restrained by members of his backroom team, while O’Connell was ejected from the tunnel area by Clare County Board secretary, Pat Fitzgerald [Davy’s father] and backroom squad member and referee, Seanie McMahon. They have claimed they ejected O’Connell from the enclosed area of the stadium due to safety concerns. However, O’Connell has firmly denied that such a move was required or that he had behaved in an aggressive or abusive manner. The incident occurred in the enclosed area behind the dressing rooms and close to the mouth of the tunnel, about 45 minutes after the match had ended. Emotions were still running high after one of the most dramatic games of the championship to date when Fitzgerald directed a …

By Seamus Hayes It’s official. The worst kept secret in  Clare GAA is out. Four senior hurling championship games scheduled for this coming weekend have been called off against the wishes of some of the clubs involved. Representatives of the eight clubs–Ballyea, Clooney-Quin, O’Callaghans Mills, St. Josephs, Wolfe Tones, Éire Óg, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe–were told this evening that the Clare senior hurling management team had “invoked the 13 day rule” which says that players “shall be free from club fixtures for 13 days prior to inter county championship action”. With three of the games scheduled for Friday evening and one for Sunday, there were only eight days, and in the case of Sixmilebridge v Cratloe, six days until Clare play Wexford in the hurling Qualifier first round. The earliest that these games will take place is August and if Clare progress in the championship, it may be later than this. The senior championship game between Scariff and Broadford goes ahead as …

By Seamus Hayes The Clare team to play Cork in this Sunday’s Munster senior hurling championship semi-final at Thurles will show three changes in personnell from the team which started last September’s All-Ireland final replay, the last time that the teams met. Donal Tuohy, Jack Browne and Peter Duggan are named in the team in place of Patrick Kelly, Domhnaill O’Donovan and the injured Shane O’Donnell. Tuohy replaces Kellybetween the posts following some impressive displays in the league. Jack Browne, full back in the under 21 team last week, will wear the number 4 jersey with David McInerney named at full back and Cian Dillon in the right corner. Peter Duggan is named at left half forward with Colin Ryan on the ’40 and Tony Kelly named in the left corner. The team is; Donal Tuohy (Crusheen); Cian Dillon (Crusheen) David McInerney (Tulla) Jack Browne (Ballyea); Brendan Bugler (Whitegate) Conor Ryan (Cratloe) Pat O’Connor (Tubber); Colm Galvin (Clonlara) Pat Donnellan (O’Callaghans …

By Seamus Hayes Five membersw of the extended Clare senior hurling panel will play with the county intermediate team in the opening game at Thurles on Sunday. Cillian Duggan, Jamie Shanahan, Shane Gleeson, Cathal Malone and Bobby Duggan have all be named in the intermediate team which will also face Cork in a game which gets underway at 2p.m. Eoin Enright (Kilmaley) who impressed with the under 21’s last week, was ruled out due to a shoulder injury The team includes six players who started with the Clare under 21 side last week when they beat Limerick in the opening round of their championship. The intermediate team is; Eibhear Quilligan (Feakle); Killian Ryan (Ruan), Cillian Duggan (Clooney-Quin), Cian Nolan (Smith O’Briens); Enda Boyce (Cratloe),  Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge), Gearoid O’Connell (Ballyea); Shane Gleeson (Cratloe),  Jarlath Colleran (St. Josephs); Paddy Fitzgerald (Bodyke), Shane McGrath(Feakle),  Cathal Malone); Mikey O’Neill (Kilmaley), Aidan Lynch (Ruan) Bobby Duggan (Clarecastle) It is understood that the senior team …