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Tag Archives: Kilkenny

Champion focus on All-Ireland final

As All-Ireland hurling final day fast approaches, this week’s  Clare Champion (out September 3) provides comprehensive coverage of the build-up. Galway face the formidable Kilkenny in the senior decider, while their minors, after beating Kilkenny in a replay, take on Tipperary for the Croke Park spectacle. After many disappointments, the Tribesman believe 2015 is their year to bring both the Liam MacCarthy Cup and the Irish Press Cup across the Shannon. There’s great excitement in Galway, following their single point win over Tipperary in a pulsating All-Ireland semi-final clash a couple of weeks ago. Several members of the team are from clubs in the South Galway area and they have many links with clubs, families and friends in neighbouring Clare. The Clare Champion has interviews with players, former players and club officers, as a well as an overview on  Sunday’s Croke Park showdown, and the underlying air is that of confidence, but with the caveat that nothing short of a …

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Glorious Galway must find a sweeper

IT can be cogently argued that Galway and Tipperary have contrived to save the summer of 2015. Until Barry Kelly threw the sliotar in at 3.30pm last Sunday, the year had been pock-marked by rain, immovable layers of cloud, footballers going to ground after a bit of hair ruffling and dull hurling. The country could probably put up with most of the aforementioned issues but eyes glazing over as the summer’s hurling evolved was almost definitive proof that the season would go down as one that had nothing going for it. The Galway and Tipperary hurlers were almost the last hope and how they delivered. The 70 minutes of hurling that unfolded contained more sub-plots than a week-long viewing of Coronation Street. Under less sublime circumstances, anyone from Colm Callanan, David Burke, Cathal Mannion, Darragh Gleeson, Cathal Barrett or Tipperary substitute Noel McGrath would have had their input immortalised. Their magnificence was dwarfed however by the rapier finishing of Seamus …

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Clare face Kilkenny in camogie championship

RETIREMENTS and travel are the main reasons why Clare will begin their All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship this Saturday without half of the team that played in last year’s campaign. Colm Honan’s charges could hardly have asked for a stiffer test in Round 1, which sees them travelling to the St Lachtan’s grounds in Freshford, Kilkenny to face last year’s All-Ireland runners-up in a game that throws in at 2.30pm. Experienced forwards Deirdre Murphy, Laura Linnane and Claire McMahon have called time on their inter-county careers, while Fiona Lafferty is pursuing her ladies football interests with Monaghan. Niamh O’Dea, Laura McMahon, Ailish Considine and Ellen Horgan have travelled outside the country for the summer, while Niki Kaiser is not playing at present. Adding to the problems for the management team is an injury to Máire McGrath, which makes her a doubtful starter, while Naomi Carroll is unavailable for this weekend’s game. Having to face Kilkenny is a difficult task at any …

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Nowlan Park display sets the bar

SOMETHING odd is happening in Clare. There is splintering opinion as to whether the Clare hurling glass is full, half full or half empty. Sunday’s display in Nowlan Park clearly suggests that the glass is, if not teeming over, definitely not half empty. The panel of players deserve immense credit for producing that standard of hugely committed hurling in Nowlan Park. While some individuals, notably Tony Kelly and Shane O’Donnell, excelled, as a team Clare resembled themselves again. Based on Sunday, it’s not over the top to suggest that they will be formidable Munster championship opponents for Limerick come May 24. Based on Saturday, Limerick will be doing well to turn up at all. They were obliterated by Dublin and looked remarkably off the pace of league, let alone championship, hurling. Clare showed what they can do if they produce the level they are capable of. That’s looking at it from a glass-half-full standpoint. However, there is no avoiding the …

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Kilkenny’s injury time winner relegates Clare

Kilkenny 1-18 Clare 1-17 Hot favourites Kilkenny had to rely on an injury time point to secure their dixision 1 status for next season when they overcame Clare in a cracking contest at Nowlan Park this afternoon. On a day when the sides were level on ten occasions, the Noresiders were fortunate to be ahead at the final whistle. Kilkenny went in to the tie as raging hot favourites but Clare produced, arguably their best display of the campaign and were most unlucky to lose out. They had outstanding performers in Tony Kelly and Shane O’Donnell and while there will be disappointment at the end result, the Banner men can certainly look forward to the championship with great hope after this performance Clare’s hopes of avoiding relegation received a great boost when Pat O’Connor, Colm Galvin and Conor McGrath were all declared fit for action although McGrath only lasted twenty minutes at which time he was replaced by Cathal O’Connell. …

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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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Relegation play off facing Clare

By Seamus Hayes Kilkenny 2-20 Clare 2-19 Clare and Kilkenny will do battle again next Sunday to determine who will drop to division 1 B for next season. Clare needed to win in Nowlan Park and hope that Galway beat Dublin in Parnell Park to avoid being involved in the relegation play off but neither result was achieved leaving Clare and Kilkenny in the relegation play off. A strong secondhalf showing form Kilkenny proved too much for Clare before an attendance of 6,298 . Throughout the seventy minutes the kilkenny full forward trio caused huge problems for Clare as is evidenced by the fact thqat the home side’s inside trio contributed 2-14 of their side’s final tally At the end of a lively first half, visitors Clare held a one goal lead, 2-9 to 1-9. Full forward Shane O’ Donnell accounted for both goals, the first coming in the ninth minute after he had taken a pass from Conor McGrath …

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Four Changes for Clare

By Seamus Hayes The Clare team named to start against Kilkenny at Nowlan Park on Sunday shows four changes in personnel from that which lined out against Dublin on Saturday last. Into the team comes Patrick Kelly, Jack Browne, Seadna Morey and Colin Ryan and they replace Donal Tuohy, Brendan Bugler (suspended), Pat O’Connor (injured) and Shane Golden. Colin Ryan was unavailable for the Dublin game while Seadna Morey will be making his first start of this campaign. Joint team captain Pat Donnellan will line out at wing back where he impressed in the second half of the game against Dublin. Morey is named as midfield partner to Colm Galvin but may be asked to fill a sweeper’s role with Tony Kelly moving out to partner Galvin. The team is Patrick Kelly; Paul Flanagan, David McInerney, Jack Browne; Pat Donnellan, Conor Ryan, Cian Dillon; Colm Galvin, Seadna Morey; John Conlon, Tony Kelly, Colin Ryan: Aaron Cunningham, Shane O’Donnell, Conor McGrath …

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