Tag Archives: MunsterGAA

Former Clare footballer Kieran Considine believes Clare are “going into the lion’s den” when they travel to Fitzgerald Stadium to take on Kerry this Saturday. “It is going into the lion’s den, particularly when you saw what Kerry did to Tyrone. Colm (Collins) will put all that to one side, and he’ll treat it as a one-off game. The bar he will set to the players is to max out on their own ability on the day. That’s all you can ask from any team: play to your max and try to limit the other team. “Kerry are much talked-about as main rivals to Dublin, so it’s always going to be a daunting task. Colm will want to see a performance and players will want that chance to test themselves, and that’s the opportunity they will get.”  However, he believes Clare can take a lot of positives from their four point league defeat to Mayo as they outscored their opponents …

Under 13 Hurling Academy A Round 1 Newmarket-on-Fergus 4-4 Clarecastle 2-7 Newmarket and Clarecastle derbies have never been dull affairs no matter what the age grade and this opening Under 13 battle of the neighbours’ second strings proved no different in Clarecastle on Saturday morning. With a strong wind blowing towards the national school, both sides took full advantage but in the end Ryan O’Leary’s electric 11 minute first half hat-trick proved sufficient for the Blues to prevail. Opting to have the conditions at their backs, Newmarket had to recover from an early set-back when chief threat Cathal Murphy raided for a Magpie goal after only five minutes. Points from Donal O’Callaghan (2), John Burke and the lively Dylan Routley eventually nudged the Blues back in front before stopping their authority on the tie with a goal either side of the water break for powerful poacher O’Leary at 2-4 to 1-0. Clarecastle responded with inspirational points from influential pair Eoghan …

THE sprint for this year’s Cusack Cup is still wide open following the weekend’s action as half of the contenders are locked together at the summit of the table, reports Eoin Brennan. Without their county contingents, there have been some erratic results thus far but fundamentally no perfect record remains in the top flight after two rounds. An eagerly-anticipated derby clash of opening round victors St Josephs Miltown and Ennistymon perhaps failed to live up to its heightened billing but still possessed a compelling finale. Following a toothless first half in which the sides struggled to trouble the umpires too often, Ennistymon appeared to snatch the whip hand on the restart and turned a 0-3 to 0-2 half-time deficit into a two point lead entering the final quarter. However, as the clock ticked inexorably down, a Darragh McDonagh solo goal dramatically nudged the home side in front only to see it wiped out in the next passage of play when …

FEAKLE and Clonlara have set the early pace in the Clare Cup following the completion of back-to-back victories over the weekend, reports Eoin Brennan. 2016 champions Clonlara, a week on from overcoming last finalists Inagh-Kilnamona, managed to add the scalp of their nearest neighbours and reigning champions Kilmaley on home soil on Sunday afternoon. Leading from start to finish, a fortunate Dylan McMahon goal from distance provided the clear daylight that Clonlara needed to build up a nine point half-time advantage. And with Cian Moriarty excelling around the centre, that six point cushion would be maintained into the final quarter. Kilmaley inevitably rallied predominantly through Daire Keane and Mikey O’Malley. However, three points was as close as the visitors would come to Clonlara who deservedly held on for a 1-16 to 0-15 win. The previous evening, a strong finish to both halves saw Feakle lower home side Crusheen by 1-18 to 1-14 in another first round winners clash. Having been …

National Football League Division 2 Semi-Final Mayo 2-22 Clare 2-18 SO near and yet so far for Clare after a second-half recovery wasn’t sufficient to prevent Mayo from returning to Division 1 at the first attempt in Cusack Park this afternoon, reports Eoin Brennan. Ultimately, it will go down as a missed opportunity for Colm Collins’ side to bridge a two decade gap to Clare’s last appearance in the top flight after a rousing revival just fell short. After an encouraging start in which Eoin Cleary (2), Gavin Cooney, Cathal O’Connor and David Tubridy edged the Banner 0-5 to 0-3 in front by the ninth minute, Clare rather lost their way for the remainder of the half. Indeed, for the final 25 minutes of the opening period, Mayo were allowed to swiftly move through the gears to outgun their hosts by 2-10 to 0-03 for the remainder and soar 11 points clear by the break. Goals from Cillian O’Connor (Penalty) …

National Football League Division 2 Semi-Final (Extra-Time if Necessary) Clare v Mayo at Cusack Park Ennis, Sunday 1.45pm (Niall Cullen, Fermanagh) It’s 19 years since Clare were dining at the top table of the National League. That’s a statistic worth soaking in ahead of this veritable winner-takes-all showdown for a coveted place in Division 1 for 2022. Of course, with James Horan’s side off the back of an All-Ireland Final appearance as recently as December, a Clare victory won’t be expected or predicted but in truth, they won’t get a better opportunity to bridge that two decade gap and reclaim their place in the top tier. There have been close calls in recent years, no more so than last year when the Banner’s league status flitted between Divisions 1, 2 and 3 in a dramatic finale against Armagh. However, this time around, there’s no dependency on other teams or results, it’s a clearcut clash for the carrot of a place …

Clare will aim to bridge a 19-year gap to return to Division 1 for next year when they meet Mayo in Cusack Park, Ennis, on Sunday. Muireann Duffy spoke with Kilfenora’s Cian O’Dea There’s no question that the Clare footballers want to see the heights of Division 1. The only problem is Mayo are the team standing in their way. Despite the tall ask, Kilfenora’s Cian O’Dea remains resolute, the goals they set out to achieve at the start of the year remain firmly intact: “At training we really went through what we want, and said if we want this more than Mayo then we can do it. “Ever since Colm came in, that’s one of the main things he tries to push; leaving the jersey in a better place. Every day you go out you’re bringing the Clare jersey forward with you and you’re not bringing it back to Division 3 or 4. “You’re always moving forward, it’s all …

National Ladies Football League Division 2A Round 3 Meath 4-18 Clare 0-05 A SOBERING end to an otherwise enlightening National League campaign for Clare as bogey side Meath completed a facile victory to book their place in the Division 2 Semi-Finals in Páirc Tailteann in Navan on Sunday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Having been unceremoniously dumped out of last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Championship by the same opposition at the penultimate stage by 21 points, Clare were made to suffer an even greater reverse as the hosts remained relentless throughout. A blistering start of seven points inside as many minutes of the throw-in signalled Meath’s intent with Emma Duggan and Stacey Grimes to the fore. Meath’s disciplined all-out defence and all-out counter-attack style proved exceedingly frustrating for a Clare side that hit a wall every time they attempted to penetrate the home rearguard. Points from Roisin Considine and Roisin Looney at the end of the opening two quarters were in contrast …