Tag Archives: NFL

CLARE’S Division 2 future is entirely in their own hands. If they can somehow pull out a Newry-like performance in Pairc Uí Rínn on Saturday from 7pm, they have every chance of getting a result, beating Louth at home in their final league game on March 25 and assuring themselves of a place in the same division next year. While Jamie Malone will be available again, following his two-game suspension, Clare will have to plan without Ciaran Russell, who was red-carded against Roscommon. Gordon Kelly is still suspended, leaving Clare scarce, particularly defensively. If Clare lose, which is likely given that Cork will be buoyant following Sunday’s win over Meath, their Division 2 status will rest on beating Louth and hoping that they don’t end up in a three-way tie. Clare have a score difference of -19, which is significantly worse than Meath and Down. If Clare finish level on points with Down, they will stay up, given that they …

Roscommon 2-19 Clare 2-12 DISCIPLINE is costing the Clare footballers. For the second successive game, Ciaran Russell was sent off, this time on a straight red card, eight minutes into the second half. Russell was also sent off against Down in Newry, on a yellow and black card. In their last home game, against Tipperary on February 11, Jamie Malone was red carded, while David Tubridy and Eoin Cleary were shown black cards. After that game, Clare manager Colm Collins was suspended for a month, while Gordon Kelly was hit with a three month ban, for apparently squirting water at an umpire. While a team can be unlucky on a once off, Clare’s disciplinary issues are now costing them. When Russell was red carded, Roscommon were 1-10 to 1-8 ahead and winning it was going to be difficult enough for Clare as it was. However, Roscommon were able to pick up all of the Clare forwards and deploy Niall Kilroy …

Clare 0-11 Tipperary 0-11 IN the aftermath of Clare’s NFL division 2 draw with Tipperary in Ennis on Sunday, the visitors manager, Liam Kearns, expressed concern at the delay in an ambulance arriving at Cusack Park to bring an injured Tipperary mentor to hospital. Shane Stapleton was eventually removed, after a second half incident, during which he fell to the ground. “There is an ambulance about to collect him now. It still hasn’t got here, which is disappointing,” Kearns said. “He’s had a very bad bang to his head and we think he might have had a seizure so he’s going to hospital. Hopefully, he will be alright. It was a belt to his head. He went back and hit his head off the concrete behind him. He said to me after getting back up, ‘I don’t feel very well’. When I turned around again, he was lying on the ground in the foetal position. It is serious enough. Hopefully, …

Meath 0-21 Clare 0-7 COMPLETELY outclassed, particularly in the second half, Clare were beaten emphatically by Meath in Navan on Sunday afternoon. Clare now sit on one point from two games. They were outscored 0-15 to 0-3 in that second period, with Gary Brennan the only Clare player to score from play. In fact his point was the only score of the second half, with his rising shot going over the bar. Brennan was Clare’s outstanding player. However, Meath responded with 0-8 without reply and pulled away from a dishevelled Clare who lost their shape and increasingly lost hope as the second half evolved. Clare trailed 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time with Meath pulling two points ahead, when Bryan McMahon pointed, with the last kick, after a disputed free was taken quickly. Clare competed hard throughout the first half with Killian Roche kicking their opening score from a 45, while Pearse Lillis, Jamie Malone and Gary Brennan (free) added a …

Clare 1-12 Cavan 2-9 SIX points up, nine minutes into the second half, Clare were both relieved and disappointed to pick up a point from their first NFL division 2 league game of the new season in Ennis on Saturday. As the three minute of injury time ticked by, Clare led by a point after Keelan Sexton had kicked them 1-12 to 2-8 in front. However, Cavan equalised from a Bryan Magee free on a day when 16 players started their first league game. Clare had six players starting in the league for the first time, including four forwards. Following a very rocky started, during which Caoimhin O’Reilly goaled for Cavan after just 49 seconds, Clare went on to dominate the first half. They led 1-7 to 1-2 at half-time on a day when five of Clare’s six forwards scored from play. Éire Óg’s Eimihin Courtney goaled for Clare in the 12th minute, when full forward Sexton cleverly intercepted an …

Meath 3-19 Clare 1-13 DESPITE an emphatic 12 point loss to Meath in Cusack Park on Sunday, Clare will play division 2 football in 2018. Derry’s defeat of Fermanagh and Down’s draw with Cork, meant that they, along with Clare ended their league campaign on five points. However Clare retained their status based on their superior scoring difference. While Clare played some good football in the first half, following a shaky start, they were comprehensively outplayed after the interval. In fact Meath outscored their 3-10 to 1-5 with wing forward Cillian O’Sullivan putting away two goals while centre back Brian Power added the third for a rampant Royal County. Meath were so much in control they substituted Graham Reilly, who put over 0-6 from play, 15 minutes from time. The winners led 0-9 to 0-8 at half-time, with Reilly and Eamonn Wallace contributing a flurry of superb points. Eoin Cleary did likewise for Clare in the opening half. Slow to …

IT IS not too often that a defeated team emerges from any game with their confidence levels enhanced. While a loss is a loss, Clare did play some exceptional football in Newbridge last Sunday. Eoin Cleary gave an exhibition of shooting from play and while he did miss a chance to equalise from a free, he was one of Clare’s standout performers. More impressive than any of their scores was the off-the-shoulder support from players like Cleary, Jamie Malone, Cian O’Dea and Dean Ryan. On several occasions, during the second half in particular, players timed their support run perfectly, so that they broke Kildare tackles without breaking their own stride. Suddenly, they were in space and had time to look up and send decent ball into the inside forwards. The best way to kick quality ball is to use support play to create an opportunity. Kick the ball too early and, have no doubt, it will come back to you …

Kildare 0-18 Clare 1-14 CLARE fell to a heartbreaking one point defeat in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon. Five points down at half-time, they took the game to the home county in the second half, with Shane Brennan scoring a crucial goal. He flicked to the net following a Keelan Sexton angled delivery. Fifteen minutes from time Clare led 1-12 to 0-13 and at that point, the pendulum seemed to be swinging in their direction. However late points from Fionn Dowling and Paul Cribbin swung the result in favour of Cian O’Neill’s team, who are now promoted. Eoin Cleary had an opportunity to equalise from an injury time free but it drifted wide. Unless Clare beat Meath in their final game in Ennis next Sunday, they will need Down and Derry to lose their final league ties, to stave off relegation to division 3. Kildare led 0-11 to 0-6 at half-time, with their midfielder Kevin Feely kicking 0-5 from frees. Clare …