Eoin Brennan previews Clare’s opener in the Munster Minor Hurling Championship against Tipperary in Semple Stadium Thurles tomorrow

WITH the championship already underway, the Clare minor hurlers are immediately embroiled in a group decider when making their competitive bow against Tipperary in Semple Stadium on Tuesday evening.

With the Banner having a bye while the Premier County edged a compelling opening battle with Waterford on away soil this week, Clare will have to hit the ground running on Tuesday evening to get up to championship speed.

However, with former county senior captain Brian O’Connell at the helm along with former senior managers Cyril Lyons and Donal Moloney, Clare aren’t short of experience or leadership from the sidelines as they prepare to enter the championship fray. Even if O’Connell admits that most of that experience isn’t

“I’m a complete novice at it but I’ve been involved with this team since Under 15’s,” admits Wolfe Tones clubman O’Connell.

“I’m living in Oranmore but I met Donal Moloney in Gort one evening a few years back and he roped me into it. I must say that I immediately enjoyed it though as this group are really good and committed.

“It’s a management group so with the likes of Donal and Cyril there as well, there’s massive experience there which is obviously good for someone like me that hasn’t really taken up a role like this before.”

The mere mention of the minor grade immediate evokes flashbacks of last year’s 40 point nadir against the country’s dominant force Cork.

However, what that isolated result masks is the major focus on the underage development squad, schools and club systems which has already started to bear fruit.

“Last year had nothing to do with how those players were prepared in 2021, it was prior to that year that was the problem as between COVID and everything else, that group would have had very little match preparation going into championship. And then to only get one championship match was completely unfair on them.

“At least this time around, we get a minimum of three games so in conjunction with the great work obviously being done at club level, in the schools and the coaching groups at development squad levels from Under 14 to 17, it’s really starting to get some traction now.

“There’s great buy-in and support from the county board and Club Clare so it is really moving in the right direction.

“We’re probably the first product of that new wave and therefore we need to be seeing tangible progress over the coming weeks.”

Indeed, 55 Clare players will be lining out in both the Munster Minor Championship and Celtic Challenge competitions, an unprecedented dual mandate that is firmly focused on developing adult inter-county players.

“It’s something we’re really looking forward to now. I mean this group haven’t been really exposed to formal competitive structures due so this is their first real test in a Clare jersey. We’ve played plenty of challenge matches and we think we’re going well but I suppose we won’t fully know until we take to the field in Thurles on Tuesday night.”

Throw-in: 7pm
Referee: (Ciaran O’Regan, Cork)

Clare Minor Hurling Panel: John Cahill (Clooney-Quin) (Captain); Jack O’Neill (Clooney-Quin) (Vice-Captain); Michael Collins (Clonlara), Tom Curran (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Dannan Fox (Clooney-Quin), Eoin Gunning (Broadford), Fionn Hayes (Sixmilebridge), Eoin Heffron (Smith O’Brien’s), Fred Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona), James Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona), Dylan Keane Hayes (Kilmaley), Tadhg Kilkenny (Bodyke), Eoin Lahiffe (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Frankie Lyons (Ruan), Kieran McDonnell (Ballyea), Sean McMahon (Smith O’Brien’s), Riain McNamara Aaron Moroney (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Jamie Moylan (Cratloe), Cian Neylon (Kilmaley), Dara Nolan (Parteen), Fiachra Ó Braoin (Sixmilebridge), Padraic O’Donovan (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Matthew O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge), Eoin O’Regan (Éire Óg), Oisin O’Rourke (Wolfe Tones), Piaras Ó Sé (Ruan), James Organ (Corofin), Sam Scanlan (Clooney-Quin), Mark Sheedy (Sixmilebridge), Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara), Fionan Treacy (Éire Óg), Oisin Whelan (Clarecastle), Jamie Wynne (Inagh-Kilnamona)

Management: Brian O’Connell (Manager), Cyril Lyons, Damian O’Halloran, Fintan Leamy, Donal Moloney, Liam O’Reilly, Keith Hogan, Hugh O’Neill

Clare Celtic Challenge Panel: Daniel Chaplin (Sixmilebridge), Tiernan Collins (Clarecastle), Ciaran Connolly (Ballyea), Paudie Considine (Ennistymon), Liam Crotty (Scariff), Eoghan Daly (Feakle), Mark Gunning (Broadford), Sean Hartigan (Scariff), Eoin Heffron (Smith O’Brien’s), Darragh Hickey (Clarecastle), Donal Kenny (Parteen), Tadhg Kilkenny (Bodyke), Eoin Lahiffe (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Cathal Lohan (Cratloe), Cormac Maher (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Hugh McDonnell (Clarecastle), Kieran McDonnell (Ballyea), Eoin McMahon (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Cathal McNamara (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Francis Meaney (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Tadhg Minogue (Scariff), Aaron Moroney (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Dara Nolan (Parteen), Seamus O’Donnell (Killanena), Padraic O’Donovan (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Peter O’Farrell (Broadford), Cathal Ryan (Inagh-Kilnamona), Ian Williams (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)

Management: Ger Hickey (Manager); Micheál Duffy, Killian Malone (Coaches); Dylan Kenny (S&C); Tom Barry (Stats)