Clare GAA discussion thread

bagaspuds

kstand wrote: »

.... I have visions of Don Corleone kissing rings...

So the next day, my father went to see him; only this time with Luca Brasi. An' within an hour, he signed a release, for a certified check for $1000. [Kay: "How'd he do that?"] My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse. [Kay: "What was that?"] Luca Brasi held a gun to his head and my father assured him that either his brains, or his signature, would be on the contract. That's a true story. That's my family, Kay, it's not me."

premierstone

Galtee wrote: »

I don't know of anyone with the exception of yourself who would say that hurling in the nineties was of poorer standard than in the noughties(although I'm sure there'll be a barrage now)

Not something I had ever given great thought to but I would say both Cork and KK in the noughties were far superior to the majority of teams that won AI's in the 90's, in the 90.'s it was the first and only time in the history of the game all of the big three were in the doldrums.
And yet the massive defeat of Gaynors side does? You seem to be shifting goalposts quite a lot to suit your argument.

No im not moving anything you ar ecomparing apples and oranges tbh, just have a look at Clare before Gaynor and when he left its very simple really.
Every manager has to start somewhere even the greats. :rolleyes:

Thats my point he is not starting out he has been in management for nearly 15 years and has two fitzgibbons to show for it.


I really don't care what waterford people think of him as it has no bearing on how he'll do at Clare. I think he'll do well. He has 2 all ireland medals, 3 munster medals and 4 allstars and that's what young players look up to. So ironically, if he can get himself a goalkeeper as they really need one then I think he has a good chance of doing well there. Only time will tell, but to write him off based on what waterford people think of him is brainless.

What he achieved as a player has fcuk all to do with how he is as a manager and the Clare hurlers are not 10 years of age, dont think hes 4 allstars will have much weight when there in the woods in cratloe sparrin with Bernard Dunne :rolleyes:

.

flahavaj

Davy Fitz is an ideal manager for Clare really, he'll make them hard to beat and will make them competitive against teams outside KK/Tipp. He could easily have them regulalrly playing in all Ireland quarter finals which is a realistic aim for Clare hurling at the moment. He has shown as well that he's happy enough to give young players a chance, and we knoe Clare have lots of good young lads coming through. he is a more ideal fit for Clare than Waterford in many ways and thats before you even factor in his obvious passion for the county.

Clareman

Crusheen and the Bridge in the Senior final, whether I think the next county manger should be booked for getting involved with a player that should be up for selection next year is not a debate for online.

Ruan beat Corofin in the intermediate, they'll be playing Éire Óg in the final.

kstand

Clareman wrote: »

Crusheen and the Bridge in the Senior final, whether I think the next county manger should be booked for getting involved with a player that should be up for selection next year is not a debate for online.

Ruan beat Corofin in the intermediate, they'll be playing Éire Óg in the final.

Two good finals to look forward to, the senior in particular. Definately the two best teams meeting in it, many felt that they'd have to meet at some point. Crusheen are now a very polished outfit, especially that defence. Their third county final in 5 years, a lot of the Bridge lads appearing in their first. Will we see the same trend as the last 2 years, with the champions beaten in the final or will we see Crusheen become the first team since the great Josephs side to retain their title. Hope the weather holds, should be a cracker.

Galtee

premierstone wrote: »

Not something I had ever given great thought to but I would say both Cork and KK in the noughties were far superior to the majority of teams that won AI's in the 90's, in the 90.'s it was the first and only time in the history of the game all of the big three were in the doldrums.

Firstly, what's the deal with the wrapping your replies inside the post you're quoting? Are you deliberately trying to make it awkward for people to reply? Because you don't like being challenged? Please enlighten me. And as for the nineties, hurling was a much better spectacle because there were a lot more teams in contention, and I fail to see how having 3 teams dominate the noughties equates to strong hurling, to me it reinforces the theory that the standard of hurling in the rest of the counties was terrible.

premierstone wrote: »

No im not moving anything you ar ecomparing apples and oranges tbh, just have a look at Clare before Gaynor and when he left its very simple really.

I'm sorry, this makes no sense, it's quite clearly a half comment thrown in to divert from substantiating an actual answer. When does a team stop being the fruits of a previous managers labour? Clare before and after gaynor were much the same, Ger Loughnane did a lot of the work alongside Gaynor and then when he took over he put them through a rigerous "fire and brimstone" training regime which helped them achieve the fitness levels and intensity they needed to succeed.

premierstone wrote: »

Thats my point he is not starting out he has been in management for nearly 15 years and has two fitzgibbons to show for it.

I don't think you can compare club management and intercounty management. How do you like them apples and oranges?

premierstone wrote: »

What he achieved as a player has fcuk all to do with how he is as a manager and the Clare hurlers are not 10 years of age, dont think hes 4 allstars will have much weight when there in the woods in cratloe sparrin with Bernard Dunne

To an extent this may be true in so far as it has fcukall to do with his technique as a manager but a large part of management is about gaining the respect of your players and regardless of whether or not players are 10 or 110 there needs to be respect there to get the best from them, it's simple really. Also, by the same token managing the Waterford team has fcukall bearing on how he's going to manage the clare team.

Mountainlad

I'd have to agree about the standard of hurling in the noughties excceding that of the nineties. It's not about how many teams were able to win it, it's about how good they were. I wouldn't deny Clare and Offaly produced two very good teams, but this decade has been dominated by one of the best teams of all time, which Clare and Offaly didn't have to contend with. Cork also have had an excellent team. Both teams were so good that Waterford couldn't win an all-ireland. Tipp have produced an excellent young team now. I definetly think the standard has improved, even think about what Declan Ryan said that game has become much faster even since his time, which is the same era you're talking about.

Also I'd have to say, I don't think there will be a dramatic change in approach from Davy to managing any team.

Galtee

To me it's competition that directs the standard of hurling in any given era. Fundamentally, there are only so many skills that can be learned in hurling. After that it's how you apply those skills in big matches that coupled with how your unit functions as a team and always a little luck thrown in for good measure is what makes the difference. If teams are coming out getting beaten comfortably week in week out then I would find it difficult to measure the standard of hurling in that case. The only two teams in the noughties that showed a high standard and who were competitive with one and other in my opinion were Cork and Kilkenny, other than that the rest were by and large non competitive unless they caught one of the above two on the hop which in my honest opinion hardly lends itself to a high standard.

eroo

Please, stop harping on about the 90's v 00's.. it has absolutely nothing to do with this thread or any other topics being discussed in here. I'd ask the mods to back me up here.

Galtee

eroo wrote: »

Please, stop harping on about the 90's v 00's.. it has absolutely nothing to do with this thread or any other topics being discussed in here. I'd ask the mods to back me up here.

I'm good with that.

derealbadger

So what do ye think of Ollie Baker going to the Biffos good move for him? good move for Offaly hurling? has he much managerial experience at club level

kstand

derealbadger wrote: »

So what do ye think of Ollie Baker going to the Biffos good move for him? good move for Offaly hurling? has he much managerial experience at club level

I think he's taking a bit of a poisoned chalice. Joe Dooley was doing great work there but the board did little or nothing to back him. Offalyt seems to be divided down the middle between football and hurling. They should be playing their hurling matches in Birr, but the board insist on dragging them across the county to play in Tullamore. Plus all the stories about them not being able to train on the pitch in Tullamore. I supose Ollie sees it as an opportunity, but I'd be guarded if I were him. They were going well with what they had under Joe Dooley, relegation aside.

eroo

Davy will be ratified tonight. Will be interesting to see his backroom team.

premierstone

eroo wrote: »

Davy will be ratified tonight. Will be interesting to see his backroom team.

Brian Lohan has turned down the offer to be a selector.

eroo

Looks like Louis Mulqueen will be physical trainer. I know he trained Clare teams in the past, but the game has moved on. Does anyone on here know if he's a qualified strength and conditioning coach?

eroo

http://hoganstand.com/Clare/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=156362

Top two teams in Div 1b of NHL will play each other with winner going into semi final against top team in 1a. Other semi final involving 2nd and 3rd teams in 1a.

This is good for Clare hurling, we have a chance of playing against the top tier.

eroo

Davy has gotten a 3 year term with Louis Mulqueen and Mike Deegan as his selectors.

ballykev

eroo wrote: »

Looks like Louis Mulqueen will be physical trainer. I know he trained Clare teams in the past, but the game has moved on. Does anyone on here know if he's a qualified strength and conditioning coach?

I wouldn't think so, strength and conditioning coach is to be announced at later date deegan mulqueen just selectors

User Friendly

Killmurry IBricken v The Parish

The wesht Clare boys to beat the -4 pts handicap. 11/10;)

I expect KIB to win 7/8/9 points + it wouldnt surprise me if it was double scores.

ConTheCat

Does anybody have any sort of report on the football match today? Just heard KIB won well!

User Friendly

ConTheCat wrote: »

Does anybody have any sort of report on the football match today? Just heard KIB won well!

if your interested in Clare football................. then your probably best look for another Gaa Forum.

this place is a ****e place to debate anything as you see!:rolleyes:

LuckyGent88

disappointed that DB didnt put in a better performance in the final. by all accounts they got hammered.

anyway, the main match is next weekend!!!!! Hon the Town

Evil_Clown

ConTheCat wrote: »

Does anybody have any sort of report on the football match today? Just heard KIB won well!

From Clare FM

KIB claim 12th County Football Title
17 October, 2011 - 08:20

An impressive performance from Kilmurray Ibrickane saw them claim the county football title against St Josephs Doorabarefield by 17 points to 5 in Cusack park.

The champions led from start to finish,never allowing the first time finalists time to settle and went in at half time 8 points up.

Manager John Kennedy told Clare FM that they got the start that they wanted and that was crucial to their 12 point win:

ConTheCat

User Friendly wrote: »

if your interested in Clare football................. then your probably best look for another Gaa Forum.

this place is a ****e place to debate anything as you see!:rolleyes:

Haha just noticed this yeah, not very interested just have family in the place and a cousin on the team!

LuckyGent88

HON THE TOWN :D God i wish i was back in Ennis tonight.

Clareman

Crusheen won the senior, the match should not have been played,the ball spent more time in the ground that on top of it, if the inter-county team is going to develop then we have to start playing the championship earlier that the end of October.

Mountainlad

Clareman wrote: »

Crusheen won the senior, the match should not have been played,the ball spent more time in the ground that on top of it, if the inter-county team is going to develop then we have to start playing the championship earlier that the end of October.

To be fair, Waterford and Tipp finals were played last week, and the Cork final two weeks ago. When are ye out in the Munster club championship? Wouldn't be good preparation for the county champions to be waiting so long for a competitive game!

It was a really bad game, but looking outside my window I can see how bad a day it is and the pitch was in a bad way after a little while. That said, you'd wonder how much better it was in Kilkenny, and that game was of a far higher standard. There was very few standout players, Cian Dillon was an easy pick for man of the match.

Clareman

Waterford were in an All Ireland semi final, Tipp in the All Ireland, you can understand them not being available, how are we supposed to find player playing in the mud? We don't even have the league finished off yet, it's a joke really.

Clareman

Sorry, we're playing the Munster club in the second week of November, I can't see the problem with having a team waiting a month to play in the Munster club if it means they get to play the county championship in August/September

pakalasa

Maybe they'll move it forward now, seeing it was the bridge that were beaten, with a much younger and lighter team too....;)

Clareman

I think the big gap is because it's straight into a semi for both teams, AFAIK the directive for county boards is for their championships to be finished by November.

And as for the time of year & lighter hurlers, the minor A final is on next weekend, the B competition is just at the semi final stage

Mountainlad

True I suppose, Waterford was very rushed though, which meant a few dual clubs playing for 6 consecutive weeks or more.

How many Senior clubs are there in Clare and how does the championship work?

In Waterford, there are twelve teams, spilt into two groups. The championship is played off in 8 rounds.

Clareman

IMVHO there are too many senior clubs in Clare, there are 20 clubs, that's 4 rounds of games in the group stages, quarter finals, semis & final, without replay's/play-offs that's 7 weekends that have to play. The tradition is to play hurling 1 weekend and football the next, throw in allowing for the minors & intermediate players their runs it means it takes 5 months to play the competition.

If I had my way, I would cut the number of teams down to 16 and have 4 teams of 4, the top 2 teams into the quarter finals, the bottom 4 into relegation play offs (2 teams down every year 2 up), the 4 3rd place teams play in the Senior B, this would guarantee every team at least 4 games every year.

I would have the calendar organised with Championship Weekends, start Friday evening and finish on the Sunday, all the other secondary competitions can be ran during the week, we have enough grounds to be able to cater for all the matches, and playing them during the summer would mean pitches wouldn't suffer too badly. I would also have the dates set in stone, let teams play regardless of how the intercounty teams go, it might be harsh, but let the players decide if they want to play or not.

Gael85

Has anyone a list of Davy Fitz hurling panel?he dropped Philip Brennan and Gerry Quinn.Will Tony Carmody,Gerry O'Grady return to panel?

construct06

Id also allow games to be played at one of the teams venues for any given championship match. this could be done by a toss of a coin initially and then by agreement each year after if the same sides happen to meet.

this would allow the Gaa to show some appreciation to their fans/followers by fixing games at home venues of one of the teams. The standard of pitches and clubhouses in the county is now quite high but the attendances are very very poor for games and i think this is because the games are always fixed for neutral venues and people in these harsh times may not have the money to travel and then pay in, especially of there is a family. Also a lot of people have stopped going to games, and the buzz that might be around a town or village on the day of a big match would possibly entice people to back to the games. Also the pubs might do well out of such an arrangement.

i dont see the point on clubs upgrading their facilities and then on their biggest days they never get to play there. It doesn't happen in the premiership for instance.... Man. Utd. play every second week at Old Trafford for instance...

I know Clare Cup games are played at home but their importance or relevance is questionable and at such an early stage in the year with poor conditions again.

I think Clare players are now more used to Winter hurling conditions than Summer? Is hurling a winter game?!

Kerrydude1981

Hey guys,any info on what Eire Og are like? They are playing the Kerry county hurling champions Ballyduff next Sunday in the Munster Intermediate Championship semi final.

Gael85

By Fintan O’Toole

Thursday, October 27, 2011

CLARE football manager Michéal McDermott is hopeful that more members of county senior champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane will be part of his squad for the 2012 season.

Defender Martin McMahon was the only regular representative from the 2010 All-Ireland club finalists in the Banner senior side this year although clubmate Declan Callinan was introduced as a substitute against Down during their All-Ireland qualifier defeat in June. McDermott is optimistic that situation will change next year with players like Enda Coughlan, Darren Hickey and Stephen Moloney examples of those who would come into the frame.

However, the Clare boss intends to defer any plans to recruit more players from the Quilty-based club until after their club championship commitments have concluded as they prepare for a Munster SFC semi-final date on November 20.

"The full focus of the Kilmurry-Ibrickane lads at the moment is the Munster club championship and they deserve to be left alone to concentrate on that," he said.

"Whenever their season does draw to a close, then that will be the time to sit down with them and talk about getting involved with us in Clare.

"For now they need to think about the big games they have coming up. But I would be very hopeful that come the 2012 league and championship, we will have a number of Kilmurry-Ibrickane guys on board with us."

McDermott has also added Limerick native Michael Cahill to his backroom team for the coming season. Following a recommendation from new Waterford senior hurling physical trainer Pat Flanagan, who previously played a key role with the Kerry footballers, McDermott brought Cahill on board to take charge of Clare’s strength and conditioning.

Mayo legend Liam McHale will remain part of the Clare setup as a selector with particular emphasis on the coaching of the squad’s forwards, and James Foran completes the management setup.

"Michael is originally from Mungret in Limerick but is now based in Tralee where he is working. He would have studied in IT Tralee where he trained under Pat Flanagan and it was through Pat, that Michael was recommended as a guy to bring into our setup. Given Pat’s record at intercounty level, that was a serious recommendation.

"We had a trial game last Sunday where Michael made a presentation to the players. We’ll be moving into fitness tests then this weekend and then we’ll be given them their individual training programmes for the closed months of November and December.

"The lads are very enthusiastic and Michael will bring a great element of professionalism to our setup. I’m delighted that Liam and James are also with us, and Liam is going to be focusing on the coaching of our forwards this year.

"League promotion has to be our aim next year. That will give us a good platform for the Munster championship where it is a huge plus that we’ve avoided Cork and Kerry, and that we’ve a bye into the Munster semi-final."

Gael85

Kerrydude1981 wrote: »

Hey guys,any info on what Eire Og are like? They are playing the Kerry county hurling champions Ballyduff next Sunday in the Munster Intermediate Championship semi final.

Éire Óg back from the wilderness (Intermediate final)
Written by Peter O'Connell
Thursday, 27 October 2011 11:43

Éire Óg 1-14

Ruan 0-6

This is not a championship Éire Óg will hope to win again any time soon. One intermediate championship will suffice. They were desperate to win it last Sunday in Clarecastle however and regain their senior status, which they lost in 2008.

Due to be played as a curtain-raiser to the senior final in Cusack Park, the intermediate final was switched to Clarecastle following a pitch inspection at the county grounds on Sunday morning.
The intermediate finalists definitely benefited from the change of venue. Bearing in mind the torrential rain that fell last weekend, the surface in Clarecastle was in superb condition. In fact, the pitch was in better nick at the end of the hour’s hurling than Cusack Park was after both senior teams had merely warmed up. Yet while the players got to play on a decent pitch, Éire Óg and Ruan supporters didn’t come out of it so well. With no covered viewing areas available in Clarecastle, even protection from a sea of umbrellas couldn’t protect most supporters from saturation as the rain teemed ceaselessly.
Éire Óg had three scores on the board inside the first eight minutes, with Davy O’Halloran and Ronan Keane scoring from play, while Danny Russell pointed the first of his five scores from a free. The scores helped t o settle the winners while Ruan were hit with a significant setback when Darragh Roughan had to retired injured in the eighth minute. Shortly afterwards Ruan reshuffled, with midfielder Eoin Hanrahan reverting to wing-back, where he picked up Keane, who excelled in the opening quarter.
John Punch pointed Ruan’s first score from a free yet it was their profligacy from dead balls that hurt them badly as the game wore on. Some scoreable frees missed the target, whilst others didn’t even make it as far as the square, where a break could have paid dividends for Ruan.
To compound this, a lengthy Fergus Flynn free, in the 14th minute was adroitly flicked to the net by Barry Nugent at the clubhouse end. Suddenly, Éire Óg were 1-3 to 0-1 up and Ruan, several of whose players sustained early knocks, were facing a mammoth task.
With Michael Vaughan showing well in their half-forward line, Patrick Keegan and Aidan Lynch pointed their only other first-half points from play. Danny Russell, following a foul on David Ryan and Cooraclare’s Thomas Downes, completed Éire Óg’s tally, leaving the Townies 1-5 to 0-3 up at the interval.
If they were to have any chance of winning the intermediate title, in what was their second successive final, Ruan needed to up their work rate and intensity levels immediately. Caimin Howard pointed early in the second half but Noel Whelan and Barry Nugent responded immediately for Éire Óg, with Fergus Flynn making Nugent’s score. Patrick Keegan put over his second point for Ruan but Danny Russell (free) and centre-forward David Ryan replied with a brace of points.
Tadhg Hanrahan put over what was Ruan’s last score in the 12th minute of the second half. Not scoring in the remaining 18 minutes underlines where one of Ruan’s primary problems lay.
Now coasting but still trying to do the simple things well, Éire Óg tagged on points from Russell, Ronan Keane, Davy O’Halloran and Ryan.
Their reaction on hearing Johnny Healy’s game-concluding whistle didn’t border on ecstatic. Players, management and supporters looked more relieved than overjoyed, knowing Éire Óg are a senior club again. The task now for the team from the county capital is to consolidate and re-establish themselves at senior level.
Conditions militated against anything approaching free-flowing hurling but Éire Óg showed they were adaptable, whatever the weather. Their half-back line, Fergus Flynn in particular, gave them a crucial foothold, while Ronan Keane and David Ryan worked exceptionally hard in their half-forward division. Danny Russell did the business from frees, while Davy O’Halloran and Barry Nugent scored 1-3 from play between them in the full-forward line.
Eoin Hanrahan, Michael Vaughan and Garry Bell did their utmost for Ruan, who looked flat from the off, although they will feel that if they had converted more frees, they would have made a game of it.

Éire Óg: Kevin Brennan; Cathal Brennan, Cormac O’Regan, Mark O’Donnell; Tadhg McNamara, Fergus Flynn, Kevin Moynihan; Noel Whelan, Mark Fitzgerald (captain); Danny Russell, David Ryan, Ronan Keane; David O’Halloran, Barry Nugent, Thomas Downes.
Subs: Adrian Walsh for Noel Whelan; Ronan Cooney for Cathal Whelan.
Scorers: Danny Russell (0-5, 0-4f, 0-1 65); Barry Nugent (1-1), Davy O’Halloran, Ronan Keane, David Ryan (0-2) each, Thomas Downes, Noel Whelan 0-1each.
Wides: 5; Frees won: 15; 65s: 1
Yellow cards: Ronan Keane, Tadhg McNamara, Fergus Flynn.

Ruan: Pakie Roughan (captain); Garry Bell, Niall O’Connor, Leon Quirke; Killian Ryan, Jonathon Clohessy, Darragh Roughan; Tadhg Hanrahan, Eoin Hanrahan; Aidan Lynch, Colin O’Donoghue, Michael Vaughan; Patrick Keegan, John Punch, Brendan Lyons.
Subs: Caimin Howard for Darragh Roughan (injured); Alan Bell for John Punch; Damien Brohan for Tadhg Hanrahan.
Scorers: Patrick Keegan (0-2), Aidan Lynch, Caimin Howard, Tadhg Hanrahan (0-1) each, John Punch (0-1f).
Wides: 8; Frees won: 15
Yellow cards: Jonathon Clohessy, Tadhg Hanrahan.

Referee: Johnny Healy (Smith O’Brien’s).

lala88

Is Noel Whelan whos midfeild with Ennis the same lad who played with Kilmoyley a few years back?

bob911

the likes of cratloe boys cathal mcinerney podge collins cathal mcgrath enda boyce barry duggan.

doonbeg cathal dillion shane ryan.

kilmurrys noel downes darren hickey enda coughlan stephen moloney.

clondegad cormac ryan conor gavin podge mcmahon francie neylon tony kelly.

doorabarefield alan o neill david o brien enda lyons
kilkee gearoid lynch

wolfe tones garry leahy daniel gallery kevin cahill
ennistymon seanie mcgonigle. st breckans conor cormican sean cormican stephen tierney should all be on the clare panel

Clareman

Clare club football has always been very strong, it takes a very strong leader to bring all the players together, John Maughan did it in the late 80s/early 90s to great success. The problem is inter-club raillery is too strong, Kilkee vs. Kilrush, Donbeg/Quilty against everyone else it might seem weird, but you'll have fellas not talking to each other in the dressing room, guys not passing to each other, fights in training, guys "striking" cause 1 of their buddies for their club hasn't been picked.

Saying all that, Clare were very unlucky last year in the championship, they played the All Ireland Champions in their first game and the runners up in their second, they should/could have won in the Park that evening, I would say that if the hurlers had some of the on the pitch leaders that footballers had they'd be in a lot better place.

I'm also really looking forward to seeing how Colin Lynch gets on training the Ennistymon seniors this year.

Gael85

New faces on board as footballers gear up for 2012
Written by Peter O'Connell
Friday, 30 December 2011 11:54
AS the Clare senior footballers prepare for their opening game of the McGrath Cup against UL in Miltown Malbay on Sunday, January 8, they will play GMIT in a challenge in Galway on Monday, January 2.
Several newcomers have been added to the Clare panel for the McGrath Cup campaign. The newcomers include David Murphy and Seán O’Driscoll (Ennistymon), Stephen Tierney (St Breckan’s), Killian Malone (Kilfenora), Seán Haugh (O’Curry’s), Podge Collins (Cratloe), Thomas Downes and Thomas Donnellan (Cooraclare), Luke O’Loughlin (Corofin) and Chris Williamson (Kilkee).
County champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane have four players on the McGrath Cup panel; Peter O’Dwyer junior, Martin McMahon, Darren Hickey and Stephen Moloney. Declan Callinan, who featured against Down in Cusack Park, is injured at the moment.
Fellow 2011 panellist Mark Tubridy (Cooraclare) has emigrated to Australia, while Niall Browne (Two Mile House, Kildare) is injured but will be part of the panel when he recovers in about four weeks.
Kilkee veteran David Russell is also on the panel, having featured just briefly for Clare against Down in last June’s first-round All-Ireland qualifier. Russell will again be joined by his long-time county team-mate Ger Quinlan (O’Curry’s) along with other fairly experienced players including Joe Hayes (Lissycasey), Rory Donnelly (Cooraclare), Michael O’Shea (Kilkee), Alan Clohessy (Liscannor), the Kelly brother’s (Miltown), Timmy Ryan (Kilmihil) and Laurence Healy (Ennistymon).
Clare manager Micheál McDermott told The Clare Champion the panel has been on an individual strength and conditioning programme for the last six weeks, under the direction of new team trainer Micheál Cahill.
However, the Clare manager, who is in his third year in the post, is concerned Clare might be short of match practice as the McGrath Cup approaches.
“The McGrath Cup is, to a degree, coming four weeks too early. We’re really only back on the field with our first challenge game against GMIT on Monday. That game will go a long way to determining, along with the training, who is going to be in contention to start in the match against UL,” he said.
McDermott is also concerned that lack of match practice, due to the GAA’s winter training ban, might lead to players picking up early season injuries.
“The thing about the McGrath Cup being run in January, from a player welfare point of view, it’s very unfair on players to ask them to not do any training collectively in the months of November and December. In any sport, pre-season is a must to prevent injury,” he pointed out.
“I’d have no problem with players having November and December off if the league started in the month of February as it does but not having the McGrath Cup starting on January 8. It’s very, very unfair on players to expect them to go out having not trained on any pitches for maybe three to four months,” he reiterated.
As for the make-up of the current panel, McDermott says players may drop in and out depending on their game and training form in January.
“I would say that it’s very, very early to tell what the finalised panel will be. The McGrath Cup and the on-field training in the month of January will go a long way to determining what the panel will be for the league in the first week in February,” he stated.
If Clare beat UL in Miltown on Sunday week, they will have to travel to Páirc Uí Rínn on Sunday, January 15 to play Cork. The semi-finals are dated for January 22 with the McGrath Cup final to be played on January 29.

keane2097

Good to see a few more Kilmurray players on the panel this year, what's been the story behind their lack of representation in the past?

Mountainlad

Championship dress rehearsal this Sunday. See ye there boys! :cool:

hurler on de ditch

Mountainlad wrote: »

Championship dress rehearsal this Sunday. See ye there boys! :cool:

ill be there cant wait ,fitzy will have the clare lads wound up to bursting point ,they wont have a hope

Clareman

Seeing as it's been a while I thought I'd resurrect this thread.

Hurlers
Probably playing the best hurling in the country at the moment, saying that I don't know if they would be playing as well/fancy in division 1A. They are in a weird position in their next game that they can have a say in who they play in the 1B final, lose to Offaly, they can play them again, the 1 team I wouldn't want to be playing (no offence to Offaly or Limerick) would be Antrim, we struggled against them the first day and they'll have the Loughgiel back now.

Footballers
Going great guns, pretty much have their own destiny in their own hands, speaking to a lot of the players I wouldn't have great confidence in their management, but it'd be great to get out of division 4, maybe even a Munster final.

Under-Age
The stories I'm hearing about how some of the under-age teams are being treated and over trained is very worrying but hopefully they are just exaggerating and everything will be fine.

County Board
If I was to say what I think about our county board not only would my mod-ship of here be revoked but I reckon I'd get a ban from all of boards I would encourage any Clare supporters here to visit Cusack Park, take a note of your impression and send a letter to the county board with their impressions of their visit.

Gael85

Footballers
Going great guns, pretty much have their own destiny in their own hands, speaking to a lot of the players I wouldn't have great confidence in their management, but it'd be great to get out of division 4, maybe even a Munster final.

Whats the story with the management?Shane McGrath has been great addition to footballers,was on Dublin panel last year for O'Byrne Cup

Orizio

Clareman wrote: »

Hurlers
Probably playing the best hurling in the country at the moment,

...eh?

Clareman

Gael85 wrote: »

Whats the story with the management?Shane McGrath has been great addition to footballers,was on Dublin panel last year for O'Byrne Cup

They don't seem to be the most organised bunch of people in the world

Clareman

Orizio wrote: »

...eh?

They are playing some lovely hurling at the moment, some of the stick work and passes is absolutely brilliant, this is more than likely because they are concentrating more on the league than the other teams that they are playing, a lot of our players are coming straight from colleges to inter-county