Clare GAA discussion thread

Clareman

This graphic is doing my head in, why can't they just move Kerry to them bottom or the Clare/Waterford quarter final to the bottom?

https://twitter.com/GaaClare/status/1050476963096391681

Clareman

The hurling doesn't really affect Clare too badly, they've a match, then 1 or 2 weekends off then another match then either 1 or 2 weekends off and then 2 games in a row. Might look like 3 games in a row but there'll be weekends off

sasol

Clareman wrote: »

The hurling doesn't really affect Clare too badly, they've a match, then 1 or 2 weekends off then another match then either 1 or 2 weekends off and then 2 games in a row. Might look like 3 games in a row but there'll be weekends off

You are wrong. Clare do have 3 games in a row.
They play Waterford on May 12th. Then three weeks later they play Tipp on June 2nd. They play Limerick on June 9th and Cork on June 16th

http://munster.gaa.ie/fixtures/senior/

Clareman

sasol wrote: »

You are wrong. Clare do have 3 games in a row.
They play Waterford on May 12th. Then three weeks later they play Tipp on June 2nd. They play Limerick on June 9th and Cork on June 16th

http://munster.gaa.ie/fixtures/senior/

We really want the break week to be the 2nd of June so

letowski

I suppose when one thinks about it, is 3 games in 3 weeks really that hard on intercounty players? It doesn't seem like a long stretch when thinking of other sports, granted these players are amateurs. But before they hit those 3 games, they would only have played 1 game in about 2 months. I think they should be fine really, with the last game at home to Cork there will be a packed ground and a good buzz in Ennis. If they get a win against Tipp at the start of the run, they can build up momentum.

I think what this management needs to do more next year, is to use their squad more through the league and keep players fresh with good competition for places. Like is there any point putting the likes of John Conlon out at the start of February.. like what are we going to learn at this stage? Last year we pretty much started the same team every week which was disappointing. There is a couple of young players like Hayes, Ryan, Connors, Cooney, etc that look primed to make the step up next year and offer something. Let's see them.

Clareman

letowski wrote: »

I suppose when one thinks about it, is 3 games in 3 weeks really that hard on intercounty players? It doesn't seem like a long stretch when thinking of other sports, granted these players are amateurs. But before they hit those 3 games, they would only have played 1 game in about 2 months. I think they should be fine really, with the last game at home to Cork there will be a packed ground and a good buzz in Ennis. If they get a win against Tipp at the start of the run, they can build up momentum.

I think what this management needs to do more next year, is to use their squad more through the league and keep players fresh with good competition for places. Like is there any point putting the likes of John Conlon out at the start of February.. like what are we going to learn at this stage? Last year we pretty much started the same team every week which was disappointing. There is a couple of young players like Hayes, Ryan, Connors, Cooney, etc that look primed to make the step up next year and offer something. Let's see them.

To be honest I think too much was made out of 4 games in 4 weeks, in my opinion the biggest problem was recovery and down time for players, hearing of squads being in for video analysis on Monday's followed by training on Tuesday was too much.

There probably isn't another amateur sport to compare it to but looking at other sports in general, soccer normally have 2 games a week, rugby plays the 6 nations in 4 weeks with tours having 3 tests in a row, American Football plays 16 games in 17 weeks. Now I know there's lots of arguements for different sports having different levels of fitness but it's the same for all of them so no excuses.

letowski

Clareman wrote: »

To be honest I think too much was made out of 4 games in 4 weeks, in my opinion the biggest problem was recovery and down time for players, hearing of squads being in for video analysis on Monday's followed by training on Tuesday was too much.

There probably isn't another amateur sport to compare it to but looking at other sports in general, soccer normally have 2 games a week, rugby plays the 6 nations in 4 weeks with tours having 3 tests in a row, American Football plays 16 games in 17 weeks. Now I know there's lots of arguements for different sports having different levels of fitness but it's the same for all of them so no excuses.

It's an interesting point. On top of this, intercounty GAA teams do a hell of alot more strenuous and physical pre-seasons compared to professional sports, yet after only 3 games we can excuse them for tiredness. Like county panels will start their 2019 preparations next month, despite not playing championship for another 7 months. I think, if you take Davy Fitz's teams for example, the last 5 years with Wexford and Clare both those teams have really fell flat by mid summer.

This is a separate note, but I honestly see the league as just a pre-season tournament, one that should be used to blood players. I give it very little importance towards the success of a team's season. Like I can't even remember who was in the league final last year! But I am strongly against our management's policy last year of using a good 13 of our starting 15 for every round of the league. I hope it changes.

I think the key is to keep your squad fresh. Rotate players in the league and use subs for impact in the last 20. Create a competitive environment in your squad and one which will also prevent players playing every minute of every game in the lead up to the championship. In the weeks running up to the championship, you will have good competitive training sessions and a panel primed for the championship. As you say also, it's important to keep training's light between 1 week match weekends.

Clareman

letowski wrote: »

It's an interesting point. On top of this, intercounty GAA teams do a hell of alot more strenuous and physical pre-seasons compared to professional sports, yet after only 3 games we can excuse them for tiredness. Like county panels will start their 2019 preparations next month, despite not playing championship for another 7 months. I think, if you take Davy Fitz's teams for example, the last 5 years with Wexford and Clare both those teams have really fell flat by mid summer.

A lot of strength and conditioning people think it's all about fitness, add in managers than are just glued to stats from GPS units and you have disaster. Most players are fit now, all the need is sharpness and to keep them going, it's as much about mental than physical in the middle of the summer but when you can't adjust you're flat.

Clareman

letowski wrote: »

This is a separate note, but I honestly see the league as just a pre-season tournament, one that should be used to blood players. I give it very little importance towards the success of a team's season. Like I can't even remember who was in the league final last year! But I am strongly against our management's policy last year of using a good 13 of our starting 15 for every round of the league. I hope it changes.

I think the key is to keep your squad fresh. Rotate players in the league and use subs for impact in the last 20. Create a competitive environment in your squad and one which will also prevent players playing every minute of every game in the lead up to the championship. In the weeks running up to the championship, you will have good competitive training sessions and a panel primed for the championship. As you say also, it's important to keep training's light between 1 week match weekends.

I've being saying it for a while but a few Clare players shouldn't pick up a hurley til April but that won't happen and the same 5/6 will play every game.

I agree about treating the league like preseason but I'd insist that if players play well they should be given a championship chance. Back in the late 90s/early 00s the league was used as a B competition for Clare but come Championship the old reliables were brought back and the new guys were discarded, this resulted in us having nothing to come through when the team of the 90s disappeared, that shouldn't have happened considering we won the minor in 97.

BloodyBill

Clare need a bigger squad with every player on that squad capable of doing a job. The team that won the All Ireland last year had the best squad. Compare our 1 to 18 with Limerick and we are level pegging more or less. However from 18 to 28 we fall down badly. Those 10 have little experience and we aren't sure how they will perform. I for one want to see these players all get a few league games. I don't care if we get relegated.
The 3 games in a row is totally a psychological issue. The physical stuff is no problem but it will take players a year to adjust to more games. We have a great draw this year with Tipp at home and Cork aswell. But lose one of them and it's trouble. It 'll be another great year.

letowski

BloodyBill wrote: »

Clare need a bigger squad with every player on that squad capable of doing a job. The team that won the All Ireland last year had the best squad. Compare our 1 to 18 with Limerick and we are level pegging more or less. However from 18 to 28 we fall down badly. Those 10 have little experience and we aren't sure how they will perform. I for one want to see these players all get a few league games. I don't care if we get relegated.
The 3 games in a row is totally a psychological issue. The physical stuff is no problem but it will take players a year to adjust to more games. We have a great draw this year with Tipp at home and Cork aswell. But lose one of them and it's trouble. It 'll be another great year.

I agree, Limerick got some great impact off the bench in Dowling and Casey in particular. You make a good point about our squad and Limerick's squad from 18 to 28.

Our subs in the first match against Galway were:
16. Fahy 17. Hayes 18. Dillon 19. Fitzgerald 20. O'Malley 21. McCarthy 22. Deasy 23. Galvin 24. O'Niell 25. McGrath 26. Shanagher

While Limericks subs in the AI final were:
16. Hennessey 17. Casey 18. Condon 19. Dowling 20. Downes 21. Hickey 22. McCarthy 23. Nash 24. O'Donoghue 25. Reidy 26. Ryan

Your post got me thinking, it's very noticable how our squad and theirs have developed in recent years. Limerick have a very strong veteran presence in their squad, I count 7 of their 11 subs with about 4 years or more experience playing at intercounty level, while Dillon and McGrath are the only players with any real experience on our bench. Also Paul Browne would probably be there too for them if not injured. Put it simply, if we were to count up the appearances in the championship of both benches, it would be very lopsided. Limerick showed there value of having a strong panel of players last year. We on the other hand have lost Colin Ryan, Brendan Bugler, Conor Ryan, Pat Donnellan, Darach Honan, Domhnaill O'Donovan in the last few years which has left a void in our panel. And its worth noting that it's not really because of age, Bugs and Donnellan are 33, the rest are younger.

I still think though, we still have one of the strongest benches in the country. Galway were really stretched for backs last year while KK and Cork both had limited squads. Waterford and Tipp have good squads, but probably need to figure out there best 15 right new under their new managers.

I think with us, there is strong potential next year to have a serious impact bench. With Diarmuid Ryan and Gary Cooney looking ready to make the step up, and hopefully Aaron Cunningham and Oisin O'Brien back, we have a lot options in the county, after the starting 15 that played the first game versus Galway. I have 19 outfield players listed below that we need to pick 10 from to make up the rest of the matchday 26.

Rory Hayes, Oisin O'Brien, Cian Dillon, David Fitzgerald, Mike O'Malley, Jason McCarthy, Diarmuid Ryan, Gearoid O'Connell

Conor McGrath, Aron Shanagher, Ian Galvin, Niall Deasy, Gary Cooney, Mikey O'Niell, Aaron Cunningham, Billy Connors, Cathal McInerney, Bobby Duggan

Of course, I accept a few could end up starting (I think Hayes and Shanagher will). But the talent is there, but alot is untested, as you said we to see what some of these players can do in the league. I think Molony and O'Connor need to do a better job next spring of using the squad.

Clareman

1 of our strengths, on paper, is the strength of our bench, looking at the bench by Letowski, that's a serious bunch of impact subs that could turn or close any game but we a management team that seems hell bent to refuse to make a change before 60 minutes, allowing a player a couple of minutes to get to the speed of the game that's just too late.

In my opinion we need to stop trying to have set plans and start reading the game as it happens, that also involves taking off marquee players who aren't playing up to scratch on the day.

BloodyBill

letowski wrote: »

BloodyBill wrote: »

Clare need a bigger squad with every player on that squad capable of doing a job. The team that won the All Ireland last year had the best squad. Compare our 1 to 18 with Limerick and we are level pegging more or less. However from 18 to 28 we fall down badly. Those 10 have little experience and we aren't sure how they will perform. I for one want to see these players all get a few league games. I don't care if we get relegated.
The 3 games in a row is totally a psychological issue. The physical stuff is no problem but it will take players a year to adjust to more games. We have a great draw this year with Tipp at home and Cork aswell. But lose one of them and it's trouble. It 'll be another great year.

I agree, Limerick got some great impact off the bench in Dowling and Casey in particular. You make a good point about our squad and Limerick's squad from 18 to 28.

Our subs in the first match against Galway were:
16. Fahy 17. Hayes 18. Dillon 19. Fitzgerald 20. O'Malley 21. McCarthy 22. Deasy 23. Galvin 24. O'Niell 25. McGrath 26. Shanagher

While Limericks subs in the AI final were:
16. Hennessey 17. Casey 18. Condon 19. Dowling 20. Downes 21. Hickey 22. McCarthy 23. Nash 24. O'Donoghue 25. Reidy 26. Ryan

Your post got me thinking, it's very noticable how our squad and theirs have developed in recent years. Limerick have a very strong veteran presence in their squad, I count 7 of their 11 subs with about 4 years or more experience playing at intercounty level, while Dillon and McGrath are the only players with any real experience on our bench. Also Paul Browne would probably be there too for them if not injured. Put it simply, if we were to count up the appearances in the championship of both benches, it would be very lopsided. Limerick showed there value of having a strong panel of players last year. We on the other hand have lost Colin Ryan, Brendan Bugler, Conor Ryan, Pat Donnellan, Darach Honan, Domhnaill O'Donovan in the last few years which has left a void in our panel. And its worth noting that it's not really because of age, Bugs and Donnellan are 33, the rest are younger.

I still think though, we still have one of the strongest benches in the country. Galway were really stretched for backs last year while KK and Cork both had limited squads. Waterford and Tipp have good squads, but probably need to figure out there best 15 right new under their new managers.

I think with us, there is strong potential next year to have a serious impact bench. With Diarmuid Ryan and Gary Cooney looking ready to make the step up, and hopefully Aaron Cunningham and Oisin O'Brien back, we have a lot options in the county, after the starting 15 that played the first game versus Galway. I have 19 outfield players listed below that we need to pick 10 from to make up the rest of the matchday 26.

Rory Hayes, Oisin O'Brien, Cian Dillon, David Fitzgerald, Mike O'Malley, Jason McCarthy, Diarmuid Ryan, Gearoid O'Connell

Conor McGrath, Aron Shanagher, Ian Galvin, Niall Deasy, Gary Cooney, Mikey O'Niell, Aaron Cunningham, Billy Connors, Cathal McInerney, Bobby Duggan

Of course, I accept a few could end up starting (I think Hayes and Shanagher will). But the talent is there, but alot is untested, as you said we to see what some of these players can do in the league. I think Molony and O'Connor need to do a better job next spring of using the squad.

I'd agree with all of that post. Clare seem to jettison older players that aren't good enough to start but would be great subs. The likes of O Donovan or Ryan could have been persuaded to hang around. Limerick players seem to keep playing until they aren't picked which shows great honesty in their outlook really. Like you said the experience they have is invaluable to a young team. Condon,Hickey ect would bring a level of aggression and discipline to a young squad.
Clare are the worst on field decision makers in hurling, outside of Wexford in my opinion and at crucial times we haven't been able to kill momentum or go for the jugular. We just don't have the decision makers outside of Galvin. I hope that's being worked on this winter.
One other thing is like to see is a trial. We don't do trials in Clare traditionally as we are a small pick and those in charge think they know every player. It's not true and the freedom of a trial could unearth a player,a gem in the mould of Seamus Harnedy...(might be stretching it) but what harm would it be.

Clareman

Ennistymon are through to the county final after they won 2-6 to 0-11 against Kilmurry Ibrickane.

Dickie9

Some performance by st.josephs Miltown two clearys ran the show Gordon Kelly rolling back the years gonna be some final

St.josephs Miltown 1.15
Cratloe 1.08

Sterling Archer

Clareman wrote: »

This graphic is doing my head in, why can't they just move Kerry to them bottom or the Clare/Waterford quarter final to the bottom?

https://twitter.com/GaaClare/status/1050476963096391681

Fixed

windy shepard henderson

Dickie9 wrote: »

Some performance by st.josephs Miltown two clearys ran the show Gordon Kelly rolling back the years gonna be some final

St.josephs Miltown 1.15
Cratloe 1.08

great weekend of football in fairness , yesterday was kilmurry ibrickans first championship defeat in two years , the last team that beat them was .....ennistymon

that same year miltown won the championship they played ennistymon twice , in round 1 and the 1/4 final stages they won both games by 1 point i believe so an excellent final in store

ger quinlan is some man in fairness he has some job done with ennistymon this must be there first ever county final , i am open to correction on this also but great to see two sides that have been competing consistently in championship over the last few years contest the final miltown will be favourites but it will be a close game , looking forward to it

Dickie9

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

great weekend of football in fairness , yesterday was kilmurry ibrickans first championship defeat in two years , the last team that beat them was .....ennistymon

that same year miltown won the championship they played ennistymon twice , in round 1 and the 1/4 final stages they won both games by 1 point i believe so an excellent final in store

ger quinlan is some man in fairness he has some job done with ennistymon this must be there first ever county final , i am open to correction on this also but great to see two sides that have been competing consistently in championship over the last few years contest the final miltown will be favourites but it will be a close game , looking forward to it

Yep miltown won by 7 but it could have easily been double that hit the post cleary missed peno even tayto got up from the backs and nearly buried 1....theyll take some beating fine solid performance 1 to 15....Gordon Kelly great game curtin as sweeper 1st half midfield done well conor cleary immense....Some great scores by eoin cleary two boys done well inside Murray and mcdonagh they could get call up to clare seniors next year nice brand off football they're playing and a very fit team.....

windy shepard henderson

Dickie9 wrote: »

Yep miltown won by 7 but it could have easily been double that hit the post cleary missed peno even tayto got up from the backs and nearly buried 1....theyll take some beating fine solid performance 1 to 15....Gordon Kelly great game curtin as sweeper 1st half midfield done well conor cleary immense....Some great scores by eoin cleary two boys done well inside Murray and mcdonagh they could get call up to clare seniors next year nice brand off football they're playing and a very fit team.....

wasnt there today but i was very impressed with them against clondegad , like infairness cratloe were coming in on the back of a near 20 point win against cooraclare , clondegad had brushed aside kilmihil before miltown wiped the floor with them that is serious form to be fair

windy shepard henderson

will do a full round up of all the games over the weekend in a minute but probably the best game took place in the intermediate final, it was a cracker of a game with kildysart racing into the lead and held it until half time , kilrush were rewarded with an incredibly fortuitous goal by liam madigan who apparently touched the ball before gearoid o'briens hand pass went into the net to put the shams 1 point up

kildysart lost the excellent young talent of seamus casey (coming from good stock first cousin of peter and mike casey of limerick) shortly afterwards who was causing havoc in the kilrush defence and with that kilrush took over

the first half was all free flowing end to end stuff ,the second half was a cagey affair but i imagine nobody in kilrush will mind tonight as they return to senior ranks and in truth back where they belong

gearoid o'brien and liam madigan had excellent games for the winners , while the excellent casey and young diarmuid o'donnell were brilliant for kildyasrt as was bryan eyres and michael eustace ,

for all the games i go to , i rarely pick sides or want teams to win as a neutral, today i wanted kildysart to win given the changes to the intermediate championship today was a huge game anyway but kildysart were always there and there abouts , they lost to corofin , kilfenora and now kilrush in intermediate finals since 2014 i hope in consolation they join up with coolmeen next year and amalgamate for senior , its the least the likes of kieran eyres ,bryan eyres the o'connors and the younger players like casey and o'donnell deserve not to mention cathal o'connor who has never actually played senior championship for all he achieved , so hopefully all these amalgamations happen next year and we have an excellent 16 team championship

https://twitter.com/BrennanEoin/status/1051519442750976000

funnyname

What will be the 4 amalgamations next year

North Clare
Kil/Coolmeen/SG
Loop Head
????

windy shepard henderson

funnyname wrote: »

What will be the 4 amalgamations next year

North Clare
Kil/Coolmeen/SG
Loop Head
????

apparently loop head looks like it will happen , the hope after that is a clon lir in north clare hopfully coolmeen and kildysart will take part and finally one of the committee members is very keen on a east clare gaels team like in ladies football which would include the banner and ruan also , in the last few years on the clare underage development squads the likes of mcgoveran and mounsey amongst others were the better players on the panel also young meehan from the banner, mounsey is ruan and mcgoveran is bodyke they all feature for the clare u17 footballers on there run to the all ireland 1/4 final this year where they lost to galway the losing finalists

mills and clooney have football setups so it would start with them if it was to happen but a long shot , it will happen in time though i reckon though , if there is no east clare team i wouldnt be surprised if the faughs reemerged in some form , maybe barefield/banner but i know one person on the committee that is egar to get the east clare lads involved

its probably more of a hope rather then a possibility at the moment

windy shepard henderson

While kilrush come up st breckans become team 5 for relegation. nothing against breckans but i am delighted lissycasey stay up as they have had far more then there fair share of adversaries of late if they can click over the next few years they have the ability to emulate ennistymon at the very least

doonbeg win senior b honors , while miltown and ennistymon will contest a novel final ,

last of all and first picture up is inagh/killnamona who won the camogie final after an impressive win over newmarket ,while the combo are starting to show strength this is there 3rd in a row , they also won the junior A camogie this weekend. well doone!!!

https://twitter.com/ClareCamogie/status/1051157557753065472

https://twitter.com/muirioch/status/1051479468018192384

https://twitter.com/DoonbegFootball/status/1051164764615921670

https://twitter.com/Lissycasey_GAA/status/1051102591592091652

https://twitter.com/inisdiomainpeil/status/1051148742106206209

Gael85

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

apparently loop head looks like it will happen , the hope after that is a clon lir in north clare hopfully coolmeen and kildysart will take part and finally one of the committee members is very keen on a east clare gaels team like in ladies football which would include the banner and ruan also , in the last few years on the clare underage development squads the likes of mcgoveran and mounsey amongst others were the better players on the panel also young meehan from the banner, mounsey is ruan and mcgoveran is bodyke they all feature for the clare u17 footballers on there run to the all ireland 1/4 final this year where they lost to galway the losing finalists

mills and clooney have football setups so it would start with them if it was to happen but a long shot , it will happen in time though i reckon though , if there is no east clare team i wouldnt be surprised if the faughs reemerged in some form , maybe barefield/banner but i know one person on the committee that is egar to get the east clare lads involved

its probably more of a hope rather then a possibility at the moment

A East Clare would be decent then as usual depends how clubs are doing in hurling. O'Callaghan Mills and Crusheen had good football teams over the years and just stopped. Are Clooney Quinn still fielding in football? Cratloe have a couple players under the isolated rule?

supernova5

Clare Senior Football roll of honour shows Ennistymon winning the title in 1943
can anyone verify if this is correct?

Dickie9

supernova5 wrote: »

Clare Senior Football roll of honour shows Ennistymon winning the title in 1943
can anyone verify if this is correct?

Ennistymon beat kilkee in the final 1943

Dickie9

St.josephs miltown v Ennistymon

Reckon this could be won in midfield Ennistymon will probably start with Malone and Fitzgerald Miltown operated with Conor Cleary in midfield the last day with Looney....Mcdonagh and Looney were named at midfield the last day with Mcdonagh playing inside winning the penalty with Hawes getting a black card also Brian Curtin was sweeper the last day worked well reckon they'll go 15 v 15

Conor Cleary will probably pick up malone midfield reckon Mcdonagh will start midfield v Fitzgerald basically it'll be where the game is won and lost

Miltown could have the upper hand here if they start them 2 midfield Conor Cleary some footballer he opened up the cratloe defence anytime he ran at them....They could possibly play Curtin sweeper again they'll probably leave 2 inside forwards Murray and eoin Cleary and hopefully get quick ball into them

Taught seanie o briens kickouts a1 the last day bar 1.....no chance with goal...

supernova5

3 quarters of a century is a hell of long time, would be great to see them do it...

funnyname

Ennistymon are a young team with a few old hands who have yards of experience. Their fitness levels and ability to retain position are excellent. I think their odds of 11/4 are a bit of an insult, probably should be more like 6/4.

Dickie9 wrote: »

St.josephs miltown v Ennistymon

Reckon this could be won in midfield Ennistymon will probably start with Malone and Fitzgerald Miltown operated with Conor Cleary in midfield the last day with Looney....Mcdonagh and Looney were named at midfield the last day with Mcdonagh playing inside winning the penalty with Hawes getting a black card also Brian Curtin was sweeper the last day worked well reckon they'll go 15 v 15

Conor Cleary will probably pick up malone midfield reckon Mcdonagh will start midfield v Fitzgerald basically it'll be where the game is won and lost

Miltown could have the upper hand here if they start Curtin sweeper again they'll probably leave 2 inside forwards Murray and eoin Cleary and hopefully get quick ball into them

Dickie9

funnyname wrote: »

Ennistymon are a young team with a few old hands who have yards of experience. Their fitness levels and ability to retain position are excellent. I think their odds of 11/4 are a bit of an insult, probably should be more like 6/4.

Theyve been around a while now have been in a few minor u21 finals good underage coming thru

A good few rouines on the team if they can be as good as joejoe and beano they should land a jack Daly trophy in the next few years

Dickie9

Ennistymon were better off not having Cratloe in the final they lost 2008 minor final to them

As well as losing to Cratloe in the 2009 and the 2011 u21 A finals

Maybe if they won one off them finals they'd have all the momentum going for senior honours bad enuf losing 1 u21A without losing 2 in a row but that was a serious cratloe side

Dickie9

PADDY POWER ODDS
ST JOSEPHS MILTOWN 2/5
ENNISTYMON 5/2

ST JOSEPHS MILTOWN -2 10/11
ENNISTYMON +2 11/10

Dickie9

TG4 in the park Sunday for Cratloe v Ballyea!

Sterling Archer

Dickie9 wrote: »

Ennistymon beat kilkee in the final 1943

From my understanding tho it was not an Ennistymon team but a north Clare team using the ennistymon name rather than "North Clare"

funnyname

Excellent, Live or delayed?

Dickie9 wrote: »

TG4 in the park Sunday for Cratloe v Ballyea!

Shanee.

Shane_ef wrote: »

From my understanding tho it was not an Ennistymon team but a north Clare team using the ennistymon name rather than "North Clare"

It was a North Clare amalgamation with Liscannor.

Dickie9

funnyname wrote: »

Excellent, Live or delayed?

Donegal football final live
Deferred coverage of cratloe ballyea

deaddonkey15

Dickie9 wrote: »

Donegal football final live
Deferred coverage of cratloe ballyea

Hurling is always deferred to show live football.

LuckyGent88

deaddonkey15 wrote: »

Hurling is always deferred to show live football.

Actually surprised they are coming back to ennis after the last double header.

This final should be a cracker though.

LuckyGent88

That was some bottle job by Cratloe. Fair play to ballyea but cratloe will be kicking themselves.

Had played a perfect 35 mins and then the wheels came off.

Dickie9

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

That was some bottle job by Cratloe. Fair play to ballyea but cratloe will be kicking themselves.

Had played a perfect 35 mins and then the wheels came off.

Playing with the wind in 2nd half a few points up look like they were going to win by a canter hit wide after wide 2nd half gave away easy frees bad puck out by the keeper buried in the net fair dues to ballyea never gave up....

Figerty

Dickie9 wrote: »

Playing with the wind in 2nd half a few points up look like they were going to win by a canter hit wide after wide 2nd half gave away easy frees bad puck out by the keeper buried in the net fair dues to ballyea never gave up....

Did mental fatigue kick in? How many weeks in a row were Cratloe out?
Full credit to Ballyea.

crazyguy01

Figerty wrote:

Did mental fatigue kick in? How many weeks in a row were Cratloe out? Full credit to Ballyea.

Read on another thread 12 weeks straight for Cratloe, very close to it if not 12.... Just couldn't get it over the bar for so long, 2nd half...

finbarrk

Impressive match program today. Even if it cost €5.

ready4liftoff

Managements for respective Clare inter-county hurling and football teams have been announced for 2019

Senior hurlers: Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor for another year
Minor hurlers: Fergal Lynch. A surprise considering he has very little management experience. Does anyone know how he got the job?
U20 hurlers: I believe that John Carmody was expected to be ratified for the job tonight, but as of yet no confirmation was forthcoming as of yet.

Senior footballers: Colm Collins for his sixth year in the helm
U20 footballers: Seamus Clancy for his second year at the helm
Minor footballers: Dermot Coughlan. He guided both Kilmihil and Kilrush to back to back Clare intermediate football titles in 2017-18. Very shrewd appointment I feel.

Stationmaster

ready4liftoff wrote: »

Managements for respective Clare inter-county hurling and football teams have been announced for 2019

Senior hurlers: Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor for another year
Minor hurlers: Fergal Lynch. A surprise considering he has very little management experience. Does anyone know how he got the job?
U20 hurlers: I believe that John Carmody was expected to be ratified for the job tonight, but as of yet no confirmation was forthcoming as of yet.

Senior footballers: Colm Collins for his sixth year in the helm
U20 footballers: Seamus Clancy for his second year at the helm
Minor footballers: Dermot Coughlan. He guided both Kilmihil and Kilrush to back to back Clare intermediate football titles in 2017-18. Very shrewd appointment I feel.

Fergal Lynch actually has a good bit of coaching experience. Obviously he did a year or two under Davy after he finished hurling. He has been involved with the county U14's and has a few years done with one or two senior clubs in Galway. There are those who would see him as being close to the Fitz's though.

ready4liftoff

Stationmaster wrote: »

Fergal Lynch actually has a good bit of coaching experience. Obviously he did a year or two under Davy after he finished hurling. He has been involved with the county U14's and has a few years done with one or two senior clubs in Galway. There are those who would see him as being close to the Fitz's though.

The last sentence you mentioned is deeply worrying though. That Pat Fitz has parachuted one of Davy's coaching ticket while he was in charge of Clare senior hurlers, is of major concern. It throws the whole process of appointing Clare inter-county hurling managers into disarray though. Why can't Pat Fitz stop interfering in the process for appointing Clare underage hurling management teams? Why didn't the Clare U15 manager, Brian Coffey get the gig after winning the Arrabawn Cup this year? PF did this with appointing Davy in 2012, for 5 years and with the minor management back between 2012-16, who were hopelessly out of their depth.

I wish Fergal Lynch all the best though. But already there is unwanted pressure, because as you said it stationmaster, he is close to Davy and Pat Fitz, who are not universally popular by any stretch of the imagination here in the Banner county and that's being kind to them. Fergal is one the toughest men when he played hurling for both club and county, which is why he was nicknamed "bruiser". He will need to show that toughness as a manager especially will all the naysayers out there feeling that this was some kind of stroke pulled off by Pat Fitz. I will give Fergal my full backing and hopefully he will be a success.

Figerty

Stationmaster wrote: »

Fergal Lynch actually has a good bit of coaching experience. Obviously he did a year or two under Davy after he finished hurling. He has been involved with the county U14's and has a few years done with one or two senior clubs in Galway. There are those who would see him as being close to the Fitz's though.

As one player said to Fergal Lynch a few years ago in a Club match when he was getting a bit mouthy..'10 years on the clare team and 5 point scored in the Championship'. He was Davy's forwards coach at the time.

Give him credit for taking on the job. it's a big commitment and at least he has taken it on.

ready4liftoff

With the Clare county football final set to take place on Sunday, with the novel pairing between St Josephs Miltown and Ennistymon in Cusack Park on Sunday, I thought that I give a run down on how both teams match up, their styles of play and my verdict on how things will play out this Sunday.

The midfield battle between Oisin Looney and Conor Cleary, for Miltown and David Fitzgerald and Cathal Malone, for the Ennistymon men will be key to decide who will take home Jack Daly come 4:30 on Sunday evening. In the 1st half of the KIB v Ennistymon semi-final, most of the contested kick-outs were won by the Quilty men especially with their own. While Looney and Cleary completely bossed the midfield of Cratloe in the other semi and used a good mix of kick passing and running hard at the South-East Clare men and getting on the frontfoot. For Miltown, they could they put Darragh McDonagh in midfield (he is a natural midfielder) and put Cleary meandering around the edge of the square. But to me why change a winning formula and I suspect it will be the status quo for them.

For the North Clare magpies, I believe that a greater improvement will be needed in the scoring stakes. 2-6 they scored the last day and only scored 1-1 in the entire second half and did not score in the last 20 mins of the game. That will no where near be enough to win Jack Daly. While they play a very much a possession orientated game and with a lot of fist passing which has some benefits, if that breaks down it will be interesting how they get back in numbers to defend. I was most impressed by their work ethic and their defense was the main reason why they not KIB will march behind the band come 2:55 on Sunday afternoon. Lawrence Healy and Enda Ralph showed their years of experience, with outstanding performances on the defensive side. While in attack Joe Dowling was inspirational this season, but will need more support from his other attackers. Cian Shannon and Ross O'Doherty (if he's fit) and Sean McConigley, are all good players, but will need quicker delivery to use their pace and skill as the Miltown men will no doubt do their bit to defend in numbers, that is the strength of both teams.

For Miltown, as I said before they have a brilliant midfield. Their defense is exceptionally strong. They are very hard to break down. With Gordon Kelly marshaling his troops and showing great leadership, that is always a strong sign of a very solid spine of the team. He is ably supported by the likes of Enda O'Gorman and Aidan McGuane. In general they defend really well as a unit. From number 1 to 15 they do a very efficient job. In attack though, this is an area that has greatly improved, lead by the magician that is Eoin Cleary. In my opinion, he is the X factor and is Clare's best footballer at the moment. He has also improved his workrate off the ball too and can score from distance, something that very few Clare footballers can achieve. Kieran Malone, Eoin Curtin, the evergreen Kevin Keaney (who runs and runs and is a bundle of energy) and Cormac Murray really are match winners for the Miltown men. Of course Darragh McDonagh, playing in and around the edge of the D, has also given Miltown an attacking threat that they didn't have in recent times. Well managed and coached by Michael Neylon and his backroom team, they looked most impressive throughout the championship so far and are deserving favorites.

My verdict. Well I firmly believe the team that has the better scoring efficiency, will come out on top, come sunset on Sunday evening. With that in mind, I feel that Miltown are best placed to deliver a more complete 60 minute performance on Sunday. For Ennistymon they need to improve their scoring options, if they are to make a game of it. They cannot drop balls short to the goalkeeper or kicking bad wides from poor angles. To be fair to them they didn't get many scoring opportunities last time v KIB, which was why there wide count was quite low. As for Miltown just keep what they are doing. They are a very good outfit and I believe while the North Clare magpies will give their last drop for their club and their town, I feel that Miltown hold all the aces and I think that they will regain Jack Daly, that they last won in 2015. Best of luck to both teams and here's hoping to a very good game of football.

Gael85

I see Davy is bringing out another book :rolleyes:



https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/davy-fitzgerald-ill-never-forgive-brian-lohan-and-jamesie-oconnor-for-how-they-treated-me-as-clare-manager-37439782.html