Replying To clooney: "Good win yesterday but poor match wind and the sweeper & congested middle third as well as a very fussy referee these Suits in Croak Park are doing their best to take all physicality out of Hurling & Football. A yellow to John Conlon a player who is totally sporting would have sufficed.

Cleary looked comfortable again at full back Eoin Quirke gave way a few soft frees & a couple of rash deliveries
Half back line did ok
Tony Kelly gave another MOTH Ballye have known for a long time how to get best out off him he is brilliant at coming on to breaking ball and off the shoulder passes having David Fitz at 11 seems to creat opportunities for him.

Ian Glavin & D Reidy are dandy hurlers but heavy fields and tight middle thirds dosent suit them.
SOD worked hard and R Taylor had a reasonable outing should have goaled though but he has pace & touch and is hardy enough.
Seanha Morey brought life to game when he came on he is too good a hurler not to start

Disappointed not to see Deasy & Guilfoyle given game time

Good start to league though"
I disagree on the Conlon incident, it was a definite red card. The ref was very poor though, the game was never allowed to flow.
Cleary hasn't been tested yet, looking forward to seeing him against kilkenny.
Dec82 (Clare) - Posts: 186 - 03/02/2020 14:06:11 2264861

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Gavlin has the hurling for 6, but maybe lacks the physicality. That said, Tony Keady God rest him was a superb Number 6 and he was not a big man. I think Aidan Mcarthy will stay in the backs, but Diarmuid Ryan is defo worth a go at wing back. Cant fault O'Halloran though so far and at least lads are getting games. I would mix it up a bit more for laois, try a few new lads again.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 990 - 03/02/2020 18:01:07 2264922

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Looking forward now, the team I would like to see it;

1Touhy
2Browne
3Cleary
4Morey (i know this may be unlikely as he has been playing further forward)
5Ryan
6Galvin
7O'Halloran (not 100% convinced yet, but has done well)
8McInerney
9Kelly
10McCarthy
11Fitzgerald
12Reidy
13I.Galvin
14Conlon
15O'Donnell

i haven't seen podge, jason mccarthy or rory hayes yet this year. dont know if they are injured or what. does anyone know?

i understand that oisin o'brien is not on the panel.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1826 - 04/02/2020 15:18:10 2265117

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Replying To hurlingexpert: "Looking forward now, the team I would like to see it;

1Touhy
2Browne
3Cleary
4Morey (i know this may be unlikely as he has been playing further forward)
5Ryan
6Galvin
7O'Halloran (not 100% convinced yet, but has done well)
8McInerney
9Kelly
10McCarthy
11Fitzgerald
12Reidy
13I.Galvin
14Conlon
15O'Donnell

i haven't seen podge, jason mccarthy or rory hayes yet this year. dont know if they are injured or what. does anyone know?

i understand that oisin o'brien is not on the panel."
Podge/jasom McCarthy & Hayes definately involved were in stand @ Carlow match in there clothes Hayes played wtih UL so must be ok.

I think that Deasy & Guilfoyle must get a decent shot this year need 3 league games to see how they perform need some ball winners otherwise Limerick would devour us
clooney (Clare) - Posts: 482 - 04/02/2020 15:57:59 2265127

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Replying To hurlingexpert: "Looking forward now, the team I would like to see it;

1Touhy
2Browne
3Cleary
4Morey (i know this may be unlikely as he has been playing further forward)
5Ryan
6Galvin
7O'Halloran (not 100% convinced yet, but has done well)
8McInerney
9Kelly
10McCarthy
11Fitzgerald
12Reidy
13I.Galvin
14Conlon
15O'Donnell

i haven't seen podge, jason mccarthy or rory hayes yet this year. dont know if they are injured or what. does anyone know?

i understand that oisin o'brien is not on the panel."
For me:



Touhy

Brown Cleary Quirke/ J McCarthy

SOH POC Morey/A McCarthy

Galvin McInerney

Reidy Fitz Galvin

SOD Conlon Kelly (with license to roam)
LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2001 - 04/02/2020 16:04:24 2265129

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When the Fitzgibbon Cup is over, this is the team I would like to see.

Touhy
Brown Cleary Hayes
D Mac POC O Halleran

J Mac. Galvin

A Mac Fitz Ryan
SOD Conlon Kelly.

Dec82 (Clare) - Posts: 186 - 04/02/2020 17:49:07 2265161

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Kelly looks to be in great from recently, so i think there is little chance of him being moved from midfield to be honest. i would leave him there. he has often gotten lost in this roving role over the past few years.

also i find it difficult to see both reidy and galvin as the wing forwards. they just dont win enough of their own ball. that is why i would put mccarthy wing forward as he in excellent in the air - well capable of winning his own ball.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1826 - 05/02/2020 11:27:57 2265313

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When the Fitzgibbon Cup is over, this is the team I would like to see.

Touhy
Brown Cleary Hayes
D Mac POC O Halleran

J Mac. Galvin

A Mac Fitz Ryan
SOD Conlon Kelly.

Dec82 (Clare) - Posts: 185 - 04/02/2020 17:49:07 2

Solid enough team but i dont think Hayes deserves a start v good hurler but always appears to be injured ? Seanha Morey had rarely done anything wrong and is a beautiful hurler. Pat O Connor also a lovely ball player but in the past dident look comfortable at cb No 7 his best spot D McInerney will probably end up Centre Back he hasent looked comfortable at CF although he plays there at Club.

Not being too boring on the subject but N Deasy deserves a good run or we will never know if he cuts the mustard

Tony Kelly will not be moved from MF if he plays anywhere as good as last games but real tests lie ahead

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 482 - 05/02/2020 12:16:22 2265333

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Kellys' best position is midfield. Always has been. For Ballyea he excels when he has partner who drops deep and has a strong half forward line in front of him. I still think Kelly and Galvin can work together with Colm sitting nearer the half backs ( his was so good at this until recenty) with David Mac at 5 or 6 but for the moment let the Mac/Kelly combo play away.

If you look at the Clare team from 94 versus 95...a lot few the players were there in 94 but positional there were changes for 95 and it made the world of difference. A fresh approach is something I welcome and also the simplicity of the game plan in the few games we have played is very noticeable. I am not advocating we bomb ball after ball into full forward for 70 mins but some of our hurling in last 4 or 5 years has been way too complicated. A strong spine up the middle means we can compete for more ball and also less of trying to play the perfect pass every time.

Is Jamie Shanahan gone from the panel? Very good hurler, would be a pity if he is.

Very early days buy so far ok.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 990 - 05/02/2020 15:24:24 2265397

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It will be interesting to see what type of team we put out this weekend, it is a game we should be winning and on paper the least difficult of the 3 remaining games. therefore it is a good opportunity to maybe try some new players or continue to try players in new positions.
id like to see jason mccarthy and seadna get a go at corner back. dont know if rory hayes is still involved but he is another option at corner back. diarmuid ryan wing back id like to see. not sure who but someone else at 6, possibly jack browne or colm galvin if he is fit. ryan taylor in his best position at midfield. podge collins and jamie shanahan are 2 lads id like a look at in the forward line. while id like to see aidan mccarthy at wing forward. ian galvin and or cathal mcinerney in the corners. id expect shanagher to replace conlon at full forward. niall deasy and colin guilfoyle might also be in contention for places in the forwards.
as i see it its our best chance and maybe last chance to really change up the team. we'll have to go pretty strong against kilkenny. then he standings will decide a lot on how we approach the dublin game. then its league knockout followed by championship so i really hope we make a number of changes for this weekend. and hopefully the weather allows the game to go ahead.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1826 - 14/02/2020 12:45:19 2267653

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Replying To hurlingexpert: "It will be interesting to see what type of team we put out this weekend, it is a game we should be winning and on paper the least difficult of the 3 remaining games. therefore it is a good opportunity to maybe try some new players or continue to try players in new positions.
id like to see jason mccarthy and seadna get a go at corner back. dont know if rory hayes is still involved but he is another option at corner back. diarmuid ryan wing back id like to see. not sure who but someone else at 6, possibly jack browne or colm galvin if he is fit. ryan taylor in his best position at midfield. podge collins and jamie shanahan are 2 lads id like a look at in the forward line. while id like to see aidan mccarthy at wing forward. ian galvin and or cathal mcinerney in the corners. id expect shanagher to replace conlon at full forward. niall deasy and colin guilfoyle might also be in contention for places in the forwards.
as i see it its our best chance and maybe last chance to really change up the team. we'll have to go pretty strong against kilkenny. then he standings will decide a lot on how we approach the dublin game. then its league knockout followed by championship so i really hope we make a number of changes for this weekend. and hopefully the weather allows the game to go ahead."
I was hoping for changes too but Golden at 3 and Malone at 6 doesn't sound promising. We'll know Sunday I suppose.
Dec82 (Clare) - Posts: 186 - 15/02/2020 02:17:08 2267784

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Deasy and Guilfoyle should be given game time. Good to see Cunningham back

TheDigger (USA) - Posts: 53 - 15/02/2020 19:20:38 2267863

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Not much to learn today. Conditions were diabolical. I was cold to my bones. Roll in next week.

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2001 - 16/02/2020 21:21:45 2268029

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Replying To LohansRedHelmet: "Not much to learn today. Conditions were diabolical. I was cold to my bones. Roll in next week."
Game should not have been played woulden't put out a milk bottle yesterday points on offer main thing i suppose.

E Quilligan made one smart save backs overall dis OK Liam Corry & McCarthy pick off them, Midfield worked well forwards especially inside line lacked physicality until A Shanager came on made huge difference. Seanha Morey would be far better in backs

D Fitz likely to be sidelined for a while looked like hamstring next week will be much greater test
clooney (Clare) - Posts: 482 - 17/02/2020 08:53:51 2268068

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I totally agree with last 2 posts, making lads play in those conditions is farcical, game should have been postponed. The only game we can really gauge so far is Wexford away. 2 good tests coming up now though.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 990 - 17/02/2020 10:16:57 2268086

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its hard to criticise any player for maybe performing poorly yesterday considering the conditions. However just to mention a few positive points, i thought corry had a very good second half in particular. mccarthy is an excellent hurler, but i would still like to see him at wing forward.
the midfield looks really well balanced and i would not change it for the rest of the year. they compliment each other so well.
the positioning of golden and malone really surprised me. but to their crdit they both did reasonably well.
morey and taylor worked hard but maybe these are 2 positional changes that have not been a success.
fitzgeralds injury is a big disappointment as he was growing into the position. shanagher had a huge impact when he came on - he was almost a forgotten man it seemed for the last while.
Im not sure if him and conlon would work together in the same full forward line, but its worth a go. however for next weekend against kilkenny, in light of fitzgeralds injury. i would start shanagher at 14 and give conlon a go back out at 11.
My team for next weekend;
1Touhy
2Corry
3Cleary
4Browne
5O'Connor
6Malone
7Ryan (not dropping o'halloran as such but id like to see ryan here)
8McInerney
9Kelly
10McCarthy
11Conlon
12Reidy
13Galvin
14Shanagher
15O'Donnell

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1826 - 17/02/2020 13:04:46 2268139

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I would always keep J Conlon now at full forward can easily work with Shanagher at No 13 as i don't think he (JC) has pace enough out the field but he was sorely missed there yesterday such a strong target man

D Reidy is a lovely hurler and he will find a spot in forwards but he needs two strong ball winners with him I cannot see players like N Deasy & C Guilfoyle sitting it out in bench two years in a row with no game time play them both V Kilkenny and we will know a bit more about them.

It would be great to make a league final others might scoff at it but we have few enough titles so it would be great start to year.

From yesterdays team we were without

Touhy
Cleary
POC
Colm Galvin
D Ryan
J Shanaghan ?? whats story ?
J McCarthy
Rory Hayes ? perhaps


This years panel a bit stronger we have Ian Galvin D Reidy & Aaron Cunningham back though missing Peter the Great at least for now

Aaron Cunningham finding his feet again will take time one think for certain is he needs a target man near him (he always played well of JC) he has great turn of pace and good scoring efficency but wont win too much dirty ball but definately good to have him back.

This is a no frills management Laois worked the ball out against the wind the instruction to Quilligan was keep hitting it as long as he could into the wind even though we lost a fair few puck outs.

In many ways its great not to have sweeper 15 on 15 but the might have to tweak system as well.

Real tests lie ahead thought

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 482 - 17/02/2020 15:29:17 2268178

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Replying To clooney: "I would always keep J Conlon now at full forward can easily work with Shanagher at No 13 as i don't think he (JC) has pace enough out the field but he was sorely missed there yesterday such a strong target man

D Reidy is a lovely hurler and he will find a spot in forwards but he needs two strong ball winners with him I cannot see players like N Deasy & C Guilfoyle sitting it out in bench two years in a row with no game time play them both V Kilkenny and we will know a bit more about them.

It would be great to make a league final others might scoff at it but we have few enough titles so it would be great start to year.

From yesterdays team we were without

Touhy
Cleary
POC
Colm Galvin
D Ryan
J Shanaghan ?? whats story ?
J McCarthy
Rory Hayes ? perhaps


This years panel a bit stronger we have Ian Galvin D Reidy & Aaron Cunningham back though missing Peter the Great at least for now

Aaron Cunningham finding his feet again will take time one think for certain is he needs a target man near him (he always played well of JC) he has great turn of pace and good scoring efficency but wont win too much dirty ball but definately good to have him back.

This is a no frills management Laois worked the ball out against the wind the instruction to Quilligan was keep hitting it as long as he could into the wind even though we lost a fair few puck outs.

In many ways its great not to have sweeper 15 on 15 but the might have to tweak system as well.

Real tests lie ahead thought"
I would disagree on Cunningham.

A fit and firing Cunningham is well able to win dirty ball and field. On form he is a super player and will be a great asset to us if we can get him back to his level.
LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2001 - 21/02/2020 06:55:52 2268715

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cleary will probably e available so does he continue at 3 or do they persist with golden?

The team selection being announced tonight will be very interesting and will tell a lot for the year ahead. diarmuid ryan one would expect will come back into the team. question is will that be in the half backline or half forward line? maybe fitzgerald being unavailable will have an influence on this!

the half forward line will be the most interesting aspect for me. with fitzgerald probably being out will conlon come back at 11. or will he go in at full? shanagher really impressed last week so will he make the decision to move conlon to 11 easier or will shangher just be kept for an impact role again. donal mcmahon could maybe even come in at 11

the wing forward positions are very intersting in my opinion, i think we can put reidy down for no. 12 going forward. however i dont think that either ian galvin or seadna morey are the answer on the other wing. i think galvin has to be in corner if he is playing. while i think corner back is where seadna should be, or possibly wing back.

niall deasy is another option for a wing forward position. while long tern i think aidan mccarthy should be no. 10.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1826 - 21/02/2020 12:40:56 2268778

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Touhy

Corry
Golden
Browne

O Halloran
Ryan
McCarthy

Mac
Kelly

Deasy
MacMahon
Reidy

Cunningham
Shanagher
Iain Galvin

SOD needs a rest, tis time of year is no good to him. Galvin is a shooter but needs game time. We will need power and bulk in half forward against KK. Cunningham needs another go again. Conlan can come on, he needs to be used sparingly thru the league.

If Golden is to be really tested, he must play at 3 against a top team. Ryan needs a go now at 6. For me, its about a performance, I don't care about the result. We have plenty league wins last few years against KK, Sunday is about certain lads standing up.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 990 - 21/02/2020 14:51:05 2268812


Not a bad team if David F was fit he would start @ 11 probably will be out with hamstring McMahon is a bit strong lad I must admit that apart from a few cameo runs in Clare jersey i have never seen him hurl club would he have the skill for County ? only asking
I agree that players need 3-4 games before you can judge so maybe Golden again @ 3 you would believe thought, that Cleary fits the bill more for me anyway thought he would not be as good a hurler as Golden but solid defender.

It looks like that Corry & O Halloran are in the Selectors head and both have done ok but we haven't really been tested yet a fully focused Limerick in a 1/2 or League Final would tell a lot.
its seems pointless to ask about Cathal Mcinerney any more he seems to be togged but gets no run

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 21/02/2020 16:27:49    2268827

i have not seen a huge amount of mcmahon either to be honest. he did get a nice snappy point, considering the conditions last weekend but kilkenny will be a genuine test of these players.

what im liking about lohan's approach is he is open to bringing in players of various ages. its great to see donal mcmahon, stiofan mcmahon, eoin quirke, stephen o'halloran, eibher quilligan, liam corry, kevin hehir etc getting a second chance at making a break through to the county senior team. it shows that standing out at club level can still get guys involved in the senior county setup.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 21/02/2020 16:51:59    2268836

The backs are definitely marking tighter. The forwards are definitely working harder and winning a lot more dirty ball.

Our shooting was very poor but we stayed in the game and finished both halves strong. Spine of the team looks a lot stronger. KK were missing 4 big guns but we had no Galvin, Fitzgerald and obviously Duggan. A very worthwhile game. Learnt a lot more today than last 3 games.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 23/02/2020 21:12:02    2269470

Defence has been super so far in fairness. Was very disappointed with Conlon today. He is off form. I have no worries for him come championship though, he will be fine.

Fullback line - Very good today. Clearly has done very well at fullback and long may this continue.

Halfback line were good also. SOH was tight, McCarthy had a great game and plays older than he is. POC was superb today I though and proved he can play centre back for us this evening. I think unless they try and fit Galvin in, this will be the championship defence.

McInerney was excellant today and got though a mountain of dirty work. He last wide was a howler though. Kelly good but his free taking was really bad. I wonder should we move Reidy onto the frees now. Kelly is so important to us I don't want the burden of free taking to lower his confidence.

McMahon was lively, Reidy poor today I thought and Guilfoyle did ok. At times though when we were under the cosh a bit we were getting cleaned out here and this really hurt us.

What more can be said about SOD. He is a super selfless player and would start for any team in Ireland. Every inside forward would love to play along side him.

He appeared several times with the ball in the half back line. The amount of work he gets through off the ball is immense.

Conlon was poor today as mentioned and Taylor did well.

Shanagher again caused a lot of trouble for KK and Cunningham did well when he came on.

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 23/02/2020 22:52:56    2269531

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 24/02/2020 09:39:13    2269591

I think Diarmuid Ryan will play in the half forwards as he ads power, pace and drive to that area. It could very well be Fitzgeral and jim either side of reidy come summer. Reidy had some nice link up play, took a nice point and won a free that was converted, but he also ran into trouble and hit 2 brutal wides. He works so hard tho and he should start come summer.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 24/02/2020 10:00:06    2269603

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 24/02/2020 11:06:37    2269632

kelly has been excellenton the frees for the first 3 games. scoring them from all angles and huge distances. I think it is absolutely crazy to say he should be taken off the frees after 1 or 2 misses yesterday. every free taker misses chances.

do people not rememeber the 2 or 3 unbelieveable points he got from frees against wexford into a gale force wind??

i think the idea that the frees are a burden to him is also off the mark as from the first few games its clear to see that taking the frees helps him get into the game and definitely builds his confidence each game. henryt sheffling has said a couple of times on the sunday game over the past few years that he would have kelly on the frees to help him get into the game and if thats what the greatest player to ever play the game thinks, well then its good enough for me!!

i dont mean this in a way of knocking reidy but he has missed frees for clare as well. including a relatively straight forward one against wexford when kelly had gone off with a blood injury. deasy is arguably a better free taker than kelly, but he cant get into the team and wont until he can hit the ball off his left side.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 25/02/2020 10:37:06    2269991

seen as dublin basically need a miracle to qualify for the knock out stages, it is an unusual game for both teams. with dublin having nothing to play for and a semi final place on the line for us, i think we will do enough to win. however i would like to see a couple of changes. i would play seadna morey at corner back. malone deserves a go at no.5. diarmuid ryan needs a start, presumably at wing forward. and lastly i wold give shanagher a start beside conlon in the full forward line.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 26/02/2020 14:35:05    2270318

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 26/02/2020 16:25:10    2270338

Regardless what happens from here it has been a very satisfactory league indeed.

Zero losses and several new players blooded. Of those new players, Corry, O Halloran and McMahon really stand out for me.

The new midfield partnership is working really well.

Our defence has been watertight.

The only negative I can think of is the lack of goals but when we needed them against KK we got them.

Congrats to Flannans on the Harty win. Bodes well for the future of Clare hurling.

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 01/03/2020 23:41:35    2271460

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 02/03/2020 09:28:32    2271511

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 02/03/2020 12:19:39    2271595

i WOULD LOVE TO WIN A LEAGUE WE HAVE VERY FEW TITLES AND IT NEVER DID KK ANY HARM COME CHAMPIONSHIP TIME YEAH I AGREE COLM GALVIN TOO GOOD TO LEAVE OFF MAYBE REIDY GOES CORNER AND COLM WING F BUT HIS BEST SPOT IS EITHER MIDFIELD OR C BACK HE WONT DISLODGE CURRENT MIDFIELDERS IF THEY KEEP PLAYING THIS WELL AND IS PROBABLY TOO SMALL FOR CB.

RYAN TAYLOR WOULD BE BETTER OUT THE FIELD TOO HE HAS GOT A GOOD RUN MCMAHON SURPRISED ME YESTERDAY
HE COULD BE A REAL FIND GOON IN AIR SEEMS GOOD OFF EITHER SIDE..

WE WANT TO WIN 2 BIG MATCHED BEFORE CHAMPIONSHIP TIME THAT WILL REALLY BOLSTER OUR CONFIDENCE

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 02/03/2020 13:05:22    2271630

Any update on Colm Galvins injury, when will he be back playing and David Fitz injury

Dan1 (Clare) - Posts: 1 - 02/03/2020 22:53:59    2271815

Ian Galvin if he starts would be at 15 but I think he will be an impact sub. Same as Morey, Cunningham and maybe even Shanagher although there is a temptation to start him, Conlan and SOD the first day against Tipp who I feel have an open enough back line that can be got at.

Colm Galvin might not start first round but over 4 games in 6 weeks you would imagine he will play his way into the team.

League has been very productive thus far and we seem to be playing a simple direct game which suits the current squad.

Word of caution though, the league is the league, 1B was a lot weaker than 1A and the league itself has gone down in intensity from the last 4 or 5 years. This has allowed Brian to experiment but also get wins and gain momentum.

Clare will be judged in the summer but so far you would have to be pleased with what we have seen. A semi final against say Galway or Tipp would be a good test.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 03/03/2020 10:31:49    2271884

i think we can probably predict 12 certainties for the championship team;

1Touhy
2Corry
3Cleary
4Browne
5O'Halloran (think malone might get in here)
6O'Connor
7McCarthy
8McInerney
9Kelly
10McMahon (think he has done enough to earn a start on the wing, certainly more than taylor)
11Fitzgerald
12Ryan (probably not guaranteed but id definitely start him)
13Reidy (dont think taylor has done near enough to get a start)
14Conlon
15O'Donnell

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 04/03/2020 13:07:04    2272168

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 04/03/2020 13:39:58    2272176

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 04/03/2020 13:40:39    2272177

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 04/03/2020 13:51:47    2272183