Category: Sport

CLARE GAA is in the black, but will only remain so if costs are cut further in 2012, delegates to last Thursday’s Convention were warned as they were challenged to come up with new initiatives to boost the county board’s coffers.

County board treasurer, Bernard Keane and auditor Tony Fitzpatrick laid bare the financial facts behind the 2011 figures – the latter calling for belts to be tightened, while the former urging a “collective effort” between the top table of the board and the clubs to “keep Clare GAA above water” in 2012.

“It’s nice to finish above the line rather than below the line,” said Mr Keane, “but we had a very difficult year, but we are very happy to be above the line with a small surplus.

“Going forward we are not in a comfortable place financially in this county board. We all realise that. Over the last number of years our margins have been getting smaller, smaller and smaller.

“The fact that our income is down € 160,000 is a very worrying aspect. We can’t run away from that. We can and we will do our best to try and trim our expenditure. Expenditure are bricks in the wall the whole time and there are only so many bricks you can take off the wall before the wall crumbles on you,” he added.

The treasurer revealed that the biggest blow to the board’s financial situation, which saw the surplus for the year’s activities reduce from € 64,366 in 2010 to € 17,796 within the space of 12 months was brought about by a big drop in monies from gate receipts, locally and nationally.

“The biggest disappointment on our income side was our home games. There were various reasons for that,” Keane revealed. “During the course of year we introduced vari- ous schemes – 25 tickets, 15 tickets to help the cause.

“We got very few financially attractive replays. The biggest problem was that the patrons weren’t coming out to support the games. That’s the biggest worry.

“We noticed that in the second half of the year there was a drop off. Our county final was particularly disappointing. Our hurling final realised € 44, 580, our football final € 45,754.

“We were very disappointed with the hurling final, because we had a very attractive programme on the day, but the weather caught us and TG4 killed us. The National League was in the same vein, because patrons weren’t coming out either,” he added.

Now, in response to what county board secretary, Pat Fitzgerald has called “a bleak financial position”, Keane has called on the county club’s to become the brains behind a range of new fundraising ideas to create much-needed cash flow for the year ahead.

“Don’t anyone be under any illusions that a fundraising draw won’t happen in 2012 – it will happen because it has to happen,” said Keane. “The shape of the project, we are not sure of yet. We are waiting for submissions to come from the clubs and are waiting until the 20th of January.

“What we’re asking is that any club out there that has an idea for a fundraising scheme that would work for the county board – we would be hoping that the board would come on board with that.

“We are going to have to come up with new schemes of making money as well as enhancing the schemes that we have there. Every club will have to come on board with the fundraising project and work with that. We have to have new ideas and new brainwaves that will bring in finance.

“We’re all in this together. No one individual or no one club can save this situation. It will be all of us working positively together,” he added.

In closing the debate, auditor Tony Fitzpatrick warned that “if expenditure isn’t watched and if costs aren’t cut, we will go into the red.

“Tighten the belts and perform on the field and we will be fine,” he added.

CLARE GAA has been told to face up to the reality that “there is a problem” with the promotion of Gaelic Games in Ennis.

This alarm was sounded out by the Banner club that has called on Clare GAA to establish a committee to oversee GAA affairs in the county capital, while ensuring that Ennis Urban Board has responsibility for all players under the age of 12 – a situation that has been directly challenged by the Éire Óg decision to establish an Academy to cater for children between the ages of six and 12.

“The urban committee should control the Urban Board – the Urban Board looks after the age group from 12 down,” Banner chairman, OwenRynne told Convention.

He made his call after tabling a mo- tion that called on the Clare County Board to abide by its own rules, by implement By-Law 19 which decrees that an urban committee be established in Ennis to oversee the promotion of games within the town.

“The Banner have proposed this motion to highlight to the board that urban areas are quite complex and need specific focus put on them,” Rynne told the Convention.

“Fundamentally there are numerous distractions in an urban area that the GAA player will encounter in their playing career.

“It is the duty of the club to highlight the fact that extra emphasis must be put on promoting the GAA in urban areas such as Ennis and making sure that the GAA marketed to compete against other sports.

“The club believes that with the implementation of the By-Law 19 that this urban committee can look at issues arising with urban areas and are ready to tackle problems as they may present themselves.

“It is imperative that we get the maximum participation of youth and adults playing our national games and raising the standard of games within Ennis.

“Coiste Contae an Chláir must ensure that we maximise our efforts to promote the GAA within the Ennis urban area and the club believes that by implementing By-Law 19 the board can deal with this issue,” added the Banner delegate.

After a number of questions from Éire Óg delegate Simon Moroney and county board chairman, Michael O’Neill, who asked “what is the intention of the motion”, the Banner delegate reiterated his club’s desire for the board to implement its own bylaws.

“The urban committee should look after urban issues. The urban committee deals with urbanisation and urban issues,” he said. “It needs to be identified that there is a problem.

“The intention of the motion is simple. There are problems within urban areas and we need to tackle that within Clare and within Ennis. It’s fairly clear, we are trying to promote the GAA within an urban area,” he added. “We appointed PJ Fitzpatrick recently to look into the overall Ennis situation in relation to The Banner, Éire Óg and Urban Board,” said chairman, Michael O’Neill.

“Until such time as PJ, and I know that he is close to coming up with his findings on that, we will hold off. Whenever that happens, we’ll leave it until those findings are available to us,” added the chairman.

THERE should be as many as four adult clubs in Ennis – Clare’s county capital that has been described as “a luxury the GAA can’t afford anymore”.

Stinging criticism of the current state of health of Gaelic games in the capital was sounded out by Ruan delegate, Ger Lyons, who called for the Clare County Board to spearhead a new direction for promotion of GAA affairs in the centre of population.

“This is a subject for a whole meeting in itself,” said Lyons. “The whole town of Ennis is a luxury that the GAA can’t afford anymore.

“If you look at Killarney and Tralee – they all have two or three functioning clubs at senior level. I acknowledge the effort that’s being done by Éire Óg, but with the population – Ennis has gone so big and that we have to grasp the nettle, sooner rather than later and stop pussy footing around. There should be three or four clubs in the town of Ennis that can survive and function,” he added.

And, in calling for change, Lyons highlighted the fact that many attempts at tackling the promotion of GAA in Ennis have failed.

“There has been a lot of resources put into in Ennis and initiatives have gone so far but then all of a sudden they fall apart. They go so far that then it stops,” he said.

“We (Ruan) have been associated with The Banner and there have been some fantastic hurlers there but a lot of them have fallen by the wayside. That’s sad and I think the GAA in Clare cannot afford the luxury of Ennis the way it is.

“There has been too much standing aside and it needs a lot of leadership and a longer discussion. My main point is that there should be a lot more units in the town of Ennis. Ennis is not a small place anymore,” he added.

FORMER county board secretary Simon Moroney used the platform of last Thursday’s annual Convention to make a staunch defence of the Éire Óg underage Academy that has put the Ennis club at loggerheads with the Clare GAA leaders over the past two years.

Moroney, who is also a former secretary of Éire Óg, said the Academy that caters for children between the ages of six and 12, has “mobilised excellent coaches” and is the way forward for the club.

He made his comments in response to a motion for the Banner club that called on the county board to establish a committee that would be responsibility for managing GAA affairs in Ennis.

“It’s far more complex than implementing By-Law 19. It needs a lot more consideration,” said Moroney. “Ennis does require attention, but it should be started organically between the clubs and the clubs themselves must get up off the floor and promote it in a much better fashion.

“The Éire Óg would totally go along with the sentiment of improving the standard and levels of participation of GAA in Ennis.

“We would totally agree that the promotion of the GAA in an urban context would present a lot more difficulties and frustrations.

“It is true to say that in urban populations there isn’t as great a penetration for our games as would exist in country places where identity is so bound to the local place and is so strong. It is far more difficult with other codes.

“The club has started working much harder with the Academy. Without slapping our own club on the back, it has been extremely successful and it has mobilised excellent coaches and people who want to learn the coaching trade.

“We have put in place a Child Protection Officer and everything like that and we’ve lucky to get over 200 kids over 18 months two years now.

“We feel the answer to the problem in Ennis lies with strengthening the clubs and assisting the urban clubs in being able to give the proper service to all the youth and maximising the participation of all the youth in the town,” added Moroney (below).

PLANS and costings for the redevelopment of the main stand at Cusack Park are being drawn up by architects as the Clare County Board’s initial response to the recent health and safety audit that has reduced the ground’s capacity by over 10,000.

Board chairman Michael O’Neill told delegates to Thursday’s annual Convention that Horgan, Lynch and Company from Cork have been employed by the board to draw up new plans for the redevelopment of the 75-year-old seat of Clare GAA after the recent Slattery Report reduced the capacity to 14,864.

O’Neill made his comments on foot of a motion that was tabled by St Joseph’s Miltown delegate, Noel Walsh, which called for the county board to appoint a new sub-committee that would address the reconstruction of the main stand.

“The ground is becoming a little bit more dilapidated, particularly the main stand,” said former Munster Council chairman, Walsh. “It was decided back in Fr Mac’s time to do something about it, but it’s a problem, a perennial problem that there’s no money to do it. I understand that it was decided to sell a section of ground to refurbish the main stand,” he added.

“We are where we are with Cusack Park,” interjected chairman Michael O’Neill.

“The point I am making that it was eight years ago that the county committee had decided to go ahead and do that – they had decided unanimously to do that. For some reason it didn’t happen,” responded Walsh.

“Despite the fact that there is a shortage of money – plans should be drawn up with people who do that down in cork , Horgan and Lynch should be asked to put forward plans.”

“I don’t want to cut across you,” interjected O’Neill. “Can I outline that that (employing Horgan/Lynch) is in progress at the minute. Two years ago we would have met all the relevant authorities here in Clare. Our capacity was something in the region of 25,000/27,000 people.

“Nobody had any disagreement with that. There is no problem, in my opinion with having 25,000/27,000 over there. We have to carry out works there. We have a fair idea at this stage about what they are. We haven’t them costed yet, but that will certainly be done in the not too distant future,” the chairman added.

“If our capacity reaches a certain minimum size we would be in a very weak position when it comes getting high profile games like All-Ireland under 21 semi-finals, or big Munster championship games,” warned Walsh.

“I remember in 1993, 19000 attended Clare against Cork in senior football. The Clare football team wouldn’t attract that attendance now, but you never know. If the capacity is that low we won’t be able to enter into a home and away arrangement in senior hurling either,” he added.

“The capacity is more than 12,000,” countered O’Neill. “It’s capable of taking nearly 15,000. We need to put in extra turnstiles. It wouldn’t take an awful lot to bring it up to 20,000, but certainly to bring it up to 25,000 would take a fair bit of money. That’s where we’re at at the moment. All the things that you talk about are in situ at the moment – we are in discussions with Horgan/Lynch,” added O’Neill.

“I would like to see the report of Horgan/Lynch at a board meeting during the year,” responded Walsh. “I go back to the time of Brendan Vaughan’s time in the 1970s. There was very little money around in ’78 when he set up a committee and he got debenture loans – we got a wonderful county ground at that time that was superior to any other county ground in the country at that time,” he added.

During Mr Walsh’s three-year term as Munster Council chairman from 1995 to 1997, he secured substantial funding for a pilot project to erect floodlights at Cusack Park.

However, Clare GAA turned down opportunity to be the first ground in the province to have floodlights, with the grant aid totalling around £100,000 being grabbed by the Kerry County Board for Austin Stack Park in Tralee.

PERSISTENCE proved to be the key for Clarecastle’s motion to establish a committee to review the enforcement of the rules, in particular in relation to ‘striking with hurley, either with force or causing injury’ and the gravity of the offence in relation to suspensions.

Clarecastle delegate John Callinan outlined his club’s concern about the implementation of the rules in relation to suspensions which opened up a 40 minute debate from the floor, the longest of the night.

“We are not criticising the Disciplinary Committee in any way, we are merely requesting that a review be put in place on the enforcement of the rules that exist, particularly relating to Category III infractions and arising from that, a review and clear guidelines could be established.

“Our particular concern is the offence of striking with the hurley either with force or causing injury. The minimum suspension is eight weeks and you may be also aware of the gravity clause which says that ‘where a minimum suspension is prescribed in relation to an Infraction, the Coun- cil or Committee-in-Charge shall have due regard for the gravity of the Infraction in each case and where appropriate should impose a longer term of suspension.’

“If you go to the back of the AGM booklet, there is a section on offences and suspensions. I think there are 21 suspensions relating to striking with the hurley using minimum force. All received the minimum four weeks. There are five suspensions under striking with the hurley using force or causing injury and all five received the minimum suspension of eight weeks.

“We are not saying that the committee has acted in any unfair, impartial or unjust way. Having regard for the gravity provision, it is strange, is all we can say, that each of the five situations merited the exact same suspension in each particular case. The minimum.

“Does one size fit all?”

Initially, Chairman Michael O’Neill requested that the motion be put forward to congress for a change of rule but after repeated clarification from Clarecastle delegate Callinan that the club were not looking for a rule change, the debate was opened up to the floor.

County Secretary Pat Fitzgerald considered it a matter for the referees to indicate the severity of the offence in their reports; Ger Hoey, Referee Administrator Coiste an Chlair told the meeting that referees are instructed from national level to report per rulebook, full stop. ‘You don’t go any further, you don’t go any less.’

Fellow referee and Ruan delegate Ger Lyons suggested it needed a change of protocol from Croke Park while Sixmilebridge delegate PJ Fitzpatrick backed Clarecastle’s proposal.

“I think what John [Callinan] is saying is that the minimum suspension has automatically become the maximum suspension and that there is a huge difference.

“We have a duty to our games. There is no justice whereby you see a player who sustains an injury from a deliberate blow from a hurley who is out of the game twice as long as the suspension issued to the person who administered the injury.”

The debate raged on with Chairman O’Neill sticking to his guns on the matter. “We can put the committee is place but I don’t know if there is a whole lot we can do about it unless we bring it to Croke Park, that’s my assertion of it.

“In principal the motion will be carried but in this case, the motion means nothing. The rule is the rule.”

However, the intervention of Corofin delegate and referee Ambrose Heagney proved crucial in the debate. “I’m a bit baffled at this. Maybe I’m a very fortunate in that I never refereed a game with an incident like this. But if I came across an incident where some hurler was struck intentionally, by God, in my report it would be seriously underlined. I just wouldn’t quote the rule, I would go a long way more than quoting the rule.

“This is very serious that if a guy can strike down another guy, that he would get the minimum suspension. I think that the referee has to put in his report that this was a bloody serious offence and put in a few words along with it. It doesn’t take a lot and I don’t think you will leave yourself wide open by doing so.”

Further additions from Clarecastle delegate Neville O’Halloran that the term ‘this is a serious strike’ was used in one referee’s report this year and the offender still got the minimum suspension added more fuel to the fire while PJ Fitzpatrick rounded off the discourse with a final plea.

“You can see from the discussion that it has opened up options and what Ambrose [Heagney] has said there has given some clarity to the situation as well.

“If a committee was set up to discuss something that is a cause of grave concern, surely it must do some good and it might be a system of clarifying issues for referees, the disciplinary committee, club managers or club officers.”

With no opposition, Chairman O’Neill finally granted the motion.

“Just to finalise it, I would be prepared to put a committee in place.

“This was a merited discussion because if our games are getting nasty and getting dirty, the message should go out there that we will be stringent with the rules but we can only be stringent with the rules as they stand. So a three person committee in conjunction with myself and possibly a representative of the referees will sit down and see if we can work around this obstacle that is there at the moment.”

OUTOING County Underage PRO Alan Copley is poised to take up the role as Chairman of Clare Ladies Football at this evening’s (Tuesday) annual convention in The West County Hotel.

The Banner Ladies delegate is expected to succeed outgoing chairman Johnny Hayes who served in the role for the last four years in what was his second term at the helm.

Fergus Rovers clubman Hayes announced his decision to step down at the November board meeting and with the only other nominee, Mary Keane not standing for the position, Alan Copley is anticipated to take up the appointment while also continuing as County Underage PRO.

Outgoing Secretary Michael Fitzpatrick is the only nominee for his position as is outgoing Development Officer Michael Edwards Murphy (Kilrush) but there will definitely be a change of treasurer after Coolmeen’s long-serving county finance officer Christy O’Connor announced his intention to step down from the position recently.

Mary Kenny (Coolmeen), Colette Corry (Shannon Gaels), Johnny Hill (Fergus Rovers) and Bernie Brennan (Banner Ladies) have all been nominated for the vacancy but no clear frontrunner has yet been singled out.

There are several nominees for Vice-Chairperson (Davy Browne, Doonbeg, Johnny Hayes, Fergus Rovers and Trudy Davenport, Doora/Barefield), Assistant Secretary (James Lafferty, Bernie Kelly, Edel Conway and Trudy Davenport), Assistant Treasurer (Colette Corry, Mary Kenny, Edel Meaney, Deidre Jordan and James Lafferty) while outgoing Adult PRO Mary Keane is again nominated for the position as is Kilmihil’s Kay Considine.

There could also be changes to the overall structure of the domestic adult championships if Fergus Rovers and Doonbeg’s motions are passed on Tuesday.

Fergus Rovers’ motion proposes ‘that a review of the junior, intermediate and senior championship takes place.

At present, there are only three teams in the intermediate grade. More games are needed to have a meaningful competition.’

Doonbeg will look to take the issue a step further when proposing that Junior A and Intermediate teams be combined for next year’s championship.

On the committee front, Fergus Rovers have submitted a request to set up a PRO committee for the coming year while Doora/Barefield have done likewise on the fixtures front.

Doora/Barefield have also tabled motions to administer a designated night for ladies football matches as well as dividing development squads into two regions, one for west Clare and the other in the Ennis urban area.

The Clare Ladies Football AGM will take place in The West County Hotel in Ennis at 7pm this evening (Tuesday) and all clubs are requested to have two delegates present.

WHEN Noelle Comyn’s name was announced as Clare Senior Ladies Football Manager at a specially convened meeting of the county board on Tuesday, there was universal approval from the floor.

After all, during her lengthy playing career in both Clare and Dublin, she constantly strove for perfection and was the epitome of what a county player should be. Whether winning nine county senior championships for Fergus Rovers; National Leagues, Munster senior and All-Ireland junior and senior B titles for Clare or more recently when finally capturing an All-Ireland senior crown with Dublin as well as county, provincial and national clubs championships with Ballyboden St Enda’s, the former All-Star was never less than one hundred per cent committed to the cause and promises to carry that attitude into management as well.

“Saying yes was not a simple or easy decision but having taken the job, I am ready to commit to the task and have accepted the responsibility of such a role. We will focus on devoting all our energies and commitment that are required to make a success of the task ahead.

“I have been out of the cutting edge from a player’s perspective since August 2010 having sustained a serious injury and following up with a double blow earlier this year when I ruptured a second cruciate. But I have taken it all on board, stayed positive and am now four months post op and back jogging straight lines. That maybe doesn’t sound much to some but for me personally, I’m over the worst and mentally tougher and stronger in my thoughts about sport and life.

“Going from being a player to being a manager is a big responsibility nowadays. As a player you are protected and you only have yourself to look after for all the extra work involved in preparation and diet but as a manager, you are responsible to coordinate all of these aspects for your squad and apply the appropriate measures required.

“Management is something that has always been part of my plans but up to now it was not possible as I have had to put all my energies into ex- tending my playing career and overcoming injuries. I believe in playing at the top level for as long as you can if your mind and body allows, while your thoughts will develop on how you would like to see things move towards the next step of your career.

“I am still in players mode but can also relate to the overall bigger picture of managing an inter-county team and what is required to make them develop as a team and as individuals.

“I am currently involved with Trinity College ladies team which has brought its own set of responsibilities in dealing with players. I have been considerably driven as a player and hope to bring some of these qualities to the Clare set-up, while also being practical in that everybody is different.

“Having spoken recently to another current young inter-county manager, one can never replace the will and desire to represent at the cutting edge but for those who dare to venture outside the zone, the next best thing is to be a leader in a different capacity.”

With the former dual star also based in Dublin, there is the added learning curve of commuting from the capital on a regular basis but she is quick to quash any problems in that regard either, even offering a light hearted solution.

“Who knows maybe Dalo can schedule his Dublin hurling sessions around the Clare ladies to share responsibilities of traveling.”

So what are her initial aspirations for her native county?

“The National League commences on February 5 versus Waterford in a very strong Division 2 that also includes Mayo, Kerry, Galway, Tipp, Cavan and Fermanagh. So there is no time for sitting back as this is a very strong and competitive division and will provide us with an opportunity to play against some of the top teams in the country, These games will hopefully benefit us going into the championship campaign. We will be looking to retain our Division 2 status which will not be an easy task.

“All in all we will be looking for everybody to be the best they can possibly be, starting with the players who will commit, the backroom team, county board and everybody who will contribute or influence the path of ladies football in a county which has a earned a massive respect both on and off the field. As a quote from a very important person in life states:

“Excellence is caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, expecting more than others think is possible”

If Noelle’s opening gambit as manager is anything to go by, Clare ladies football is indeed in safe hands.

REGRETS. There are a few, given that Clare’s brave assaults on All-Ireland minor honours came up agonisingly short in 2010 and 2011.

But Tony Kelly doesn’t dwell too long on those regrets as he looks forward with confidence to the under 21 and senior challenges that lie ahead, while always remembering some stirring days in the minor ranks.

“At the beginning if someone had told me that I’d have two Munster medals in two years, I’d have bitten their hand off,” he says.

And, it’s no wonder, for the Ballyea clubman has been Clare’s star per- former over those two years. Midfield on the 2010 Munster winning team, midfield and captain in 2011 as he emulated his clubmate Paul Flanagan who was captain in 2010.

“We set out at the start the year to retain Munster,” he says, “but the aim for the overall year was to go one better than 2010 and try and win the All-Ireland.

“Other teams in Munster were probably thinking that Clare won the Munster final in 2010 and they won’t win another one, but winning it again proved that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

“There were about nine of us on the panel from the previous year and management were looking to us to motivate the team this year and help the new lads along – there wasn’t that much extra pressure put on us. We were just told to go out and hurl. We’re just as motivated because we knew that if we came out of Munster we would have a chance of winning the All-Ireland.

“What’s the highlight of the year? It was definitely going down to Thurles and beating Tipperary. They came up to Cusack Park the previous year and were favourites, but we beat them. It was said that it was a once off and that Tipp didn’t take the game seriously – going down to Thurles and beating them was great and it really set us up to retain Munster.”

When the job was done against Waterford, attention then turned to the All-Ireland – time for those regrets again as a great opportunity was lost, agonisingly so at the death of the semi-final.

“We knew that Galway were one of the best teams in Ireland,” says Kelly.

“We knew that whoever won the Clare/Galway match were probably going to go on and win the All-Ireland.

“Being honest, we thought we had the game won when we were three points up. I suppose it was a lack of concentration that cost us in the end with that goal going in, while when it came to extra time they were physically stronger than us. We had no complaints in extra time but that lack of concentration in extra-time got the better of us.”

But with that the regrets about AllIreland opportunities lost are over, all because of what Clare minor hurling’s historic achievements in 2010/11.

“The two years were very successful and contesting an All-Ireland final and semi-final has been a huge achievement as regards Clare hurling. Things are looking good for the future.”

Tony Kelly is that future.

WITH THE benefit of almost four months hindsight, there still remains a certain romance to Clare’s historic Munster and All-Ireland intermediate success. Whether through the perseverence of manager Kevin Kennedy in finally achieving warranted reward for his years of toil at the grade; the return of seasoned campaigners such as Niall Gilligan and Tony Carmody to aid the younger generation get over the line, or simply the mystique of beating defending champions and perennial hurling superpowers Kilkenny in the national decider, Clare’s unprecedented year at the intermediate grade was really something to savour. Sentiments echoed by captain Tony Carmody following Saturday night’s medal presentation.

“It was a fantastic achievement looking back now. It’s been a good few months since we won it and I suppose a lot of people had forgotten about it but this has really brought home the success in sharing the occasion with the minors in winning back-to-back Munster minor titles.

“It goes to show the work that is being done and hopefully a lot of the lads playing both intermediate and minor will go on and hopefully win an All-Ireland and Munster titles with Clare in the coming years.”

With any successful campaign, there are always key turning points or moments in the season that will forever be embedded like pockmarks in the memory and for the Sixmilebridge player, everything seemed to take flight after their opening game in the Munster championship.

“I think the big thing was the commitment of both the management and players. From the outset, we looked to make a difference in the grade that hadn’t been done in the last few years. I think attitude and the minds really being right was important and once we got over Cork in the first game, it kind of led from there.

“Belief is a massive thing and once we got belief, I think there was no doubt that we were ever going to win it.

“The Kilkenny, Cork and Limerick games this year are ones that I’d pick out. They are all strong hurling counties and these were essentially their second teams, with most of their players looking to play senior for their respective counties. But no more so than the Clare players this year and I think the proof will be there in the next few years how many players that won the All-Ireland this year will go on and play senior hurling for the county.

“This year and last year, the Clare minors were without a shadow of a doubt the best team in the country but unfortunately didn’t win an AllIreland. But I think that could be a good thing in years to come that they will still have hunger and the right attitude to make amends for not winning an All-Ireland at that grade. Please God, they will go on and really prove their worth in the coming year.”

And for Carmody himself, the pride of lifting both The Sweet Afton Cup and the aptly named Michael Cusack Cup in 2011 is one of the undoubted highlights of an already glittering career.

“It was a huge honour for me personally to be captain of that team and especially to lift cups in both Cusack Park and Semple Stadium was a great feeling to have. They will be fond memories that will live with me forever but you have to move on as well. It’s important to enjoy the suc- cess but at the end of the day, every player has to move on and look to the following year.”

The celebrations are still warm but already Carmody is setting his sights on the future. It’s the sign of a motivated player, the sign of a leader as he truly was in Clare’s historic Intermediate year.