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THE transport sector is preparing itself for what could be a crippling blow should October’s budget bring an increased tax burden for the in- dustry. According to the Irish Haul- age Association, companies are currently operating on the brink of collapse and any further loss of com- petitiveness would spell disaster.

“T cant see how this budget can do anything at all to help the haul- age sector. They didn’t do anything when they had a surplus so I cant see how they are going to do anything now that they haven’t,” said Eugene Drennan of Spa Transport Ltd in En- nis and the Irish Road Haulage As- sociation.

“We would seriously hope that our cost are not risen either by excise on fuel or on VAT. We are caught very badly by the recession that is effect-

ing the world and also the recession that has crippled the building sector here in this country.”

A number of haulage companies in the region have already stopped trading, while others are operating on much decreased fleets.

“If our competitiveness is decreased anymore the trucks on the road will take a serious hit. This is not a profit- able business at the moment – there are people surviving right on the margins, there are people going out of business,’ continued Drennan.

‘Every business is struggling, peo- ple are just trying to cope as best they can, and if we get another set back from the government it will be a disaster. People are very worried that the government is going to take their feet out from under them with this budget.”

FEARS are growing in the Clare tourism sector that the overseas mar- keting budget, promised as part of the Open Skies agreement, will face the chop in this years early budget.

“We would like to make sure that the overseas marketing budgeting for tourism is not cut back and maybe we can even add to it. We have been Shown before that at times of crisis, if we spend the money on advertis- ing oversees we do feel the bounce from it,’ said Michael Vaughan of the Irish Hotel Federation.

“We need to insure that the Shan- non Airport Catchment Area Mar- keting fund, which was part and par- cel of the Open Skies agreement, be maintained.

“We are due €5 million in a mar- keting budget for four years, we have only seen one year of this and the

government has not as yet said that they will be delivering on the re- mainder.

The Irish Hotel Federation has also called on workers to “share the pain” when approaching wage talks.

‘We have a concern about the ris- ing cost of service – spending gener- ally should be maintained. We need to insure that major infrastructure projects like the N18 corridor from Galway to Ennis are not held up,’ continued Mr Vaughan.

‘We need to have a very modest ap- proach to wages at the moment. Our industry has undergone serious wage inflation in recent times.

‘We don’t want to see people disad- vantaged but we do feel that wage in- creases would be at a very minimum. A pay freeze would be something that we would hope to achieve but it is anegotiation situation and we will have to see what happens.”

THE government should use the budget to intervene in the ailing housing market, according to a Clare property expert.

Philip O’Reilly, Managing Direc- tor of Philip O’Reilly Property Plus, says that while any upswing re- mains largely dependent on market conditions, certain areas, including the large amount of vacant hous- ing stock, must be addressed in the forthcoming Budget.

Mr O’Reilly says financial incen- tives should be provided to first time buyers to restore confidence in a housing market where values have fallen. “One area they should be looking at and doing something about is encouraging first time buy- ers to purchase unoccupied housing stock. This could bring a lot of new entrants into the market’, he said.

“If you take any house that costs €300,000, included in that is VAT of €39,000. Why not introduce a

scheme whereby €10,000 of that fig- ure would be made available to first time buyers. It could be limited to a certain time period, say for people who sign up for it before June 1”’.

Any interference on a micro level must also be balanced against mar- ket conditions and other macro-level events, said Mr O’Reilly.

“At one level, with the housing market under pressure, there are cer- tain things that need to take place at a microeconomic level, because if something isn’t done, it could have substantial implications for employ- ment and other areas”.

‘There is a limit to what kind of in- terference could take place that would have a positive impact on the hous- ing market. There are a lot of other forces at work, the credit crunch, the difficulties faced by the building trade. We shouldn’t be talking about €5,000 or lower figures, it has to be €10,000”, said Mr. O’Reilly.

JAMES Hanrahan’s return to his na- tive club this year has had a profound effect on the footballing fortunes of St Joseph’s. Last year, uncertainites over the senior management struc- ture left their footballers with little preparation approaching the champ1- onship but his switch from Eire Og, after a successful stint both on and

off the field, has given St Joseph’s much needed guidance this year.

The emphasis at senior level was on youth and bringing through the un- doubted underage talent that exists in Wome bee

Ten of that senior side were eligi- ble for Saturday’s replay against the current holders Kilmurry Ibrickane and it was that added experience and balance that Hanrahan felt eventual

won the club it’s first Under 21 cham- pionship.

“I thought we played well and de- served it on the day. We played some excellent football.

“We probably knew coming in that fellas were disappointed from the last day and I don’t think it was that we didn’t win the game the last day, I think they were more disappointed that we didn’t play well so we turned

that around today.

“We moved the ball a little bit quicker. A lot of fellas have played Under 21 games when we haven’t played well whereas in the senior, we have been playing at a different pace so I think we brought that pace into the game tonight and I think that was the difference.”

Hunger was a key factor in Satur- day’s victory. An appetite that Han-

rahan explains has accumulated from being on the losing side too many times at underage level

“We have had so much heartbreak in the last few years losing underage finals so maybe if they had won a couple of those they would have been as hungry as they were out there to- day but you could see that they want- ed to win and that was the difference between the teams.”

AS Doonbeg and Ennistymon filed onto the Miltown pitch on Saturday evening, Tommy Curtin had the lib- erty to sit back and take in the quar- ter-final meeting that would throw forward Liscannor’s opponents in Wem OONEIOITADE

Before that game began, though, Curtin said he was impressed with

Liscannor’s performance, particu- larly their application in seeing off the challenge of pre-match favourites Eire Og.

“We had a quick work there and were delighted with the victory,” he said. “Going into the game, to be honest, we had a few injury prob- lems. But to be fair to the lads, they really stuck at it over the hour.”

He also acknowledged the fact that

Liscannor weren’t given a real fight- ing chance beforehand, but said that was understandable.

“In fairness, it was always going to be a tough game. We were playing against a team that was in the county final these past two seasons and a team that won the championship two years ago.

‘So they’re a good side, a very good side, and we knew we’d have to play

some good football if we were going to come through it.

“We train with a very small panel and we have to believe that in every game, there’s always hope. We train that way and we play that way and we literally have to take every game as it comes.

“But as I said, the lads knuckled down. Our centre-forward was in- jured going into this and he’s a bright

prospect for the future and the lads got stuck in for him.

‘Eire Og would have been the firm favourites going into the game but our ball retention was very good to- day and we were hungry as well. But the game of football is so simple and that’s the way you have to play it.”

With that Tommy stood back to watch the second game unfold.

TOMMY ‘Tubridy is more accus- tomed to big days than any man involved with the Doonbeg senior team. He goes back all the way to the 1972 minor county final win with Clohanes, while in his playing days in the black and white he won seven county championships.

Now, he’s one game away from guiding the Magpies back to the big

day for the first time in seven years — the longest ever gap in the long village between county final appear- ances since they started blazing their trail in the storied final win over En- nis Faughs in ’55.

However, Tubridy has known his share of disappointments too and was taking nothing for granted at the end of their facile enough 2-11 to 1-5 quarter-final win over Ennistymon. Instead, he sounded a somewhat pes-

simistic note.

“It was a good win, but I was dis- appointed with the performance overall. We have to up it if we’re to progress to the final. That’s how I feel about it,” he said.

‘“Ennistymon put it up to us at vari- ous stages of the game and I’d have to say that I’m disappointed with the performances of some of the players. The goals were vital for us and at the end of the day they were the differ-

ence for us. We have a few injuries and hopefully they’ll be cleared up before the semi-final.”

Liscannor await in that semi-final — a team that was dismantled by the Magpies in their final group game by Ce Leone noen

It suggests easy pickings in the penultimate round, but Tubridy is taking nothing for granted. It’s no wonder as Doonbeg have lost their last three semi-finals — to Eire Og in

2004 and ’06 and St Senan’s Kilkee heey

“We had a big win over them the last day. They conceded a few soft goals but that won’t happen the next day. It is really up for grabs and that’s the way we’re looking at it.

“We’re getting ready for a tough one. Playing Liscannor is always a tough game for Doonbeg but we’ll be up for it.”

A lot done, but more to do.

CLARE manager Colm Hanley’s track record at this level speaks for itself. Two years, two All-Ireland Junior finals but after suffering heart- break in injury time of last year’s decider against Derry, the road to recovery for Clare this year has been rather smooth. That’s not to say that there weren’t scares along the way, there was in the form of Sunday’s op- ponents Offaly, Antrim and Laois but the initial aim has now been achieved and after a year’s more experience, Hanley reckons that his side are bet- ter equipped this season.

‘The aim for the year as I have said in the past was to get back to Croke Park and once we got there, then to take care of business. There is a mas- sive difference between last year and this year. We are a stronger team this year, there is no doubt about it. The likes of Laura Linnane and Claire McMahon coming back into it are massive additions and not just them alone. Also the likes of Carina (Ro- seingrave), Kate (Lynch) and Chloe Morey and the rest of the minor girls who are now a year older again after playing last year. It has stood to them massively. You can see it even in their minor performances. They are as good a player as there is anywhere in the country.We might have fallen over the line in the semi-final but overall as a team, they are flying it. We also have Fiona Lafferty back af- ter injury and things are falling into place at the right time and hopefully

that is a good sign.”

One of those scares came in their opening championship game against Offaly when they were sternly tested by the resurgent 2001 finalists. Clare eventually weathered the storm in the final quarter and emerged 0-10 to 0-07 winners but Hanley feels that this game was the making of Clare this year as they found an extra bat-

tling dimension that hadn’t existed previously.

“There is no doubt that we were lucky to come out of that game. With- out a shadow of a doubt, the perform- ance wasn’t great and it wasn’t helped by the fact that there was a twelve week lay-off between the league final and that game and without competi- tive matches, it is tough to raise your

game but the performance wasn’t up to par and the girls know that. How- ever, the great thing that we found out that day that we hadn’t last year was this fighting spirit that they pro- duced. The last five or ten minutes they dug in and carved out a result. Last year and maybe in years gone by, things have come a bit too easy for them. Leading into last year’s

final, we had a very handy route to the final, winning games by ten or twelve points so when it was put up to us 1n the final, we couldn’t deliver because we weren’t used to being in that situation.

“This year, every single game has been tough with maybe the excep- tion being the Down match and we have had to grind out results. We travelled to Antrim and had to re- ally dig in and eventually came out with a seven point win, although it was a much tighter game than that. Again in the semi-final, Laois played similarly to Offaly and made it fierce awkward for us but again we man- aged to win.”

And that new found appetite has carried them back to Croke Park for the second successive year and Hanley is determined to finish the job this time around.

‘Everyone in the county knows that this team has the hurling, and mas- sive ability but now they have found this bit of bite and desire and that comes from hunger. After years of losing finals and losing finals, it has to come right eventually and I have no doubt that it will on Sunday.”

His confidence and positivity 1s consuming. And to think he even had to re-apply for his position at the start of the year.

THIS is the Banner side’s fourth attempt at winning this final since 2003. Having drawn two of those de- ciders in Croke Park to Dublin and Galway only to lose in the replays and who in the camogie world will forget the heartbreak of last year’s defeat to Derry when Clare looked to have the work done. They were un- able to hold out though for the eight minutes of injury time played on the day and a lucky shot from Derry found the net to deny Clare their mo- ment in the sun.

Clare though will take note of the determination of last year’s victors. That was Derry’s second attempt at the final in successive years, having lost the previous year. Clare have now managed to do what Derry did last year and despite some tough battles this year, the Clare girls are back again in Croke Park. That was the aim from the start of the year to get back to the ultimate stage and then take things from there. Clare have worked hard in this quest. The Banner took a step up in the League campaign choosing to go from Di- vision 3 to Division 2. This was in search of games that would test the squad and get competition going ear- ly in the year to build strength, both physically and mentally. This move has certainly paid off so far as Clare went undefeated in the League beat- ing Cork, Kilkenny and Waterford on their way to the final where they had a hard fought win over last years victor’s Derry. This gave silverware to the girls, exacted some revenge for last year’s All-Ireland defeat and provided encouragement for the rest of the year.

Clare have remained unbeaten since. They have had tough encoun- ters but have always managed to grind out that win. With group wins over Offaly, Down and Antrim and a Semi-final win over Laois, the Ban- ner girls now find themselves back in Croke Park facing first round oppo- nents Offaly.

Clare had a tough opening round game against the girls from the faith- ful county, who this year have been working under Joachim Kelly. Clare found the Offaly girls hard to shake off but did in the end come out three

point winners. Clare will know go- ing into this final that they will not have things all their own way from the opposition. Offaly had a strong win over Waterford in their semi-fi- nal and have a lot of hard work put into this campaign. They also have six of their minor side who recently won the minor B All-Ireland final over Waterford. This will give Offaly a huge boost going into the game and while they will be ranked as under-

dogs, they know that they will have nothing to lose on the day and will throw all they have at the Banner. They were unlucky to have been de- feated in the replay of the Division 3 league final to Antrim but have grown in strength and determination since then.

Clare for their part have the expe- rience of playing in Croke Park last year. While last year was not the first time in recent years for the Banner to

be participating on All-Ireland final day, it was the first time for a large number of the panel. Those new members will now have last year’s experience to build on and also have suffered a second final defeat just two weeks ago to the hands of Kilkenny in the U18 A final. These girls will not want to repeat that losing feel- NITcar DOCCMMY SUSSMAN LOM MUI RUUO NUE CNTe game against Cork intermediates under their belts, the final touches

will have begun in earnest within the Clare camp.

On thing is for certain. Clare cap- tain Deirdre Murphy has stood in the winning and losing dressing room on final day twelve months ago and will not want to have to sense the losing dressing room from a Clare perspec- tive this time round. She will be us- ing all within her to lead by example and help to drive the team forward. Murphy has been the building block on which a lot of hard won victories for Clare have been built on this year and her presence will help to steady those around her. The team as a whole are very focused this year on what they want to achieve and with the groundwork done, there is just 60 minutes separating Clare and that Junior title which has eluded them so often over the last number of years.

Clare will know that to overcome that final hurdle, all members will have to perform to their best. Down the middle Siobhan Lafferty, Dee Corcoran Sharon McMahon and Claire McMahon have worked well this year with Laura Linnane, Claire Commane, Shonagh Enright and Carina Roseingrave adding strength and pace to the wings. Deirdre Mur- phy has worked well with Chloe Mo- USA TOON COCIOCs)(emr-TeLOMNeCoM sr-UEMey:(eqbntTe has worked hard with Kate Lynch and Jane Scanlon flanking Corcoran. Competition for places is intense in the full-back line with Any Colleran, Aimee McInerney and Cathy Halley fighting it out for the two corner posi- tions and whoever loses out will be unlucky to do so. They also have sev- eral options on the bench with Aoife Ryan, Fiona Lafferty, Aine O’Brien, Aiveen O’Shea and Aoife Griffin able to help out in any sector and adding the depth that is needed to any team in winning an All-Ireland title.

Clare will certainly be hoping to put the thoughts of last year out of their heads and will be hoping that they will be returning home as All- Ireland champions next Monday.

CRATLOE and Sixmilebridge go back a long way, their hurling rivalry is immense, albeit that it has been somewhat lopsided in the “Bridge’s favour down the generations. Until now that is as the boys in Blue bask in the glory of beating their near neighbours.

“It’s been a long time coming,” commented one spectator in the Eire Og Grounds on Friday night after Cratloe had their own little play on the biblical story about David taking a catapult to Goliath.

That’s just what they did in coming from ten points adrift in the second half to bring Sixmilebridge’s hurling world crashing in around them. No wonder some Cratloe folk let them- selves go.

“There won’t be any cutting posts down now,” said one historian on site, going all the way back to more tempestuous times when in the dark of night some disgruntled hurling folk were accused of cutting down goalposts to make them look like soccer goals.

Representatives of both parties say it never happened, but there are those who swear it’s true after the fall-out of an intermediate semi-final be- tween the clubs in 1970 when Sixmi- lebridge won by a couple of points only to lose it afterwards to an objec- tion after that they had a number of soccer player in their ranks.

All that history welled up in Crat- loe folk finally burst free as they cut

down Sixmiulebridge for the first time ever at senior championship level.

This was for ’95 when the ‘Bridge beat them by over a point a man in the county semi-final; for 90 when a last minute goal deprived them of the intermediate title.

The victory was the big story of the weekend, even if it wasn’t the only story. Newmarket-on-Fergus fired a warning shot in the direction of every other club in Clare thanks to their demolition job on county cham- pions Tulla; St Joseph’s Doora-Bare- field, Inagh/Kilnamona and Kilma- ley booked their quarter-final spots; Crusheen made it four wins from four outings.

But it was hard to get away from the “Bridge — the most storied club in Clare hurling since Mikey Whyte got that point in the ’77 final in Dr Daly Park — who suffered their third championship defeat on the bounce.

It has never happened before, but then again strange things have hap- pened in the Canon Hamilton race thus far. Tubber beating the ‘Bridge; Clarecastle hanging on for dear life; Tulla being beaten by 21 points by a rampant Newmarket-on-Fergus; Inagh/Kilnamona taking to the soft ground of the championship for the first time like veterans….

For sure, there’ll be plenty more twists and turns before the race is fi- nally finished.

ST JOSEPH’S had twin objectives in mind going into this game. Victory to secure their quarter-final spot was the primary aim but there was also the huge matter of revenge.

Large dollops of tiger balm may have been handed out beforehand, because they certainly had that strong scent of revenge in their nostrils.

It told in the 60 minutes of hurl- ing as St Joseph’s erased last year’s nightmare against Corofin with a very comfortable win which gave further credence to the gathering be- lief that their squad is of champion- ship winning material.

They were asked some _ serious questions by Corofin in the first half when they could only build up a two- point lead with the wind. Then an- other question was asked when Kil- lian Neylon’s goal levelled the game eight minutes into the second half.

Corofin could sense another victory but it was the spark that ignited St Joseph’s. In the final 20 minutes they outscored Corofin by 1-8 to 0-4 to throw down their biggest marker yet to other championship contenders.

Forget the win over Sixmilebridge – we now know how bad things are on the banks of the O’Garney – because this was much better. St Joseph’s combined a steely edge in the backs with an unerring ability to pick off

scores as a host of players stepped up to take responsibility.

Take Seanie McMahon – advancing years mean nothing when you have hands and stickwork as good as one of the greatest to play the game. He played second fiddle to an inspiring Darragh Clancy in the first half, but when he was moved to the corner in the second half he bagged 1-2 from play to win the game.

This was a real contest for three quarters of the hour. The first half

was a shoot-out between Conor Has- sett and Gerry Quinn as both bagged four points each from placed balls.

Quinn’s points gave Corofin a real foothold against the wind. St Joseph’s led O-5 to 0-4 after the first quarter, their points coming from three Has- sett frees and points from play by Seanie McMahon and the industri- ous Greg Lyons.

Points by Gerry Quinn and Kil- lian Neylon then put Corofin a point clear, but St Joseph’s closed out the

half strongly with points from Greg Lyons, Conor Hassett, Michael Mc- Namara and Ivor White to edge 0-9 to 0-7 ahead.

The opening exchanges of the sec- ond half were equally competitive. Ivor White, who had a fine game at midfield, opened the scoring with a point in the first minute, while Gerry Quinn and Michael McNamara trad- ed points by the fifth.

Then came Corofin’s highpoint in the 38th minute when Killian Ney- lon picked up a long free from Gerry Quinn and scrambed the sliotar to the net to level the game 1-8 to O-11.

It was put up to St Joseph’s but they responded in emphatic style – turning on the gas in the closing 20 minutes to win in style and with something to spare.

Seanie McMahon was the man, landing 1-2 in a seven-minute spell. The points came from play while the goal in the 47th minute came after he reacted quickest to a Conor Has- sett free that rebounded off the post, whipping the sliotar to the net from eA T MAE DECKS

St Joseph’s were 1-13 to 1-8 clear and never looked back. Six more points followed in the closing 12 min- utes – Hassett hit four of them while Ivor White and Damian Kennedy also pointed from play.

Corofin’s scores from Killian Neylon, Kevin Heagney and Gerry

Quinn were consolation ones only. Their championship challenge is floundering but they can still force a play-off if they beat Cratloe in their last game.

St Joseph’s, meanwhile, are among the championship favourites. A first county title since 2001 could be clos- er than people think.