Category: Sport

Smith O’Briens 1-7 – Killanena 0-10 at Scariff

A DRAW in the end as 14-man Smith O’Brien’s showed some true grit in the second half when playing against the gale, but for long stretches of this rugged encounter it looked as if Killanena were on the cusp of something special.

They couldn’t have dreamt up a better return to senior ranks after an interval of 103 years. Despite playing against a gale they led by 0-5 to no score inside nine minutes and soon afterwards had numerical advantage after Liam Walsh was marched for striking.

Killanena famously marched off the field themselves on their first ever senior championship game back in 1900 when they complained of not knowing the rules – they were going nowhere on this day as the looked to be on their way to a first ever championship win. They relished the close confines of the Scariff pitch, tearing into Smith O’Briens from the opening minutes, so much so that nothing other than a Killanena win looked on the cards, after the opening exchanges and again at half-time even though the 14-man Killaloe side had drawn level.

It was the wind factor – Killanena were inspired when playing against it as two Mark Flaherty frees inside four minutes got them off to a flier, while points from play by Flaherty, Mickey Noone and Colm McNamara had them in some faraway nirvana as Smith O’Briens’ profligacy began to take hold.

They hit ten wides in the opening half, seven of them inside the first 15 minutes before they broke their duck in the 17th minute with a moraleboosting goal. Brilliant stickwork from Mark O’Halloran created the opening as he killed the sliotar at speed and then doubled on it with a long delivery over the Killanena fullback line to Anthony O’Sullivan who slammed home from 13 yards.

However, Smith O’Briens’ cause still looked a forlorn one another Mickey Noone point meant they trailed by 0-6 to 1-0 after 24 minutes. Points by Mark McInerney, Kevin Walsh and John Cusack did have Smith O’Briens level at the break, but the points were there for Killanena’s taking in the second half.

Fintan McNamara’s point from distance inside the first two minutes edged Killanena back in front, while a Mark Flaherty free in the 41st stretched the lead to two points as Smith O’Briens struggled to lift the siege.

However, they finally came good in the final 15 minutes to earn a share of the spoils – principally because Killanena lacked the killer instinct to put them away. Kevin Walsh pegged a point back in the 48th minute with a pointed free, but points by Mark Flaherty (2) to a lone reply from John Cusack still had Killanena in poll position entering the last two minutes, only from points by Trevor Howard and substitute Dean Sinnott to save Smith O’Briens’ day.

Crusheen 3-13 – Clarecastle 0-13 at Gurteen

JUNIOR A champions Crusheen proved they are not willing to just make up the numbers at the next level by taking down last year’s semifinalists Clarecastle in a battle of the second strings on Sunday. After an evenly matched first half, the game was effectively decided in a seven minute spell just after the restart when a Paddy O’Grady goal either side of Paddy Donnellan’s dismissal for the Magpies put Crusheen firmly in the driving seat to victory.

It’s was a different tale in the first half as with the aid of an angled crossfield breeze, Clarecastle picked off some good points through Briain Lynch, John Pyne, Andrew Page and the impressive Adam Healy but still found themselves trailing by the minimum at the break at 1-09 to 0-10 thanks to a Crusheen goal in the 24th minute.

A strong feature of Crusheen’s line up was the fluidity of their attacking unit and it caused some consternation for Clarecastle’s backline who found it difficult to track their runs with Alan Tuohy, Jamie Fitzgibbon, Gearoid O’Doherty and Niall Fitzgibbon profiting. It was in one such overlap that allowed Brian Dillon to get beyond the last line and take out the last defender with a pull to the waiting Paddy O’Grady to finish.

The junior A champions produced a carbon copy two minutes after the restart when Dillon again handpassed to the unmarked O’Grady to bat to the net despite protests of a square ball. Clarecastle’s woes were heightened soon afterwards when Donnellan received his marching orders for a late pull on Thomas Vaughan while O’Grady completed a hatrick as further points from Jamie Fitzgibbon and substitute Darragh O’Doherty put them ten points clear by the turn of the final quarter.

In saying that, despite being a man down and playing into the conditions, the Magpies could have got themselves a lifeline had they converted any of their goal chances. Stuart McMahon had a shot excellently saved by goalkeeper David McMahon: Briain Lynch had an effort flash just wide and after three Adam Healy placed balls from distance, the Magpies needed to goal a 58th minute 20 metre free but Healy sent it wide.

Instead, Crusheen never panicked and hit on the counterattack to secure a valuable first victory and establish themselves in their new surroundings.

Crusheen
David McMahon, Donal Dillon, Brendan McMahon,Tony McMahon, Jason Greene, Conor Hayes, Donal Wylde,Thomas Vaughan, Conor O’Loughlin, Niall Fitzgibbon, Jamie Fitzgibbon, Gearoid O’Doherty, Briain Dillon, Patrick O’Grady,AlanTuohy

Subs
Darragh O’Doherty for O’Loughlin (41 mins),Trevor Corbett for B. Dillon (50 mins)

Clarecastle
Jamie Coughlan, BlaiseTalty, Eoin Brennan, Kieran Lynch, Paddy Donnellan, Garrett Barry, Cathal Lynch,AdamHealy,AndrewPage, Eamon Concannon, John Pyne, Jamie Fahy, Briain Lynch,Alan O’Loughlin, Niall Dunne

Subs
Anthony Griffey for Talty (24 mins), Fergal Griffin for Concannon (35 mins), Stuart McMahon for K. Lynch (44 mins), Niall Quinn for Pyne (45 mins)

Referee
Ger Lyons (Ruan)

Sixmilebridge 0-15 – Clarecastle 1-11 at Cusack Park, Ennis

IF HINDSIGHT was foresight and both sides could do it all over again, you can be certain that both would have approached this game differently. Despite awaking from their slumber late on to secure the slenderest of victories, surely Sixmilebridge could not be as lacklustre again as they did their utmost to shake off the unwanted tag of championship favourites.

As for Clarecastle, it was infinitely more encouraging display than their pre-championship form suggested as they certainly seemed to want it more but lacked conviction and a killer instinct when it mattered most and as a result paid the ultimate cruel price. In particular, the Magpies will lament missed goal opportunities in the first half when Derek Quinn was causing havoc in the ‘Bridge fullback line. Essentially though, four glorious chances only yielded one goal and even that was only scored at the third attempt. Quinn’s initial shot was expertly saved by goalkeeper Derek Fahy, Tyrone Kearse’s follow up rattled off the crossbar before Quinn was fortunate to receive a second bite of the cherry that he didn’t pass up a second time from close range.

That 18th minute goal finally settled the Magpies into a 1-2 to 0-4 lead but despite their back-line frustrating Sixmilebridge’s much celebrated attacking unit, they failed to capitalise as the sides were level at 1-3 to 0-6 at the interval.

In particular, teenager Stephen O’Halloran was dominating at fullback, Seanie Moloney was equally effective beside him even making a superb block to deny debutant Jamie Shanahan a goal while Patrick Kelly, Eric Flynn and Danny Scanlon controlled matters further out the field.

The break allowed a Shane Golden led Sixmilebridge to regroup but little altered on the turnover as neither side could pull clear and the sides were on level terms for the seventh time by the turn of the final quarter.

With the Magpies finally realising the mere mortal status of the championship favourites, they hit the front and scored five of the next seven points, with teenage substitute Conor O’Gorman injecting some energy into the forward division with a brace to lead by 1-10 to 0-11 by the 51st minute.

However, they didn’t push on from there and with a number of passengers up front, the Magpies were on the backfoot for the remainder as the expected ‘Bridge recovery finally came to pass.

The switch of Caimin Morey to full-forward gave them a focal point; Shane Golden belied his young years to give another mature display; Tony Carmody finally began to influence while substitutes Tommy Morey and Paidi Fitzpatrick would make telling contributions as the Bridge hit four unanswered points to take a 0-15 to 1-10 lead by the 61st minute.

A shellshocked Clarecastle could only reply with an Eamon Callinan point before the finish and that was effectively the last puck of the game as a relieved Sixmilebridge got out out of jail to deny the Magpies even a deserved point. The benefit of hindsight on this game should give both sides food for thought and new eyes for the remainder of the championship.

Ruan 1-9 – Bodyke 1-6 at Clooney

RUAN’S HOLD over Bodyke continued on Saturday evening as they recorded their fifth straight victory and more importantly a third successive championship win over their east Clare opponents.

Far from being the goalfest of previous displays however, it was a low scoring yet competitive encounter due to a swirling crossfield breeze as both sides were guilty of a plethora of misses.

Such was the case in the opening half as Ruan moved two points clear early on through Brendan Lyons and a John Punch free as the teams came to terms with the conditions.

With 12 minutes gone Bodkye had their first score, a goal from Ian Molloy but Ruan responded immediately with a long range point from Cillian Ryan.

Bodyke, now having settled, came more into the game and scored three more points before half time, including a great long range effort form Sean Doyle to give them a deserved three point lead.

Bodyke’s defence was performing admirably with the Ruan forwards unable to cope with the excellent Colm Madden’s dominance and the usually reliable John Punch was off target with placed balls.

On the restart Brendan Lyons reduced the deficit to two but Keith Quigley restored Bodyke’s lead with free before Lyons again responded for Ruan with a well taken goal.

The second half continued to be a very close affair and with both defences on top, it made scoring chances very hard to come by.

The switch of Ruan’s Aidan Lynch to centre forward appeared to curb Madden’s influence somewhat and in the final ten minute Ruan went three points clear with points from Caimin Howard, Mikey Vaughan and two John Punch Frees.

Bodyke never gave up but were unable to find that equalising goal that would have halted their miserable record against Ruan.

Ruan
Pakie Roughan, Gary Bell, Niall O’Connor, Leon Quirke, Paraic Guthrie, Jonathan Clohessy, Dara Roughan, Cillian Ryan,Tadhg Hanrahan,Aidan Lynch, Eoin Hanrahan, Caimin Howard, Mikey Vaughan, John Punch, Brendan Lyons

Sub
Damien Brohan for Quirke (inj)

Bodyke
Seamus Ryan, Keith O’Donnell, CaiminTreacy, ShaneWalsh, Colin Molloy, ColmMadden, Paul Boland, PJ Kelleher, Manus McGuire, John Fitzgerald, CiaranWalsh, Sean Doyle, Ian Molloy, Keith Quigley, Danny McGuire

Subs
Oisin Molloy for M. McGuire, Brian O’Grady for Fitzgerald

Crusheen 1-13 – Kilmaley 1-13 at Cusack Park, Ennis

CRUSHEEN are out to become the first team since St Joseph’s DooraBarefield in 1998/99 to win back to back senior titles, but on the evidence of this there is much work to be done before they can entertain that possibility.

Still, they were happy at the end of this interesting affair played out on Saturday evening as a late 65-metre free from Clare captain Paddy Vaughan earned them a share of the spoils against an impressive Kilmaley side.

It was impressive from Kilmaley in the way they overturned a four-point deficit in the second half while playing against the wind. It was a storming display of hurling that brought them to the cusp of victory when Diarmuid McMahon’s 58th minute point put them ahead for the first time since their fast start with points from Daire Keane (2) and Colin Lynch helped them into a 0-3 to 0-2 lead after five minutes.

Crusheen were reeling in the face of this Kilmaley power-play that was sparked by a fast start to the second half with three points inside the first three minutes to reduce the margin back to a point and then Daire Keane’s 42nd minute goal that brought the sides level.

From there Crusheen were in a real battle – a total contrast to the first half when they quelled Kilmaley’s early enthusiasm to totally dominate the second quarter and move 0-9 to 0-5 clear at the interval.

The sides were locked at 0-5 apiece after 15 minutes – Fergus Kennedy opened Crusheen’s account in the second minute after two Daire Keane points for Kilmaley, while further points by Tony Meaney, David Forde, Conor O’Donnell and Joe Meaney in response to Colin Lynch (2) and John Cabey points for Kilmaley had the sides level.

However, four unanswered points from there until the break via two Paddy Vaughan frees, another from play from all of 80 yards and a Paddy Meaney effort seemed to have Crusheen on the high road to the two points.

And, despite a number of Kilmaley rallies in the second half – firstly when two Kenneth Kennedy frees and a Daire Keane point from play inside three minutes of the restart had it back to a point; secondly Kilmaley hit back from Fergus Kennedy’s 35th minute goal for Cusheen when Keane flashed a loose ball to net in the 42nd – it seemed as if the county champions would hold firm for the two points.

Their response to Keane’s goal was impressive, with points from Paddy Vaughan and Gearóid O’Donnell (2) moving them 1-12 to 1-9 clear by the 50th minute, only for a dogged Kimaley to come on strong in the last ten minutes.

Their latest comeback was sparked by the 51st minute point from Kenneth Kennedy. Five minutes later another Kennedy free that followed a Declan Clancy effort from play had the sides level, while Diarmuid McMahon’s first significant contribution of the hour was a telling one when he hit the lead point with two minutes remaining.

It looked like being the winner against a profligate Crusheen who hit nine second half wides until Gerry O’Grady made his first telling contibution when winning a free 65metres from goal two minutes into injury time allowing Paddy Vaughan fly to the rescue.

It was a warning to Crusheen, morale boosting for Kilmaley.

Parteen 2-12 – Sixmilebridge 1-12 at Shannon

HAVING FAILED to live up to their potential in recent years, Parteen needed to take down one of the big guns in order to get the ball rolling.

Not since the double defeat of eventual champions Broadford three years ago have Parteen glistened when it mattered most and with the restructuring of the championship to only allow two teams out of six to advance, the margin of error has become even slimmer.

That’s why this victory over last year’s semi-finalists was a welcome tonic to their previous underachieving ills as Parteen assimilated their historic Under 21C winning side with their more established core.

What will be most pleasing to their management however is that they were gritty enough to be able to dig out the result against a very experi- enced Sixmilebridge side that wasn’t short of senior championship winners.

And just like their Clare Cup meeting, it was Parteen’s second half display that won the day as they outscored their opponents by 1-9 to 0-4 and indeed, held the Bridge’ scoreless from play in that period as well.

Parteen also had a confidence boosting start when Darragh Yelverton weaved his way down the right wing before cutting inside and rattling the net via the body of goalkeeper Stephen Fleming in the fourth minute in reply to Earol Tuohy’s opening point.

It didn’t derail Sixmilebridge however who had a strong breeze at their backs as the towering Ronan Hayes proved a worthy target so much so that his withdrawl just before the break was arguably a turning point in the game. Meanwhile however, placed balls from Tommy Liddy (2) and Sam O’Sullivan along with an Adrian Chaplin point had the Bridge level at 1-2 to 0-5 by the turn of the opening quarter and they regained the lead soon afterwards when adding a goal. It came from a Sam O’Sullivan free from halfway that was deflected by Mark Culbert beyond the reach of goalkeeper Alan Murnane.

Parteen hit back immediately through Joe O’Connor and might have usurped the lead once more had James Long’s kick been on target. Instead, the now inspired ‘Bridge finished the half strongly with a Mark Culbert point sandwiching two Tommy Liddy frees on their way to a 1-8 to 1-3 interval lead.

It was a short lived cushion however as within five minute of the restart, Parteen had wiped that advantage, with Ivan Conway grabbing 1-2. Two rapid frees were boosted by that 35th minute goal that saw Parteen use their football skills better this time when Paraic O’Connor toepoked the ball through to the unmarked Conway to make no mistake.

Sam O’Sullivan hit back immediately with a free but by this stage the momentum had shifted and with Joe O’Connor and Colm Quinn leading the line, Parteen hit five unanswered points to take a 2-10 to 1-09 advantage by the 48th minute.

There was still a few twists and turns however before Parteen could secure a vital first win as the reintroduction of Hayes saw Sixmilebridge rally once more. Tommy Liddy picked off two frees, one of which had to be tipped over the bar after a 20 metre effort on goal and with three points separating the sides in injury-time, Liddy had another 20 metre free stopped and cleared before Parteen could cement the points.

Parteen
Alan Murnane, Mark Cunningham, Paul O’Dwyer, AndrewBeatty, ColmO’Connell, ColmQuinn (0-1f), Cillian Conlon, Joe O’Connor (0-2), Martin Moroney (0-3), Mark Boland, James Long, Paraic O’Connor (0-2), DarraghYelverton (1-1), Ivan Conway (1-3 3f), Ronan Conlon

Subs
Noel Bridgeman for Boland (25 mins), Brian McSweeney for Long (38 mins)

Sixmilebridge
Stephen Fleming,Wayne Kennedy, Eoin Quinn, David O’Meara, Jonathan Downes, Stiofan Fitzpatrick, Cathal Walsh, SamO’Sullivan (0-3 2f, 1’65), Christy Griffin,Adrian Chaplin (0-1), Ronan Hayes, Michael O’Halloran, Earol Tuohy (0-1), Mark Culbert (1-1),Tommy Liddy (0-6f)

Subs
Paul Corbett for Hayes (28 mins, inj),Alan Mulready for O’Meara (35 mins), Ronan Mullane for Mulready (43 mins, inj), Ronan Hayes for O’Halloran (49 mins)

Man of the Match
Joe O’Connor (Parteen) Referee Damian Fox (WolfeTones)

TWO young Clare surfers will face off against some of the world’s best at the World Junior Surfing Championships in Peru this week.

Cian Cagney (under 18s) and Donough Cronin (under 16s) are part of the 11 strong Irish surfing squad who are due to depart today from Dublin for the International Surfing Association (ISA) championships, which run from May 21-29.

Once in Peru the surfers will have a number of days training prior to the contest to acclimatise to the surf and weather conditions. The championships will start on Saturday May 21 with the opening ceremony and parade of nations.

Heats will commence on Sunday May 22 running all week with the grand finals on Sunday May 29. Participation in the world championships represents the culmination of a boyhood dream for Cian Cagney, who started surfing aged nine.

Cian, who lives in Lahinch, qualified for the event after an impressive showing at the European surfing championships. Having started surfing on a competitive basis three years ago, Cian has applied himself wholeheartedly to the sport.

A typical day involves spending up to six hours in the water.

“If the surf is good, I’ll go before school and after school, depending on the waves. I suppose in the winter I’d be doing about two to three hours because it’s so cold. But in the summer it would nearly be all day,” he explained.

A student at Ennistymon Vocational School, Cian said he is looking forward to competing against some of the world’s most accomplished surfers. He added, “We know that a few of these guys are pro, they have a lot of experience so the standard is going to be high”.

Cian said that he hopes to qualify from a heat at the world championships and improve his performance at the next European championships.

Proud Dad Eamon, said his son has worked hard to make the Irish team.

“It’s been his goal since he was 10 to be a professional surfer. Its rare to have a young fella with that focus,” he added.

Eamon said that the level of dedication exhibited by surfers like Cian and Donough is helping smash misconceptions about surfing.

He explained, “There is a perception that surfing is about these hairy young fellas hanging around, drinking cider. That is most definitely not the case. It couldn’t be further from the truth”.

Asked what he is expecting from his week in Peru, Cian said, “Lots of sun, lots of waves and lots of good surf”. And who knows, maybe a few medals.

BY way of giving a context to the scale of the challenge that awaits Clare on the banks of the Lee this Sunday, while giving the county some hope at the same time, two game’s from the vaults of history ring out.

Games 23 years apart – the scores very much apart too, even if the results were the same as Clare ended up on the losing side on things on both occasions.

1973 and 1996 are the years – one a depressing tale the other a tale of what should have been for a Clare team that was arguably one of the best to ever represent the county in Munster – better than the 1992 Munster Championship winning team, better than the Munster final team of 1997.

The Clare team in 1973 looked good on paper too – it was blessed with some fine footballers, but what happened in the old Cork Athletic Grounds was a harsh lesson in the reality of top-flight inter-county fare.

They managed one point from play over the 80 minutes that was in vogue for championship at the time – that came from midfielder Pete Dillon. They only scored 0-3 in total, while Cork racked up 2-14 as they took another step towards winning their first All-Ireland title in 62 years. And, bear in mind it was a Cork team sans Jimmy Barry Murphy who later lit up the championship, while key defender and Munster rugby player John Coleman was missing too.

Things were a lot different 23 years later when Clare travelled to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in confidence after a last-gasp Aidan O’Keeffe free had earned them a draw against Cork in Cusack Park.

Clare produced a magnificent performance – they trailed 1-8 to 0-4 at half-time having played with the wind, but on the turnover produced a magnificent performance to reel the Rebels in.

With Padraig Conway tormenting Cork until he was taken out of it by Stephen O’Brien, Clare roared back into contention, even though they lost Brendan Rouine to a sending-off only six minutes in.

Four Francis McInerney points and Ger Keane goal saw Clare get back on terms before they took the lead with a Padraig Conway point with 11 minutes remaining. A Joe Kavanagh point brought the game to extra-time but Clare seemed to be on their way to a famous win when they led 1-16 to 1-13 early in the second half.

However, they were denied when a controversial goal from Johnny Buckley, when he walked the ball into the net brought Cork back on terms before late points from Ciaran O’Sullivan and Joe Kavanagh saw them edge home by 2-16 to 1-16.

Bridge United B 2 – Burren United 2 (AET) Bridge United won 5-4 on penalties at The County Grounds, Doora

ROMANCE and heartbreak. That’s cup football and it was to be found in abundance at a very and windy County Grounds on Sunday evening as Bridge United carved their own niche in Clare soccer history.

History and romance was in qualifying for their second Clare Cup final in a row – the only B side ever to do so.

Heartbreak was being in Burren United corner, as they thought they had this game won, not once, but twice before they finally succumbed on penalties.

The weather may have been foul as a squall early in the game, combined with the strong breeze blowing towards the Quin Road end, made for conditions that weren’t conducive to good football, but there was still drama aplenty.

From the opening minute to the last kick when Barry Downes finally decided the contest when converting Bridge B’s final penalty and catapulted them back into another cup final.

It was rough justice on Burren – losing a semi-final on penalties is, but proof once more that anything can happen in cup football was the real winner over the 120 minutes plus of drama as league form was thrown out the window.

As early as the first minute it looked as if Burren would expose the chasm between the sides at league level – they were promoted to the Premier Division last Wednesday, while Bridge United B have long since been relegated to the Third Division.

That’s how long it took for Burren to open the scoring, after an Ian McInerney’s inswinging corner was met at the near post by Mark McCarthy and flashed to the net past a shell-shocked Barry Deasy.

Burren, who played against the breeze in the first half, looked like holding that advantage until the break, only to be hit just on the stroke of half-time as a sweeping Bridge movement was finished to the net by Barry Downes after he latched on to a Brendan Murphy cross to fire home.

The second half turned into a dogged affair – Burren weren’t living up to their undoubted pedigree, while Bridge United, even though they held sway thanks to Ian McInerney presence in midfield.

However, with warhorse Albert Finnan marshalling things brilliantly at the back, the game looked to be heading for extra-time until Evan Talty struck for Burren with ten minutes remaining.

His low free kick from just outside the area beat the wall, skidding on the greasy surface before flying past Barry Deasy into the net.

It looked to have decided things until Brendan Murphy produced a contender for goal of the season. Ghosting up the left flank, Murphy let fly from 25 yards and his shot thundered into the top corner past a bewildered Craig Flanagan.

It was worthy of winning a cup tie, and that’s just what happened after penalties, but not before Burren thought they had sealed a first cup final spot in ten years with five minutes of extra-time left.

Martin McDonagh broke clear down the right wing and his cross into the box was met and finished to the net confidently by Mark McCarthy, only for his namesake, Dave McCarthy to raise his flag for offside.

There were howls of protest that could be heard nearly as far as the Burren, but to no avail. The flag stayed up, no goal, which meant the game drifted to the inevitability of penalties.

Evan Talty converted Burren’s first kick, before Albert Finnan set the tone for Bridge but scoring his. It was advantage Bridge when Barry Deasy save Mark McCarthy’s kick and from there they held on to that advantage as Gavin Downes, Robert Conlon, Jamie O’Gorman converted their kicks.

Gihat Marine, Martin McDonagh and Liam Keane scored for Burren to leave it at 4-4, but Barry Downes had the final say coolly slotting his home to secure Burren’s passage to the final.

WHEN three members of the Clare senior camogie management team, including manager Patsy Fahey, resigned just over six weeks ago, the Banner’s season threatened to implode before it had even begun in earnest.

After a first ever winter programme and an unprecedented extended training squad, Clare were looking to climb a few rungs of the national camogie ladder this year but three successive league defeats allied to college commitments from a large chunk of the young squad made Fahey question the players’ commitment to the cause and so he, along with selector Eamon O’Loughlin and Ger O’Halloran, decided to step down.

However, a third selector, Tom Hogan, remained with the squad and out of the ashes of the last regime, he has taken on the mantle of manager and assembled a new backroom team around him along with a renewed commitment from the players ahead of this weekend’s Munster senior final.

“It has worked out okay. Ger [O’Halloran] came back a week after that again and we have been working away three times a week since. We also have a couple of challenges played in the last couple of weeks against Limerick twice and the Gal- way intermediates so we have been working away okay.”

It may be seen as a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire for Clare though, as their return to competitive action after a nine-week absence sees them take on Cork, the most successful camogie side of the last decade who are desperate for success themselves after being out of the winners enclosure in all competitions since 2009. Not only that but Clare will also meet the Rebel county in the first round of the All-Ireland championship four weeks later.

“Going out against Cork, not having a competitive game for so long, is not ideal. We saw Cork play Tipperary and they beat them fairly well so we know we are really up against it.

“We would have also preferred if we didn’t have to play Cork so soon again after the Munster championship but that’s the way it goes and that’s what we have to do.”

And far from wallowing in self pity, Hogan feels that the players themselves are eager to prove themselves once again and put recent unwanted publicity behind them.

“There are a share of them doing exams at the moment and trying to fit in training as well so it’s hard to get a full panel together at the moment but I know that they are anxious to get back in action alright.

“Siobhan [Lafferty] is more or less out and Kate Lynch is nursing a finger injury at the moment but hopefully she will be fit to play. They are our two concerns at the moment but they are two huge concerns as well. “We are looking for a performance this weekend. It would mean a huge amount if we could pull it off but it’s a tall ask really.” Lest we forget that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.