*Conner Hegarty is the Clare U20 captain. Photograph: Chris Copley
The meeting of Clare and their great rivals Limerick in the opening round of the Munster U20 hurling championship at the TUS Gaelic grounds in Limerick next Wednesday starts a very busy period of provincial championship action for Banner county underage sides.
Clare are guaranteed two games in this season’s U20 hurling competition and they take place seven days apart. Next week’s clash with Limerick will be followed seven days later with a home tie in Sixmilebridge against Cork, the current Munster champions.
It’s a difficult draw for Clare to face last year’s Munster finalists in the space of a week. Apart from an expected first round win over Kerry last year, Clare have to go back to 2015 for the county’s last win in this competition. Back then they defeated Waterford in the provincial semi-final before Donal Moloney’s side lost out to Limerick in the final played at Cusack Park.
With a 2-20 to 0-15 win over Kerry under their belts Clare headed to the Gaelic grounds to face Limerick in 2021 where they ended up losing out by thirteen points, 0-17 to 1-27 and lined out without the trio of Mark Rodgers, Shane Meehan and Cian Galvin.
Rodgers is no longer eligible for this grade but Meehan, one of a number of the squad currently on the senior panel, is expected to play a key role. The other senior panellists who are eligible are Cian Broderick, Cian Galvin and Patrick Crotty, all four are expected to fill key roles against a Limerick outfit that has ten of last year’s Munster final starting line up available to them including Colm Coughlan, Adam English, Cathal O’Neill, Paddy Donovan (all senior panellists) and Aidan O’Connor.
Manager Terence Fahy (Whitegate) and his backroom team of Tomás Kelly (Inagh/Kilnamona), Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Dave Moriarty (S and C), Kieran Connolly (physio) are in their first season in charge at this level and they have been working with the squad since the end of last season.
As they finalise preparations for the games against “the best two teams in the competition last year”, manager Fahy acknowledged that “the management of the past two years were without a number of key players which was a big blow to their hopes.”. He hopes to have “all of our squad available for selection on Wednesday”
Continuing he told The Clare Echo, “all of our focus is on striving to deliver a performance next week and we know that’s a big challenge. Limerick have fourteen players that played a part in the final against Cork last year still available to them”.
Cian Broderick (Clarcastle) who filled the position last year and Aaron Shanahan (Tulla) are vying for the goalkeeper’s position. Adam Hogan (Feakle) is the only surviving defender from last year’s team and he and Cian Galvin (Clarecastle) are expected to fill defensive positions.
Colm O’Meara (Clonlara), Shane Punch (Ruan), Oisin O’Donnell, (Crusheen), Diarmuid Cahill (Corofin) and Connor Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona) are survivors from last year. Hegarty is this season’s team captain.
Oisin Clune (Feakle), Jarlath Collins and Oran Cahill (both Éire Óg), Conor Leen (Corofin), and Diarmuid Mullins (Crusheen) are others who are challenging to be in the line up on Wednesday while Bodyke’s Sean Wiley is doubtful due to a hamstring injury.
It’s a huge challenge for the Banner outfit against a Limerick side that many have already installed as favourites for Munster and All-Ireland glory.
