*Dermot Coughlan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE showed they were more than capable of beating Down but let the opportunity to do so slip through the fingers to start their Division 3 bid with a five point loss.
Evident from the get-go of Paul Madden’s tenure has been a more professional set-up which is the least the incredibly dedicated Clare senior footballers deserve.
Madden stated that very few people gave Clare a chance of upsetting Down, even some of the most genuine Banner supporters that travelled to Newry were not optimistic that they would return home the M1 with two points in the bag.
Those of us in the minority that were well aware Clare are as good if not better than Down, despite recent results, left Páirc Esler disappointed to cough up the points that were there for the taking.
A strong second quarter where Clare outscored Down 2-4 0-5 was their best spell of the game. Páraic McMahon looks back on the displays of Clare’s footballers with the player ratings.
1: Stephen Ryan (Kilrush Shamrocks)
With a tricky breeze in Páirc Esler, getting kickouts directly to his target was far from easy but Clare retained just shy of 60 percent of Stephen’s kickouts. Converted Clare’s only score from a free in the entire game when landing a two pointer on sixty four minutes to see the visitors regain the lead for what would be the last time in the game. He had another opportunity to level matters in additional time but failed to connect properly with the ball and the effort dropped short. There was little he could for Down’s second goal but he was at fault for their first major, his efforts to prevent a point from a Pat Havern free saw him inadvertently allow John McGeough pounce for a green flag in a moment which changed the game. He’ll recover from this to play a pivotal role in Clare’s league bid.
Rating: 5
2: Alan Sweeney (St Breckan’s)
Stationed at corner back, a new role for the Doolin defender who is now in his ninth year on the county senior panel. Threw himself into proceedings when the ball was there to be won, bringing the fighting Sweeney spirit. Given the full seventy minutes against an opposition he was dropped for in the championship last season. Was assigned to John McGeough who finished with 1-1, will need to be more alert for all sorts of balls dropping into the square if staying in the full-back line, was also caught out of position for the second goal. Not overly prominent throughout the course of proceedings, less vocal than he was when positioned at wing-back, Clare will need Alan’s leadership skills to be more visible.
Rating: 6
3: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
Comfortable at full-back in the saffron and blue, Ronan was given the task of curbing the influence of Down’s regular top scorer Pat Havern who was named Tailteann footballer of the year in 2024. To give an indication of how Lanigan fared, Havern scored 0-10 when Down routed Peter Keane’s Clare in Ennis last summer, his tally was reduced to 0-6 in his familiar surrounds of Páirc Esler and four of this return was from play. The Éire Óg defender was solid throughout, while he was a bit loose at times, he covered the ground and forced Down’s second wide of the game through his well-timed tackling. He broke forward with the ball to help kick start the move for Clare’s first goal.
Rating: 7
4: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
Didn’t appear to be himself as Manus made the move from wing back where he excelled with Éire Óg once again to the corner, a spot he has made his own at inter-county level since making his debut in 2022. There was none of his lung-busting runs which have created so many scores and left countless opposing footballers in his wake, suggesting his brief was to remain focused on a zonal defence. He was fouled but didn’t receive a free from referee Conor Doureen, a decision that led to Down scoring their ninth point via Pat Havern. While Manus was not overly prolific, he still won his battle with Adam Crimmins and will rightly remain one of the first names on Paul Madden’s team sheet.
Rating: 6
5: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
After getting caught in the air for two successive Ronan Burns’ kickouts, it was looking ominous for Cillian at the beginning of Saturday’s tie. Both of those plays led to scores as Shane Arnett and Ceilum Doherty split the posts, given his stature and presence, the former skipper will need to be stronger in the air if remaining in the half-back line. One of his biggest attributes is his mental resilience and this was clear when he recovered from the shaky start to end up scoring his first goal for the Clare seniors, a superb effort when twisting and swivelling with the ball, kicking off his left boot to the roof of the net on twenty three minutes. Grew into the game and his tackle count increased from here but his marker Daniel Guinness finished with 0-5 from play. Found himself picking up a yellow card on forty seven minutes, was replaced for Gavin Murray soon after.
Rating: 6
6: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg)
With a cagey start to the game, Clare’s defenders were on edge and Ikem at centre back subsequently took his time to get going. Ikem was one of the leading lights in Clare’s dominant second quarter, powering forward on the ball and offering offloads and an outlet. His attacking prowess is a strong weapon which was not utilised to its full effect with his positioning at centre back where his marker Ceilum Doherty notched three points, all in the first half and two of which were in the opening quarter. Ugwueru had the assist for Clare’s ninth point when finding Dermot Coughlan. Can offer a lot more to the cause if moved further forward.
Rating: 7
7: Fionn Kelleher (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
Yet another honest and workmanlike performance from Fionn. Constantly throwing his body on the line, it resulted in him picking up an early knock, sixty seven seconds into the game when he picked up a gash after winning a turnover. Collected further turnovers when he returned to the field, including one which led to Brian McNamara’s wonderful two pointer late in the opening half. Kept Shane Arnett relatively quiet so did his main duty as a defender very well but will look to target launching more counter-attacks. Kelleher is heading in the right direction of nailing down his spot in defence.
Rating: 7
8: Brian McNamara (Cooraclare)
There is such a high ceiling so far as Brian Mc’s ability is concerned which rightly or wrongly may leave him open to more scrutiny as more is expected of the talented midfielder. Ongoing commitments with UL’s Sigerson Cup team may be adding to his fatigue levels as he didn’t hit his normal heights during the league opener. Combined with Eoin Cleary and Dermot Coughlan to set up Aaron Griffin for Clare’s first two pointer and then landed a wonderful two pointer of his own off his left boot. Had the assist for Clare’s first score of the second half when putting Darragh Bohannon on his way. Seemed to struggle with Odhran Murdock who scored Down’s second goal and did so aided by poor tracking.
Rating: 6
9: Darragh Bohannon (Shannon Gaels)
After a year away, Darragh has slotted seamlessly back into the Clare fold, forming a midfield partnership with Brian Mc which on paper is the side’s strongest line on the field. Bohannon’s physicality, experience and maturity was clear to see in Newry and he clocked up the miles and the possession count to show how he was sorely missed in 2025. Kicked two points over the seventy minutes and was one of the side’s stronger performers.
Rating: 8
10: Brendy Rouine (Ennistymon)
Part of the Clare senior panel since 2022, this was the first time that Brendy was given a starting jersey in the opening round of the National League. He was up and down the field, working on and off the ball for the entire tie. His possession count was ten and he did the right thing on nine of these occasions, the only blot in his copybook was when he coughed up possession when on the attack, allowing Down to go up field and kick their third score in a row, going one point clear on fifty four minutes. Pat Havern ended up with a yellow card for knocking Rouine off the ball. He is well able to make his contribution to the scoreboard so needs to back himself to do so when the opportunity arises.
Rating: 7
11: Dermot Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
Clare’s best performer and most influential player in round one was Dermot. He was powerful when running forward whilst in possession, he broke the lines and helped to create an abundance of chances. He kicked two points over the evening but he would have liked to clock up a bigger tally and had two more chances in the first quarter. His runs created scoreable opportunities which weren’t taken while his turnover also allowed Clare to get their second goal, finished by Mark McInerney.
Rating: 8
12: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
Made a big impact when introduced against Kerry in the McGrath but Aaron was not as central to the Clare attack when it came to their trip to Down. Kicked an excellent two pointer on sixteen minutes but he was a bit erratic with his shooting and decision making in other instances which saw him finish with a wide count of three. As ever, his pace asks questions of opposing defences but a more consistent showing needed over the full course of the game.
Rating: 6
13: Eoin Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown)
Whenever he was within reach of the ball, Eoin looked sharp and lively. A big plus was how fast he was either when in possession or looking to win the ball for Clare. The Miltown Malbay native made a lot of bursting runs in the opening half particularly when tracking back to try dispossess Down players. Noted for his ability to score from all angles, it is somewhat perplexing then that Clare failed to supply him with the ball in any meaningful scoreable opportunity during the game.
Rating: 7
14: Mark McInerney (Éire Óg)
Battled illness to take to the field and Mark though he only featured for forty two minutes, finished as Clare’s top scorer with a tally of 1-3. As a result of the vomiting bog, his energy levels were off. On the shooting front, he missed his first free and had a second wide in the opening half but landed a two pointer on ten minutes after opening his account from the right boot with seven minutes played. Took his goal very well and his appointment as joint vice captain alongside Dermot Coughlan is an astute one.
Rating: 7
15: Cormac Murray (St Joseph’s Miltown)
There was an eagerness from Cormac to get on the ball and he brought energy any time the ball came his way. He was also smart in his approach to force turnovers, including one by the far sideline in the first half to then mount an attack for Clare. Had the assist for Clare’s first point, seven and a half minutes into the game and kicked the side’s eleventh point in the third quarter. Replaced on fifty nine minutes but it already appears he’ll get a fairer crack of the whip so far as game time is concerned this season.
Rating: 7
Subs:
19: Michael Nash (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
Flying up the pecking order, Michael was the first substitute introduced when his clubmate Fionn Kelleher was off for treatment for ten minutes early on. He didn’t look out of place and will feature more as the campaign progresses.
Rating: 6
17: Caoilfhionn O’Dea (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
In under half an hour, Caoilfhionn got on the ball three times, it wasn’t as close to goal to demonstrate what he can do when the opportunity arises but the more minutes he can clock up the more valuable he will become. Replaced Mark McInerney and his choice as first forward brought into play shows management think highly of him.
Rating: 6
23: Gavin Murray (Éire Óg)
Called into play for the last quarter, Gavin came into the fold in the middle third and as ever the instruction was to work hard and try do the right thing, which he did, getting on the ball and offloading.
Rating: 6
20: Joe Rafferty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
An eleven minute spell is tricky to make an impact but Joe managed to do that. He showed his ability and what he can offer to Clare’s attack, combining with Dermot Coughlan to win a free which resulted in Stephen Ryan kicking his two pointer. Don’t rule out Rafferty from making his mark in the starting fifteen.
Rating: 7
25: Evan Cahill (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
It was a tetchy period in the game when Evan was brought into the action as Down had taken a one point lead and were beginning to boss the middle. An eagerness to impress saw him concede a free and pick up a yellow card for his sins.
Rating: 5
