*Clare’s minor hurlers. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
AN INABILITY to get on ball in the middle third of the pitch hindered Clare’s minor hurlers from clawing back against Cork while falling to their third loss in four games.
Ger O’Connell’s side lost by ten points to Cork on Friday evening. They now need Cork and Tipperary to overcome Limerick and Waterford in the final round of games to try claim a spot in the preliminary quarter-finals of the All-Ireland championship.
It will be an anxious week for Clare as they wait to see how Friday’s games go in the final round.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, O’Connell admitted there was a strong level of disappointment with their latest showing. “We just said in the dressing room, that we still have to finish this year out and just respect the jersey and who we’re playing for. That’s our commitment to everything we do.
“We’re just really disappointed with that performance, the better team won. We were dominated in the middle of the field on second ball and Cork got off 40 shots compared to our 20-odd, so you were always on the back foot. But, look, the boys kept going and that’s all you can ask,” he said.
Trailing by two points at half time, Clare fell further behind when Tadhg McCarthy goaled. “We just couldn’t get enough ball in the middle of the field to try and counter or turn the tide. You need to win hard ball there, but in fairness to Cork, they were hungry, they’re a good side, physical and fast. In fairness, our boys, from our end they’ve given us everything and that’s all you can ask for you. They kept going, even though Cork had the chances to make it more, so I suppose ten points probably flatters us as well”.
Regardless of whether their year is over or not, Clonlara’s O’Connell felt the experience of four inter-county games would stand to the minors of 2026. “You see at U20s now and senior level, there’s a lot of players who would have gone through Celtic Challenge or wouldn’t have been on minor teams, that have gone on. That’s the message, it is part of their development and the boys taking what they’ve learned up to this point and making themselves better players – taking the hardships and the disappointments and driving themselves on, that’s all you can do.
“They’ve done everything we have asked them and that’s all we can do. It’s hard to take, we all want to win these games, but the bigger picture is these boys have all represented Clare and they’ve done it admirably. We’re just proud of them as a group and, look, if we are out, we’re out and we’ll see what way the results go,” he added.
