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*Gearoid ‘Gudgy’ O’Connell. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
THREE-TIME Clare SHC winning manager Robbie Hogan has said the format of the county hurling championship needs to be reviewed.
Ballyea, Broadford, Feakle and Sixmilebridge have exited the Clare SHC following the group stages, playing three championship games over the course of six weeks.
Hogan who is in his third stint as Ballyea boss saw his side record one victory, one draw and one defeat to finish third in Group 1 of the Clare SHC.
Clare’s SHC is regarded as one of the most open and competitive in the country, the margins between victory and defeat are wafer thin while the consequences for every result have come under the microscope following the final round where Scariff and Wolfe Tones both progressed to the quarter-finals on scoring difference.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Hogan felt officials within Clare GAA needed to consider what could be done to promote hurling more by means of the Clare SHC.
“There are a lot of clubs out now and maybe there is a question around having a preliminary quarter final, something like they do in football. Our year is done and it’s early and it’s not helping the game.
“We have a lot of young lads coming through from minor last year. The year is done for them now and we talk about promoting the game. Having lads sitting at home is no good for promoting hurling. That’s a bigger question for other people,” the victorious Clare SHC manager of 2016, 2021 and 2022 stated.
Even though Ballyea won their final round fixture against St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield by nine points it wasn’t enough for them to make the knockout stages with Clonlara and Inagh/Kilnamona drawing in the group’s other tie. “At the end of the day we came here to win the third round of the championship. The key was to win but for anything after that we were relying on others and you can’t rely on anyone else to get your work done. The first round didn’t help us and likewise the draw the last day was a tough one to take. The final score to come in the sixty eighth minute put a huge change on things. That’s sport and you just move on”.
While Hogan and Ballyea would prefer to still be hurling, they are happier to have avoided the fate of St Joseph’s who are battling to retain their status. “The lads gave it everything. We came down to win and at half time we would have been happy. We wouldn’t like to be where Doora/Barefield are now. In the group we were playing teams we would normally hit across in semi-finals or quarter finals. One of us were going to go home with nothing. We did everything in our power today but it didn’t work out”.
Every team needs to get the rub of the green, he noted. “It just shows the importance of every game, losing the first game was massive, the scoring difference was huge, the drawn game as well. Our day is done and that’s it. We have been lucky to have been on the right side of results down the years. That’s it”.
