*Gary Brennan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
BALLYEA HAVE been boosted in their efforts to retain the Canon Hamilton with the return of two time Clare SHC winner, Gary Brennan to their panel.
Former Clare senior football captain, Brennan has not lined out for Ballyea so far this year, having concentrated solely on his involvement with the Clondegad senior footballers, they exited at the quarter-final stage to Éire Óg on Sunday.
Gary, a secondary school teacher at St Flannan’s College returned to Ballyea training on Tuesday. His addition comes as a major lift to Robbie Hogan’s side who take on Cratloe in Saturday’s semi-final at 2:30pm in Cusack Park.
Regarded as one of the top footballers in the country, Gary is also highly rated as a hurler with county managers including Brian Lohan having made approaches for him to join the senior hurling panel. Speaking this week, All Star nominee David Fitzgerald said Brennan was “inter-county standard” when it came to hurling.
Their opponents Cratloe are unlikely to have corner back David Collins in action. The youngest of the Collins brothers has been struggling with injury over the past month, he was substituted their in their quarter-final win over Newmarket-on-Fergus while he had to make way in the opening half of their loss to Kilmurry Ibrickane in the last eight of the Clare SFC on Saturday last.
Also on the injury front, Sixmilebridge remain without Clare midfielder Cathal Malone. The Ennistymon native is set to miss the remainder of the year for both his hurling and football club due to a tear between his groin and abductor muscle. Sean Stack’s side could greatly do with the addition of Malone for what will be a tough semi-final encounter against Éire Óg on Sunday in Cusack Park.
For Éire Óg, Ciaran Russell is to be handed a starting jersey as they bid to reach their first county senior hurling final since 2000. The Clare footballer missed Éire Óg’s quarter-final win over Clondegad in the football but would have been able to enter the fray if badly needed in that contest. Russell is expected to have the task of curbing the influence of either Shane Golden or Jamie Shanahan, both of whom have been the marquee scorers for The Bridge this season.
Paul Madden, Éire Óg senior football manager said Russell was not at full fitness for their game and thus they would have had to take a risk by playing him. “Ciaran Russell is I think the best wing-back in the county and certainly is one of the best in the province. The reality is to play the game at the level we want to play at in a knockout game, you have to be fully fit to play, he wasn’t fully fit today but any day he is fully fit, he is a big player”.
Sixmilebridge versus Éire Óg throws in at 2:30pm on Sunday in Cusack Park.
Finalists will also be known for the Clare IHC final following the weekend action. Tulla and Sixmilebridge square off at 4:45pm in Clarecastle on Saturday with the same venue hosting the clash of St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield and Corofin from 4:30pm on Sunday.
