John Conlon chases after David Reidy. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.

CLARE’S start to the Allianz National Hurling League was “fairly pathetic” but the side have moved into “championship mode,” the team’s centre back has said.

John Conlon has made the most championship appearances of any Clare hurler. He started the defeat to Wexford and made his second bow of the year as the county picked up their first win of 2025 when defeating Limerick 1-21 0-21 on Sunday.

Standards that have been set by the group were not met in their first three outings of the League where they suffered defeats to Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford, he said. “It is a league match but we came here today with an ambition to get back to where we were this time last year in terms of intensity, working hard as a group. The last few weeks weren’t good enough, we were pretty disappointed as a group but training in the last week has been fantastic, we have changed into championship mode which is a great thing”.

He continued, “The losses, we took them hard and we were disappointed with the last few weeks, as All-Ireland champions coming out it just wasn’t good enough, not tracking runners last week and letting our home support down it was fairly pathetic, there was a lot of home truths in the last week, we went back to the drawing board and working hard, sometimes you need something to get you going again”.

One of the big pluses of the Limerick win was the showing of Jack O’Neill, Seán Rynne and Cian Galvin as they put themselves in contention for bigger days on the horizon. Both O’Neill and Rynne had been dropped for the Wexford loss but made their return known in the Gaelic Grounds. “For the first match we only had three lads who had won the All-Ireland in July so it was a baptism of fire for a lot of lads to be thrown into games in Pearse Stadium but in fairness when we needed those guys today like Jack O’Neill, Seán Rynne and Cian Galvin who have been getting game time the last couple of weeks, they came up trumps and were flying it”.

According to the Clonlara man, Clare returned to what they have done well in Brian Lohan’s six year tenure which was a high work ethic and executing the basics. “There is a lot of lads coming back from long-term injuries with another batch of lads hoping to get back in over the next week or two, the panel is strong, we know we have a very good bunch and an honest bunch, the great thing with Brian Lohan since he has come in we’ve always been honest, last week wasn’t good enough because we let our management and our county down with the way we were playing, we were disappointed with that, today was about going back to the basics, working hard and trying to be as good as we can, the result didn’t matter it was more about getting to the pitch and intensity we know we can reach, it’s about working on it for the next few weeks towards championship”.

Related News

carole linnane 1
Workload & pressure on Clare schools will continue to rise in absence of secretaries
burren cliffs explorer 1
Additions of Ennistymon & Fanore stops can strengthen Burren & Cliffs Explorer in 2026
rob o'brien tim daly 1
Blocked toilets & growing levels of rubbish in Clare schools without caretakers
joe vaughan 1
Moy's Joe Vaughan remembered as a legend who championed the underdog
Latest News
burren cliffs explorer 1
Additions of Ennistymon & Fanore stops can strengthen Burren & Cliffs Explorer in 2026
rob o'brien tim daly 1
Blocked toilets & growing levels of rubbish in Clare schools without caretakers
joe vaughan 1
Moy's Joe Vaughan remembered as a legend who championed the underdog
deirdre madden barbara kears maureen kelly yvonne enright 1
School secretaries will stay on strike as long as Government ignore them - Scariff's Maureen
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Closing hours extended in Lisdoonvarna for match-making festival
Premium
School secretaries will stay on strike as long as Government ignore them - Scariff's Maureen
Closing hours extended in Lisdoonvarna for match-making festival
New legal challenge against €10m Supermac's Plaza makes 'mockery of planning system'
'Secretaries have been papering over the cracks from Dept under-funding' - Inch principal issues support to workers on strike
Strong finish helps Whitegate edge Bodyke in thriller

Advertisement

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.