*Mark Rodgers in action for Clare. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
KICKING off the hurling year in January with the Munster senior hurling league is a chance for Clare to set their standards for the entire year, star forward Mark Rodgers has said.
Clare’s flagship hurlers will undoubtedly be glad to see the back of a disappointing 2025. However, while the prospect of trying to rally the troops for a major backlash for next year’s championship in Division 1B of the National Hurling League doesn’t initially seem ideal, getting the opportunity to blood some of the rich underage conveyer belt of talent will be the clear priority.
After all, along with the historic Munster and All-Ireland Minor triumphs of 2023, having contested three of the last four provincial Minor Finals and two of the last three All-Ireland deciders in addition to Munster Under 20 Final appearances in 2023 and ’25, there is no shortage of big game experience that Brian Lohan and his management team will be keen to utilise over the coming months.
Who better to assess the transition from underage to senior than Mark Rodgers who has been in the limelight since bursting onto the inter-county scene at minor level in 2018 with two goals inside ten minutes against Cork in Páirc Ui Chaoimh.
Despite his meteoric rising star and back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup medals with UL in 2022 and ‘23, the Scariff native still had to be patient at senior level as it was only in his third year on Lohan’s flagship panel that he finally made his first Munster Senior Championship start against Tipperary in Cusack Park in the opening round.
The rest is history as twelve months later, Rodgers soared to not only a first All-Ireland Senior success but a breakthrough All-Star and National Young Hurler of the Year award to boot so while his noted modesty wouldn’t allow it, he could almost teach the class on senior squad assimilation if required. “I am very conscious of young lads coming in now in a position that I would have been in a few years ago. It’s not that it’s very difficult or anything but it’s certainly a very different lifestyle when you get to senior level.
“You’re training a lot more and while our development squads and in particular our minors and Under 20’s have been prepped really well for this, there are a lot of physical demands. You have to be on top of your nutrition and your sleep and your recovery and things like this or else it’s very hard to even compete in training let alone matches. You need a lot of luck of course as well because unfortunately injuries happen and a lot of newer players on the panel get injured because of the increased demands of training and the gym and the overall demands of playing at the highest level.
“The Munster Hurling League has always stood to me because games at this time of the year give you a huge opportunity to build a fitness level and build confidence in yourself as well before the National League. And then of course once the league kicks off, the championship is only around the corner so I feel that the Munster League is pivotal in a lot of ways as even though it’s in January, it can set the standards for the entire year”.
Belying his mere 24 years, Rodgers is much more mature and aware of the effort that goes in behind the scenes in order to have Clare’s recent classes of minors and Under 20’s readymade for life in the senior grade. “Clare have been consistently at the business end of the minor and Under 20 championships for the past few years and the likes of Club Clare, the supporters club, has no small part to play in that. As players, we’re well aware of the tireless work they do behind the scenes to keep Clare competitive at all these grades and ensure that the county are in the best position possible to remain at the business end at senior, Under 20 and minor.
“Those players are now starting to consistently filter through to our panel and it’s easy to see the quality of S&C work that has gone in, the quality of coaching and training and the huge benefits of the psychology work which puts them in a fabulous position to take that next step. Obviously there will be a bedding in period for some of them and a lot of improvements to be made in certain departments but there’s no doubt that they’re in a great position to make that jump”.
With news that Club Clare’s membership for 2026 is now open to supporters, Rodgers again reiterates the importance of that direct financial backing to all levels. “We’re very aware of the support and the great goodwill from the stands. To be honest, there are very few sessions go by without mention of our supporters and the work of the likes of Club Clare. We know just how lucky and how privileged we are to be in this position because we come from a great county with people that are passionate and will go that extra mile to see us do better. So that’s not taken for granted by us and we fully realise how lucky we are to be out on the pitch representing Clare”.
It’s also a privilege to watch Rodgers and Co. in action, they’re back to the field on January 3rd when neighbours Limerick arrive in East Clare for the start of the Munster Hurling League. However, having been ravaged by injuries last season, is there an extra determination to redress the balance in 2026?
“The danger of looking too far ahead and looking to the end of the league and the start of a new championship is that you don’t maximise what’s happening now. We’ve starting a new training block and we’re eager to build on that and make the most of every session because that would give us the maximum rewards. The ultimate aim is that when championship rolls around that we have as many lads fit and available as possible and having all that work done that we’ll be in a great position by that stage. For the moment though, we’re just taking it step by step and building blocks and working on as much as we can work on and being very much in control of what we’re doing”.
With John Kiely’s side coming to Dr. Daly Park in Tulla on the first Saturday in January, Rodgers is also eager to provide some new year advice for supporters.
“I’m personally really looking forward to playing in Tulla. I’ve played there on many occasions over the past few years for Scariff so I know exactly the quality of field and facility that it is and the guys over there are brilliant. From Tulla’s point of view though, they’ll be asking for patrons for come a bit earlier or else as I know too well from experience that they’ll have a bit of a
