*Sean Doyle. Photograph: ยฉINPHO/Oisin Keniry

Clare U20 manager Sean Doyle is upbeat for his sideโ€™s chances when they meet Tipperary on Monday despite the loss of key man, Aidan McCarthy.

Final touches to preparation received a blow for Clare when Inagh/Kilnamonaโ€™s Aidan McCarthy sustained a broken thumb while training for the county seniors.

Despite McCarthyโ€™s loss, team manager Sean Doyle is quite upbeat about the sideโ€™s chances. โ€œWe have a good young squad ready to go. It includes a lot of last yearโ€™s minor team. The squad also includes a number of the players that helped St. Flannanโ€™s to Harty Cup glory and they gained a lot of experience from that campaign. Twenty five of the panel will be available for this grade again next yearโ€, the manager told The Clare Echo this week.

Captain Aaron Moloney will also miss the clash having picked up an injury in the days leading up to the game.

In his second season in charge at this grade, Sean is joined in the backroom team by Evan Kilroy from Oranmore and Val Murnane from Limerick (team coaches) and by selectors Ger Rodgers (Scariff) and Jim McInerney (Tulla).

The manager readily acknowledged, โ€œItโ€™s been a very difficult season to prepare a team because of COVID-19. We had started early in the year and we had done a good few sessions before the lockdown came. We only got to resume five or six weeks ago but we have had a great response from all involvedโ€.

The squadโ€™s preparations were upset again last weekend when challenge games against both Offaly and Wexford were cancelled as a result of COVID-19 restrictions moving to Level 3. โ€œWe had already played the Kerry seniors and the Limerick under 20โ€™s and the form was good and we are expecting a big performance on Monday eveningโ€.

Victory on Monday would earn Clare a home semi-final date against Waterford, a match which is scheduled for October Bank Holiday Monday in Sixmilebridge.

Kilmaleyโ€™s Bradley Higgins is also ruled out of this yearโ€™s championship. He suffered a cruciate knee injury last year and isnโ€™t expected to return to hurling until 2021.

Bodykeโ€™s Doyle is expecting a fierce test from their opponents. โ€œThey are the defending champions and their team will include five or six of the players that played in the All-Ireland final last year, players like Andrew Ormond, Conor Bowe, Jack Devanney and Kevin Maher to mention someโ€.

In his first season in charge of the under 20 side last year, Clare lost out to Cork who went on to contest the final. โ€œWe were two points in arrears going into injury time and while Cork eventually won by seven, there really was nothing between the sidesโ€, he explained.

Doyle and his backroom team have a couple of injury concerns ahead of Mondayโ€™s fixture. Conner Hegarty is battling a knee injury while Shane Meehan is recovering from a broken nose sustained while playing with his club, Banner, in the Clare junior football semi-final.

Meehan is one of a number of players who are part of the county senior panel at this time. They others are Paddy Donnellan (Broadford), Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones), Cian Galvin (Clarecastle), Mark Rodgers (Scariff) and the injured Aidan McCarthy

Clare:
1: Cian Broderick (Clarecastle)
2: Paddy Donnellan (Broadford)
3: Adam Mungovan (St Josephs Doora/Barefield)
4: Jathan McMahon (Clonlara)
5: Mike Gough (Smith Oโ€™Briens)
6: Dylan McMahon (Clonlara)
7: Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones na Sionna)
8: Aidan Moriarty (Clonlara)
9: Gearoid Cahill (Corofin)
10: Cian Galvin (Clarecastle)
11: Robin Mounsey (Ruan)
12: William Halpin (Tulla)
13: Diarmuid Cahill (Corofin)
14: Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
15: Shane Meehan (Banner)

16: Cillian Oโ€™Brien (Clonlara)
17: Darragh Healy (Clarecastle)
18: Eoghan Wallace (Clarecastle)
19: Conner Hegarty (Inagh/Kilnamona)
20: Colm Oโ€™Meara (Clonlara)
21: Cian Mulqueen (Broadford)
22: Kevin Keane (Corofin)
23: Conor Bourke (Clonlara)
24: James Maguire (Kilmaley)

Related News

0.9
โ‚ฌ6.6m for transformation of Tuam Station House to enterprise hub
matchmaker bar lisdoonvarna 1
Samaritans to support revellers at Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
aer lingus shannon 1
Aer Lingus increasing Shannon to Boston service to ten weekly flights
cloister monks society 1-2
โ‚ฌ6.9m allocated to transform Cloister into community space
Latest News
cork v clare camogie 21-06-25 clare hehir 1
Hehir nominated for camogie All Star
matchmaker bar lisdoonvarna 1
Samaritans to support revellers at Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
aer lingus shannon 1
Aer Lingus increasing Shannon to Boston service to ten weekly flights
scariff ogonnelloe v feakle killanena 14-12-24 patrick crotty gearoid sheedy 1
Draws made for U21 hurling and football championships
cloister monks society 1-2
โ‚ฌ6.9m allocated to transform Cloister into community space
Premium
Dublin man accused of harassing ex Clare hurler Pรกidรญ Fitzpatrick over nine month period
Madden finalises Clare football management
PLAYER RATINGS: Flangan's match-winning Ballyea performance
'If you keep taking stuff you will keep getting it' - Fahy reflects on dubious refereeing decisions of Munster U20 final
Newmarket-on-Fergus resident charged with giving false & misleading evidence in personal injuries action

Advertisement

Subscribe for just โ‚ฌ3 per month

If youโ€™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 โ‚ฌ3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter โ‚ฌ8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.