Peter Duggan and Paddy Doyle react to the breaking ball. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE supporters could probably name their starting line-up for the opening round of the Munster Senior Championship series now but as they found out to their cost in 2025, an inter-county team is only as good as it supporting cast.
Consequently, there’s a need to develop more potential starters for this year’s provincial round-robin so while a demotion to Division 1B of the National Hurling League initially seemed a disaster, it may yet be a blessing in disguise for Clare to be able to develop their strength-in-depth over the course of the next six group matches.
That’s not an immediate contemplation for the backroom team though according to Clare selector Tommy Corbett as last year’s All-Ireland Semi-Finalists Dublin coming to Ennis this Sunday. “We haven’t really considered that to be fair in that we haven’t really looked much beyond Dublin because that’s a massive first game. We saw exactly how strong Dublin were last year in the All-Ireland Quarter-Final so we have to be ready for that big challenge on Sunday and then after that, you’re planning for a long trip to the Glens of Antrim.
“So there isn’t the immediate scope to look too far ahead but of course the whole idea of a panel is that when injuries arise that you have lads to be able to bring in. And in lads are putting their hands up in training, they will get a run at some stage but we’re definitely not looking at Division 1B as a means to solely blood young players or anything like that. We’re out to win every game and in that mindset we’re looking any further than Dublin at this stage”.
That said, Ennis native Corbett knows more than most about the health of the Clare hurling structure as along with being part of the current senior set-up, he also had first hand family knowledge of the development squad system along with being a committee member of Club Clare, the supporters club that directly fund all hurling and camogie inter-county panels from Under 14 to senior level. “There is a real buzz about Clare hurling now and we even saw that last Saturday with the Harty Cup Semi-Final between St. Flannan’s and St Joseph’s Tulla which was a great occasion for the county.
“I mean all you have to do is drive through any small village or even the town of Ennis and you’re bound to see two or three young boys or girls carrying hurleys which augurs well that if they’re doing it when they’re very young, it will follow through to their teenage years and then onto adulthood then. So the clubs are doing massive work, the standard of coaching has come up to an unprecedented level in recent years and that is then complimented by the refreshing catch-all mentality of the development squads.
“I mean if you have a development squad of 60-70 young lads on it, you are really broadening the net far and wide so you’d be hoping then that no-one slips through that net. I think you’ll find in every county, lads that have may not have been shone at 13 or 14 and suddenly they’re starring in minor and Under 20 teams so it’s important to keep the net wide for as long as possible.”
Clare’s sustained larger squads for every underage group has begun to pay real dividends at senior level too as there is now a consistent conveyor belt of talent for Brian Lohan and his set-up to tap into. “Especially in the likes of S&C.” admits Corbett. “In reality now, when they come into us at 20 or 21, they’ve probably six or seven years of S&C done by that stage. So predominantly they’re ready from a physical point of view to sustain that training schedule that you’re going to meet when it comes to senior.
“From a hurling perspective, there is a huge step up though, that’s for sure. There is a massive leap from Under 20 to senior hurling and not everyone will make that transition. So we’re delighted with the consistent talent coming through from the underage ranks and to be able to look at a Under 20 squad and be able to immediately call on three or four every year, not to mind players who have performed well for their clubs at adult level is just fantastic. Overall, the standard is quite high so when you do bring in three or four lads to an inter-county senior squad, it obviously adds a little bit of momentum as well as freshness and of course competition to the whole set-up.
“That just happen automatically though. You need dedicated administrators and coaches and or course you require financial assistance as well. You only have to look at the accounts of any inter-county team, the cost involved these days just to get to a level to be able to compete with the same terms and conditions as the likes of Limerick and Cork who have big financial backers is huge. So the support that we get from Club Clare has been phenomenal as it allows us to provide the necessary extra aspects such as sports psychology, science and conditioning. So while the lads can do what they can in the gym on the on the field, the financial aspect is important as well and basically we’d be lost without it.”
It puts Clare on an encouraging platform for the medium to long range future but Corbett and Co. are equalling focused on getting the county’s flagship side back to the top of the national hurling ladder and that means gathering early pace in the upcoming National League.
“Momentum is huge in any competition and the habit winning is huge too. Take 2024 when we won the league and were straight into championship two weeks later, of course momentum was a massive factor. I mean there’s a big difference in mindset coming off a successful league campaign where you’ve won most of the games and you’ve a trophy in the boot of the car coming home and only counting down the days until the championship compared to last year when we didn’t have a good league. We were just carrying a few injuries that we couldn’t seem to get on top of and just when we did get on top of them, it turned out to be a little bit late unfortunately so we’re very mindful of that.
“We’re also very mindful that while Division 1B is the second tier, it’s still hugely competitive. You have Dublin that knocked out Limerick last year; you’ve Carlow who drew with Kilkenny in Leinster two years ago; Antrim away is always difficult; Wexford beat us in the Park last year in the league while Kildare are also buzzing at the moment so realistically if you’re not on your toes every day you go out, you’re going to come out second best. So it is very important that we treat every game with the respect that it would be given and that’s the way were going to approach it.
“And basically that was the same for the Munster League. I mean while we were trying out a couple of players, we were taking it seriously as we were disappointed to lose to Cork. We would have liked to have been in the final but at the same time, it’s the National League that we’re gearing up for and after that of course, championship”.
So what of Dublin and the threat they pose to Clare’s optimism levels come Sunday evening? “I watched back the Walsh Cup Final and I thought they were very impressive. They looked a very fit and physical team, moved the ball through the lines pretty well and were well able to take their scores when the chances arose. So if we don’t have our best foot forward, we’re going to get dumped so it is important that we go in with the right attitude and have everyone that’s available to us in good shape and good form.
“I mean Limerick were 1/4 on or was it even 1/5 to beat Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland Quarter-Finals and when Dublin went down to 14 men early on, I can’t even imagine what the odds were then. So to turn that around and knock Limerick out of the championship was just phenomenal. So they’re looking to build on that and they have a very shrewd manager in Niall Ó Ceallacháin as well so we’re under no illusions as to what we’re going to be facing come Sunday”.
