*Ronan Lanigan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
RONAN LANIGAN and Dermot Coughlan will make their first starts of the year for the Clare senior footballers in their crunch final round tie against Offaly on Sunday.
As it stands Clare are in second spot in Division 2 behind Offaly and above Kildare but Clare must beat Offaly by eleven points or more to secure promotion to Division 2 if Kildare defeat Antrim.
For this crunch tie which throws in at 14:00, Peter Keane has his strongest hand available to him all season and has both Ronan Lanigan and Dermot Coughlan in the Clare team for the first time. Lanigan made his first appearance when introduced in the pulsating victory over Laois last weekend while Coughlan has two games under his belt, the win against the O’Moore men saw him get a full half under his belt.
In the named team, there’s positional switches aplenty but the inclusion of Lanigan and Coughlan represents the only change in personnel. As a result, Connor Meaney and Fionn Kelleher are not included in the starting fifteen, Kelleher is unlucky to miss out.
Lanigan is named at wing back but could well be playing at corner back to allow Cillian Rouine settle into a more offensive role in defence.
Similarly, Coughlan is named at corner forward but is very unlikely to play there.
Clare:
1: Eamon Tubridy (Doonbeg)
2: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
3: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
4: Cillian Rouine (Ennistymon)
5: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
6: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg)
7: Alan Sweeney (St Breckan’s)
8: Brian McNamara (Cooraclare)
9: Ciaran Downes (Kilmihil)
10: Mark McInerney (Éire Óg)
11: Eoin Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown)
12: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
13: Dermot Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
14: Emmet McMahon (Kildysart)
15: Keelan Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
Subs:
16: Tristan O’Callaghan (St Breckan’s)
17: Fionn Kelleher (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
18: Connor Meaney (Lissycasey)
19: Rory McMahon (Kildysart)
20: Darragh Burns (Doonbeg)
21: Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
22: Shane Griffin (Lissycasey)
23: Evan Cahill (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
24: Seán McAllister (Clondegad)
25: Diarmuid O’Donnell (Kildysart)
26: Cormac Murray (St Joseph’s Miltown)
27: Cillian McGroary (Corofin)
28: Jamie Stack (St Breckan’s)
