*Dermot Coughlan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE’S MINOR football manager, Dermot Coughlan is confident the systems in place are correct.
A four point loss to Tipperary knocked Clare out of the provincial championship and ensures that for the second year in a row the county will not be contesting in the play-off stages of the provincial series.
Kilmurry Ibrickane clubman, Coughlan maintained, “The system is right, the coaching is good and players at this age group are getting a lot of opportunities”.
He praised their second half showing against Tipperary in Semple Stadium, “We were four points down going into the second half but the lads really took the game to Tipperary and created a lot of chances, enough to maybe even have pulled ahead. A couple dropped short but the lads created the chances”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Dermot explained, “the way Tipperary were set up, they had a lot of bodies back forcing us to shoot from outside the zone. Overall I was happy with the football the lads played”.
Clare’s two point loss to Limerick in Miltown Malbay a week earlier was costly, he acknowledged. “On that night we kicked some great scores but we were caught for goals. The one before half time proved crucial while the concession of two in the last ten minutes meant we didn’t get a chance to respond”.
Players involved “will have learned a lot from the campaign. Nothing beats games and with three championship games under their belts that will be a great plus going into next year. They won’t get that experience from playing challenge games. Under 17 is very much a development stage and they have three years before they finish out at under 20. I hope they will progress, they have the talent and ability to do that,” he added.
“The aim for all is to play at senior inter county level, Clare are up there with any county in terms of the work that is being done,” he concluded.
