*Clare minor coach, Damien O’Halloran. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE’S minor hurlers put their titles as All-Ireland and Munster champions on the line for the first time when they enter the championship arena this Thursday.
Cusack Park hosts the first round tie of Clare and Waterford this Thursday at 6pm, indeed the Banner’s first two outings in the province are their only home fixtures so there is an emphasis on starting with a winning note.
Brian O’Connell continues in the hotseat as minor manager where coach Damien O’Halloran, selectors Donal Moloney, Fintan Leamy and Ger Hickey plus S&C coach Hugh O’Neill continue in their respective roles. Liam O’Reilly of the Banner club has bowed out from the management to focus on his club commitments.
Former Poc Fada champion, Denise Lynch is on board as the team’s goalkeeper coach with Tom Barry elevated from the backroom team to an assistant coaching role.
On the playing front, just three of the thirty one person panel have All-Ireland and minor medals from the 2023 squad, freetaker Marc O’Brien has been handed the captaincy with Clarecastle duo Harry Doherty and Conor Ralph also involved last season, Doherty getting the nod as vice captain.
Ballyea’s Cian O’Callaghan who had impressed in training and challenge matches is ruled out of Thursday’s championship opener.
Speaking to The Clare Echo following training in Cusack Park on Tuesday evening, coach Damien O’Halloran outlined, “These lads have been growing in confidence through challenge games, we take learnings every day and try get a little better every day. We’re only focusing on Waterford for Thursday evening, whatever way that goes we’ll sit down and try improve for Limerick. We’re very happy with how the lads have applied themselves, it is a very competitive squad”.
Leadership has been displayed by the trio of O’Brien, Doherty and Ralph, he acknowledged. “The three lads have been fantastic for sharing what we’re about with the new lads coming in, they’ve really bought into what we’re about and our system of play”.
Looking back on the memorable campaign that was for Clare’s minors in 2023, Damien admitted he could never have predicted the rollercoaster that would follow, beginning in the rain in Shannon and ending in the sun of Semple Stadium. “We lost to limerick and got humbled below in Limerick in round two, we went down to Waterford and treated it as a Munster final, they put us to the pin of our collar but we applied ourselves every day and took learnings from each game, we’re trying to take the same approach this year. It was a collective effort to keep getting better and our confidence grew in each game but I would not have foreseen the heights we got to”.
Challenge matches have been played against Dublin, Offaly and Wexford before more recent encounters with Kilkenny and Galway, the Inagh/Kilnamona clubman said. “We had a few very good tests and we’re very pleased with how the lads have applied themselves. We have been competitive in all our games and they have went well but we know championship is up another level”.
That realisation in bringing things up a notch is something the minor panel are well aware of, O’Halloran stated. “One thing that has really helped us if we have a very balanced squad which has led to massive competition among the 31 lads, when you have lads fighting for places it gets rid of the complacency and brings guys to a really high standard, the lads are well aware that Thursday will be a big jump from the games we’ve played”.
With all of their panel currently enjoying the Easter holidays from school, O’Halloran who was coach to the Galway All-Ireland winning minor sides in 2017 and 2018 admitted that this has been addressed by management through the squad’s interactions with performance coach Paul Flanagan. “We’ve referenced it once or twice, Paul Flanagan is doing work with the lads again this year on sports psychology on their routine and switching off, helping them with sticking to their routine, Paul has them well prepped on that”.
Preparations for the minors began in December with a series of trial matches. Damien recalled, “they were very competitive but since the turn of the New Year it has been all systems go in terms of training, gym and trying to get our systems of play in action with the players, we really ramped up from the New Year”.
Action begins on Thursday for Clare before waiting until April 18th for their next run out when they welcome Limerick to Ennis. Damien noted that their home games are vital. “Home games are really important especially when we have home games at the start, we need to make sure we capitalise on the home advantage and gather momentum with the draw to have two early home games and build momentum, that is certainly important for this group in terms of confidence”.
Clare minor hurling panel: Cian O’Callaghan (Ballyea), Dara Kennedy (Ballyea), Seán Óg Kilkenny (Bodyke), Jack Lovett (Broadford), Michael Vaughaun (Broadford), Conor Ralph (Clarecastle), Harry Doherty (Clarecastle), Cillian McGrath (Clonlara), Darragh McNamara (Clooney/Quin), Jerry O’Connor (Clooney/Quin), Matthew Corbett (Clooney/Quin), Patrick Finneran (Clooney/Quin), Sean McNamara (Clooney/Quin), Eanna Collins (Cratloe), Marc O’Brien (Cratloe), Tadhg Lohan (Cratloe), Darragh Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Graham Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), Darren Moroney (Éire Óg), Rian Mulcahy (Éire Óg), Roan McDermott (Éire Óg), Luke McGuane (Inagh/Kilnamona), Evan Crimmins (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Liam Murphy (O’Callaghan’s Mills), James Cullinan (Ruan), Paul Rodgers (Scariff), Mathew Crotty (Scariff), Jack O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge), Eoin Fitzpatrick (Banner), Ryan Hayes (Tulla), Jake Gibbons (Whitegate)
