*Jarlath Collins holds onto possession under pressure for Éire Óg. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Despite going down by four points to Éire Óg, Clooney/Quin are still through to the last eight alongside the Townies from Group 3, sending Kilmaley to the Senior B contest and Scariff to a relegation play off.
*Shane O’Donnell. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Éire Óg resurrected their Canon Hamilton bid when holding the whip hand over a stubborn Scariff in O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge.
*Kilmaley’s Tommy Barry. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill There was no shortage of talking points when neighbours Kilmaley and Éire Óg did battle in the opening round of the senior hurling championship at a wet Cusack Park this Saturday evening.
HAVING come close in recent seasons to a breakthrough at senior ranks, Éire Óg will feel a certain degree of pressure to ensure this materialises on the hurling field this year.
*Huw Lawlor claims the ball above Peter Duggan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Along with a huge Clare crowd, I travelled to Dublin in expectation of a win rather than hoping for one. The mood before the game was confident, although as word circulated of John Conlon’s injury there was a note of apprehension.
*David Reidy’s shot is blocked by Cian Kenny. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Clare headed to Croke Park full of hope but left dejected and disappointed, coming up second best across the board against Kilkenny to bow out of the All-Ireland SHC.
TWELVE points was the final margin as Kilkenny’s cats took the cream against Clare in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final.
*Clare’s Cathal Malone. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill CLARE’S starting team for Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final shows no changes from the team which lined out in their quarter-final win over Wexford.
*Conor Cleary is congratulated by members of the Clare backroom team. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Clare survived a tactical challenge that tested their game-plan more than any other championship outing this year, Eoin Brennan rewinds over the quarter-final and dishes out the player ratings from the Wexford tie.
*Peter Duggan tries to find a way through Matthew O’Hanlon and the Wexford defence. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Clare’s senior hurlers are returning to Croke Park for the first time since 2018.