Clare GAA Discussion part 2
I think his foot is in the astro. I assume that this is the margin of the small square. What happened after that is fair enough in terms of rules. The frame shown does not have the ball in the small square and he is marginally ahead of the ball. I'd say the ref got it right but it's not 100% certain.
its a very ,very good call if it is , as i said with slow motion its so hard to judge , who would be a referee
What's the standard in the football like guys? It's been a long time since I was at a game. I did try and follow whomever won the County afterwards in the Munster Club. Had some enjoyable days. In general id prefer the rugby and I really think Gaelic Football needs a tackle..Thats all an aside. Eire Og again or can Cratloe upset the Applecart?
Average to say the least, probably the best individual performances of the weekend came from Gary Brennan and David tubridy which speaks volumes for the next generation
Overall standard of play is good but there is very little emphasis put on decision making in this county , probably the main reason we play nice football against the likes of Roscommon and win before getting trounced by a more clever team in the next round
Eire Og still look the team to beat , I reckon lissycasey, cratloe ,breckans are their biggest threats, kilmurry look all over the place at the moment
Have seen only about 25% of the games but I'd guess the standard is on a par with the other div 2 level counties. All the teams that qualified from the group stages are in peak physical shape and well conditioned. They are all more or less replicating a game plan implemented by county teams ie. Defending in big numbers and careful in possession when countering, working the ball through the hands and probing for openings or frees, not great spectacles but that's the way all field sports are gone because all teams are coached within an inch of their lives now, soccer, rugby and hurling are the same mostly poor spectacles apart from the odd game.
Dermot Coughlan, the Cahills from Corofin, Joe McGann, Brendy Rouine, Gary Brennan, Enda Ralph, Cormac Murray are some of the stand out performers I have seen outside of Eire Og. Eire Og have county men in every line if they keep it steady I think they will win the championship at a canter.
I think we are producing more top quality players in the county now than we ever produced but that probably relates to more time given over to training and coaching and young lads more into personal fitness in the present day.
In my opinion if your are to raise Clare football another level you have to adopt the Kerry championship structure. There should be definitely no more than 8 senior football clubs in Clare. So you have your 8 strong club teams and then have four divisional teams. North Clare, South Clare, East Clare and West Clare. You would have a real high standard championship then and would also improve the intermediate and Junior ranks plus giving every player in the county who is good enough a chance to play senior championship.
The former football strongholds in West Clare are fading fast due to lack of numbers. Kilkee are junior. Cooraclare and Kilrush intermediate and Doonbeg, Miltown and Kilmihil are in the relegation playoffs this year. They can't compete with the big population bases of Ennis, Barefield, Cratloe (who are basically picking from a of East Clare and beyond) Ennistymon who have a massive catchment area including Inagh, Kilnamona and Lahinch. Clondegead which is a hugely populated commuter belt area. Lissycasey another highly populated commuter belt area.
Kilmurry Ibrickane and Breckans are probably the exceptions, but the age profile of the Kilmurry team is shockingly high and the future isn't too rosy for them, I'm not sure how Breckans are so competitive possibly a good cycle of players at the moment.
But to drive Clare football on this model is the way forward, not a hope it will happen though
Don't think possible to implement Kerry structure in Clare football as it dual county. Amalgamations like Western Gaels and Kilballyowen didn't work out as lads were playing two 2 games in a weekend.
You are probably right and that is why we will never compete at top 8 level in inter county football.
Average standard of club players has to be raised to have a better senior team. That starts at 14 years of age. I can't say I know what is happening at underage football but today's seniors aren't going to improve much more than they are, but the underage is the only way.
Think needs to be more games at underage u14 to minor particular for clubs in west Clare as majority wouldn't play any other sport other than football. It pity no full size astro pitches for teams to play/train particularly when weather is bad.
I might be wrong but anecdotally I hear that West Clare kids are playing multiple sports now to the possible detriment of football, a big amount playing hurling and on county hurling development squads and a lot in academy rugby squads as well. This was unheard of 20 years ago but parents are ferrying kids big distances now for sport. I'm not saying that this as a negative, its brilliant to give kids opportunities but Football is not the be all and end all it was in West Clare in the past.
https://twitter.com/GaaClare/status/1567225255676022784
What rugby academies? There isnt one A.I.L club in Clare. Are parents ferrying the kids into Limerick? That's some commitment.
All Star nominees
Football - Eoin Cleary
Hurling - Paul Flanagan, Diarmuid Ryan, David McInerney, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald, Ryan Taylor, Tony Kelly and Shane O Donnell
Senior weekend fixtures
Saturday
Sixmilebridge v Clonlara
Senior Hurling Championship Gp 1 Rd 5
Shannon 2:30 PM
Feakle v Whitegate
Tulla 5:00 PM
Sunday
Áth Leathan v Clarecastle
Senior Hurling Championship Gp 2 Rd 5
Cusack Park 3:00 PM
Cratloe v O'Callaghans Mills
Sixmilebridge 5:30 PM
It may not fill the place but this a really nice thing to see happening
Clonbony Hurling v Kilkee/Bealaha
Junior C Hurling Champ Semi Final
Cusack Park 5:00 PM Sunday
Senior hurling championship has been a slow burner so far. Hopefully the knock out stage will be more of a barnburner .
Is there much / anything at stake this weekend? In the senior hurling
Do players value being nominated, or only if they win an All Star ?
Realistically we’ll win none in football and three maybes in hurling (TK, SOD and D.Fitz). At a stretch D.McInerney.
do the others all travel to Dublin for a ceremony or what, and is it considered a perk or a chore for them
The only thing at stake was the broadford v clarecastle match where the winners were safe and the loser into the relegation
It was a huge win for the south east Clare side in fairness, but not the greatest of games
The magpies play whitegate Saturday week in tulla with the loser going down to intermediate
The following day at the same venue Smith O'Brien's face scariff in the other relegation decider ,
Football defenitly so , the first two Clare players in that code to get nominated were from my own club back in the 70s or early 80s which is still very much recognised within the parish neither won one Noel Roche won Clare's first in 84 I think
I imagine at club level it's seen as a huge achievement but not the same as football given how much stronger the county is in hurling, Kelly should get one again which will cement his legendary status within the county don't think any of the 90s lads won 3 all stars in a row
As for the others David fitz had a great campaign, his shooting was terrible in the semi final though so that game might go against him , it would be great if o Donnell won another especially after his injury
Clares only Football All-Star is Seamus Clancy
I always thought Loughnane won our First All-Star
Or did you mean Roche won our First Football nomination? that man deserved an All Star
No the first Clare footballers to get nominated were TJ Murphy Barry Murphys father (Scariff ) in 1977 three years later Martin Murphy was nominated cratloes Martin oigie Murphys father both were from kilmihil
Roche didn't win one sorry was sure he did at some point all of this was before my time
They were the first football nominations ,
So the hurling quarterfinal draw was made
Eire Og v Inagh Kilnamona
Cratloe v Newmarket
Sixmilebridge v Wolfe Tones
Ballyea v Clooney Quin
Weekends Senior Fixtures
Doonbeg V St Joseph's Miltown Malbay
Senior Football Championship Relegation Playoff
Cooraclare 6:00 PM
Loser plays Kilmihil (Given the kind of by) to decide who is relegate
Clondegad V St Joseph's Doora Barefield
Senior Football Championship Playoff
Winner joins Corofin as a 3rd place team in the Quarter finals
my predictions,
Eire Og by 2 to 4 points
Cratloe by 4
Bridge by 8 to 11 points
Ballyea by 3
If there's an upset to take place I would give Clooney a huge shout against ballyea
Ballyea have been very much below par through out the group stage, and while they had all there work done by the cratloe game they were still poor enough at times in the mills, broadford and especially clarecastle games
Clooney have been fairly decent in there performances up to now and we're impressive in the early rounds
totally agree with that assessment WSH
One senior football game today and a big surprise in the intermediate championship are the main talking points after todays action
, Doonbeg v miltown , tubridy v cleary in the relegation semi final , was a cracker over 60 minutes both players and teams didn't disappoint , doonbeg pulled away in extra time and for the first time in years the future looks very bright for the long village , darragh burns had a super championship for the magpies he is definatly one to watch in the coming years , they are starting to build again underage and they are learning all the old doonbeg tricks as they go along of ruffing up the opposition , time wasting fouling in the right areas , diving if needed ect... and like all good doonbeg teams of the past a really good forward line to finish things off
miltown on the other hand are in trouble , kilmihil might be one of the weaker teams this year in senior but if they preform like they have tonight and over the last 3 rounds they are in serious trouble
huge win for ennistymons 2nd team as they saw off many peoples favorites wolfe tones in the intermediate championship , tones never got out of the blocks in the first half and were 9 points down , between billy connors and dathi lohan it looked like the comback was on when they got it back to 3 points with ten minutes to go but they failed to score after wards , beno take a bow , the man behind the seceans in the clare football development squads has done wonders with this side ,
in the junior A championship Kilkee saw off Eire og (2) and liscannor saw off Lissycasey (2) to qualify to the semi finals of the championship
Wolfe Tones traditionally give Sixmilebridge tough games. Its kind of a Derby game and there wouldnt be a fear factor there.Id give them an outside chance here . Sixmilebridge have very little coming through underage which is so unusual. The players just aren't there by all accounts. That Wolfe Tones underage is just about getting its act together after a horrible 20 years is a good sign but how they let it slip needs a book to be written with fine facilities and a big population. Dont give me the 'urban ' excuses when Na Piarsaigh in the road can churn out team after team whilst surrounded by AIL rugby clubs and junior soccer ..
Ballyea I haven't seen this year but even though they are county champions (fine champions) they are limited. Some of their players have glaring deficiencies which good teams will expose . Hard to know if Clare has those good teams at the moment. The likes of Na Piarsaigh or Ballygunnar would thump Ballyea.
Eire Og are the great 'sleeping giants' (in their own estimations) who fail every year. They ll find a way to lose again even though they have some excellent players in all lines. Inagh really do need this win aswell. I couldn't call it.
Cratloe should win. They are talented and play great stuff. Newmarket are out performing themselves. Cratloe to win but then struggle because of the dual commitments.
Results:
SFC play-off Clondegad 1 - 15 D/Barefield 0 - 08
Intermediate Quarter-finals:
Cooraclare 0 - 12 Naomh Eoin 1 - 06
Kildysart 0 - 13 Shannon Gaels 0 - 13 AET
Kildysart win 5-4 on Penalties
O'Currys 3 - 12 Kilrush Shamrocks 3 - 09
Inter Rel play-off: Kilfenora: 0 – 11 Coolmeen: 0 - 09
Junior A Quarter-finals
KIB: 2 – 11 Breckans 1 – 06
Liscannor 1 – 09 Lissycasey 0 – 10
Killimer 4 - 14 Clondegad 1 - 11
Clondegad look a new team this year have been very competitive all year , gary brennan on form they will be a dangerous side to meet in tomorrows 1/4 final draw , barefield never got going , a young and promising team in there own right , they will build on this year i think
intermediate: Kildysart were pushed all the way to sudden death in penalties by there neighbors and rivals shannon gaels , 5-4 it finished on penalties after the sides couldnt be separated after 70 minutes of football, O'Currys recorded an impressive win over kilrush to book a semi final spot , favorites Cooraclare were anything but impressive against a tough and dogged naomh eoin side
the junior semifinals will be contested by , kilkee, kilmurry ibk (2) , liscannor and kilimer after the weekends action
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