Clare GAA Discussion part 2 , No Purple Jumpers Allowed !!

Maybe Lohan might bring in Fahey or O'Connell or both as selectors/coaches next year. New voice, new ideas. Freshen things up. Succession plan too. Let them stay managing the underage teams too. Can't have a big enough coaching set up these days.

Lohan needs a better backroom team. He needs a Kinnerck to see the changes on the day. Whatever the starting role for Morey, he should have adjusted earlier, At the point where KK were pinging balls into the corner forwards unchallenged we had to change.

We have the forwards to take on any backs, but 5 against 6 backs, and with Kelly moving out left too much space for any 4 forwards to cover. If you draw an accurate team like KK into scoring range, you are going to get hurt. For me, Lohans back room needs to move much faster.

The loss was self inflicted.

Starting sweeper was very costly. I can understand why it was done, but it was evident from early on it was not working and should not have waited until half time to change it.

Individual mistakes particularly the goal really killed us. The goal was just a horror show from both Hayes and Quilligan. Also Hayes gave away a completely needless line ball which proved costly, while Galvin Rodgers got in each others way to miss an almost certain Clare goal.

We had some excellent performances, particularly in O'Donnell, Duggan & Malone, but will be hard to recover from this.

I thought Lohan and co were too slow in making changes, especially when the first half was going so badly. Making changes quicker + getting players to pass the ball rather than shoot on site are Clare's biggest improvement areas. Diarmaid Ryan is a great talent but made a lot of bad decisions and gave the ball away numerous times in the first half which he does in almost every game. Galvin took the ball off Rodgers when he was pulling on it 3 yards from goal.. criminal. Hayes got roasted. In big games, one of the Clare full back line tends to be completely beaten. Flanagan had a lot of joy in the 2022 Munster final, Gillane in 2023 and then Cody yesterday. That needs to be sorted out. With all the mistakes, ye were still there at the end and gave away the goal which proved the difference. Ye are not that far away but really need a Munster title at least next year.

Watch the last few minutes again to see the impact of not having an expert freetaker, and general inexperience / naivety:

Score is 1-22 to 1-20, 67m16s Hayes is fouled by Reid. Rogers comes way out (for him) to take the free, between his 45 & 65...he takes the free at 68m01s (KK brought on a sub in that time) and it goes well wide, distance was too much.

From the puckout the ball is sent to E Cody who gets an easy point, 68m33s, young Hogan a bit too raw for Cody 1-23 to 1-20

68m52s, David Fitz fouled by P Walsh, scoreable free about 68m out...Rogers takes a quick one on the ground to Ryan over on the sideline and under a bit of pressure. His delivery ends up going out for a 65 from a Duggan effort.

Rogers points the 65 on 70m24s (Clare brought on Shanagher before 65 is taken).

From the puckout, KK work it up to Mullins who flicks it on to Butler, Tony Kelly caught ball watching and let Butler off, end result a point for Cody on 71m10s, 1-24 to 1-21

My point is that it took Clare 2 minutes 21 seconds (from Rogers first and third frees being struck) with a good bit of fluting around in between, while Kilkenny got two relatively easy points (2nd one after MRs second free).

Had there been a clinical free taker to nail the first one and put a point between them, who knows...obviously at that stage fatigue is a factor too, concentration can lapse, but I found that spell very interesting.

apart from the part about "young lad" [Nolan is probably 29] cant really disagree with any of that, watching this particular Clare team and the eventual outcomes of real crunch matches over the last number of years is like watching re-runs of Groundhog day, we know what Einstein's definitely of insanity is......

I'm not from Clare shocs just making an observation from the outside. I think Lohan would be a great guy and is to have around the training pitch and the dressing room but when making big calls or in play he definitely needs someone more astute and a bit calmer - but would he listen to them? He is a very stubborn man, which isn't always a bad thing but in this instance its holding him and the team back.

What ever to Bobby Duggan Clarecastle, he was decent freetaker with 21s a few years ago?

Clare haven't a consistent freetaker since Colin Ryan. A couple lads taking frees for county not even first choice freetaker with their clubs. Does Shanagher take frees for Wolfe Tones?

Watching from abroad, and not a Clareman so definitely bow to your superior knowledge on this, however surely Quilligan is nailed-on goalie. I know he didn't start against Tipp ( and the disastrous consequences that followed) but he's showed All-Star form this year, he'll surely be one of the three nominations?