Clare GAA discussion thread

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

First off, congrats to the footballers on getting to the Munster Final. Completely deserved by all accounts. Nice for those lads putting in all that effort to get a nice reward out of it.

Now for the main course this weekend. Most of the money seems to be going on Clare and i cant really see why. Waterford have played division 1 for the last number of years while we were in B division and the Clare team will most likely have players with very little championship experience.

I'm hearing the team is along the lines of:
P. Kelly
Donovan Dillon Cooney
Bugler J.Mac O'Connor
O'Connell Donnellan
Conlon Lynch Clancy
McGrath Ryan Cunningham.

A lot of talk about Markham for O'Connor, Glynn for Cooney and that Tony Kelly will be on the bench.
Sean collins is out with hamstring apparently and Cunningham will start.

Say it will be a very close game with us coming out on top by 2 or 3 points.

You can't see why the money is on Waterford, but you still reckon Clare will win?

You'd be crazy top back Waterford as favourites. We're not a team you'd write off, but I'd be just as reluctant to back us.

Lot of negativity around the hurlerls at the moment, and the squad is a small bit depleted though I do think that has been very much so over-stated by people who are really just losing the plot. This is going to be a tough game for us, and I expect a goos Clare performance, better than anything we've faced in the first round of Munster in the last few years.

This will mean we'll need to find a performance greater than anything we've shown in the first game in Munster in the last few years. To be honest, having controlled the first half last year Limerick should have beaten us in the end. We beat a poor enough Clare team in 2010, but not convincingly. This won't be good enough Sunday.

I am impressed with the physical size of our players this year, but we've been physically strong the last few years. We've lacked some pace and the crisp, sharp hurling we were associated with under Justin Mc, and that's a big change needed in Waterford if we're to amount to anything this year.

I think for us it will comed down to the quality of the ball played into the full forward line becaue they have a lot of scoring potential. Quality ball, however, was scarce in the league.

As for Clare, well there's more experience there this year with most of the young players having experienced a few championship outings. I like the look of that full forward line, McGrath is an excellent player and Cunningham is also very fast and well able to take his scorers. Colin Ryan might not have the same speed, but he has the hurling and doesn't need that speed playing full forward.

The midfield battle is crucial because I think both half forward lines are in and out. Maurice Shanahan had a good league for Waterford and hopefully he'll go well, but Seamus Prendergast had been dropped by the end of the league and it looks like he'll be back in now, plus nobody is really sure how Eoin Kelly will do. I rate John Conlon highly, but I don't know how much aerial ability is in that half forward line given he's not massive and Clancy is also quite small. It will be a sign that Brick is on the wane is he has any problems with Quinn because I don't rate him.

Nick O Connell is a good hurler, does he have the legs for midfield? And Donnellan is a newcomer ot the midfield berth, yes? Very hard to know how this will pan out because I'm not even sure who'll play there for Waterford, could be any combination of 5 players. Hoping Moran and Molumphy will be there. Moran is an all-rounder and great going forward, and Molumphy will run all day and get on a lot of ball. Also, worth noting he scored 0-3 points in 2010. A contribution like that on Sunday would be invaluable (but very unexpected, and not essential hopefully).

It's gonna be close though. Really, I couldn't make a confident call on this.

marco_polo wrote: »

Great to see Darach Honan back in a Clare jersey. Pity the ball wouldn't come up for him at the end, bit more match sharpness and I have no doubt he could have Easily buried it.

Agreed, he hasn't played for Clare competitively all year, otherwise you could have put your house on him scoring.

Hard luck to Clare, could have won it just as easy as losing. Still astonished the ref gave that penalty.

I expected that ye'd create more goal chances than ye did, Conlon took his excellently. A joy to watch Conor McGrath at times, but he was well marshalled. Cian Dillon is a fantastic hurler as well.

Ye'll be a tough team for whoever draws ye next.

Dublin, good draw for both sides.