James McInerney is in line to replace the injured Conor Cooney at full back on the Clare team for Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final against Tipperary. Cooney, who captained the Clare under 21 side that suffered a controversial defeat to Tipp last year, has failed to recover from an ankle injury he picked up in a club game two weeks ago, and Banner boss Mike McNamara has revealed that James McInerney will fill in him on the edge of the square. Lamenting the O'Callaghan's Mills clubman's absence, McNamara said: "It's a pity because we thought he could fill the troublesome full-back area. "Conor got an ankle injury playing for his club and it didn't respond to treatment as well as we would have hoped, although there is a minute chance that he might play a part. "Conor is an emerging full-back in his own right. Frank Lohan, a specialised corner-back, filled the position with some distinction but a lot of specialised areas have created problems for various teams in recent times. The likelihood is that James McInerney will fill the troublesome spot." Despite being rank outsiders with the bookies, McNamara is quietly confident that his side can avenge last year's Munster final defeat to the Premier County. "We're a proud county and we want to present ourselves well in Munster. "It's a massive challenge but anybody in Munster can perform on a given day. From our point of view, we're travelling to Limerick with a young team, looking at the present but with an eye on the future," the Scariff publican added. Tweet

Most Read Stories