Looking at Clare Saturday night I felt they should have not played Tony Kelly and Jack Browne. Seemed to upset their tactics. I know it's early doors but this joint manager crack is going in the wrong direction. I'd fancy Limerick to take them in Munster as well.

WildPundit (Tipperary) - Posts: 1709 - 13/02/2017 19:57:57    1956355

Yep bit ridiculous to play club players who are looking forward to an All Ireland final on St Patrick's Day. Galway played the St Thomas's lads last Sunday but that was a different scenario...I'd say they were happy to get back asap to get the defeat out of their system (and they played as if they were too).
Joint managerships don't tend to operate smoothly but I wouldn't be doing the Loughnane thing yet, I'd give it time. Clare have the hurlers...I'd still back them to get past Limerick.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1902 - 14/02/2017 02:57:30    1956486

Not sure if Clare have the hurlers people think but this Joint Management lark delivered them 3 All-Ireland Under 21 titles in a row

Maybe my opinion will change after a season or two with the Seniors but passing judgement after one game seems like a bit of an over reaction.

It is February

Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1415 - 14/02/2017 09:48:01    1956529

McFan88 (Limerick) - Posts: 447 - 14/02/2017 10:07:18    1956542

I just posted on the NHL league thread that that KK game is huge for them now this weekend. They need a big performance at least. They've Donal Og involved too...could all be a recipe for disaster but in fairness to Clare they've struggled to get their best players on the pitch in recent years. I feel Shane O'Donnell needs to be given more freedom as he isn't suited to full forward at all.

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 14/02/2017 11:16:04    1956584

People overreact during the opening round of the league, something akin to a pack of bullocks let out of a shed at the end of the winter!!

Clare won an All-Ireland from 1B, teams are experimenting at this time of year, I put little creedence on the league especially where new players are being blooded.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 14/02/2017 11:48:25    1956599

It's a weird situation in Clare at the moment. There is a sense that they are not getting the best from this group of players.

Although if you look at it another way this is the second most successful Clare team ever in that they've won an All-Ireland and a League title. No other Clare team has had that success apart from Loughnane's team of the 90s.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 14/02/2017 12:22:48    1956612

I cant believe how so many posters are summing up the year after just one league match in early February. Give the new management a chance at least. From what I saw they are trying something new and thank goodness for that.

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 693 - 14/02/2017 12:51:43    1956623

I dont see what all the fuss is about playing kelly and browne last saturday. Just because other counties/clubs have traditionally decided to wrap their players in cotton wool in preparation for the club dinal doenst mean clare should follow suit. An important point is that the players probably wanted to play! Imagine that!!! Similarly to that when kelly played fitzgibbon last week. Look it this way since 2012 kelly has been on the clare senior team. His only significant injury over that 5/6 year period was the ankle injury he picked up early last year. Guess where that happened - in training!! He then missed out on all of the firzgibbon cup, which im sure he was very disappointed with. So he doesnt want to miss out this year!! He could have skipped all the fitzgibbon competition and not played for clare until the club was finished and just trained for 6 weeks. But he is realistic enough to know he could get injured just as easily in training as a match.
Anyway cuala are big favourites to win the other semi so if they do they will be playing 3 weeks before the final - whereas ballyea would have a 6 week break. It wouldnt be very beneficial for ballyeas best players to have not played in 6 weeks before and all ireland final.

Im just happy common sense has prevailed and that the ballyea lads - and tony in particular are doing what they love and playing as much hurling as they can. Fair play to him and lets hope he can bring home both the fitzgibbon and club all ireland in the coming weeks. Hopefully a munster and all ireland further down the line, but lets take things one step at a time just like tony is doing with his juggling act.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 14/02/2017 14:27:06    1956676

Oh and on the joint manager thing - i think its unclever to day it wont work simply on the basis of a couple of instances where it didnt work.
This is different because these 2 guys decided to come together as a management team at minor level prior to 2009. Then then completed 3 years mino together and 3 years under 21, before o'connor stepped away due to worm commitments. Then obviously they were prime candidates for the senior job and rightfully so.
This is not due a prominent duo that the county board threw together as some kind of fantasy management. So i dont see why it cant work

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 15/02/2017 12:41:13    1957050

'Joint managers out, Limerick will bate Clare, Clare were never any good anyway.' What a difference a week in mid february makes!

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 693 - 20/02/2017 17:28:24    1958790

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 20/02/2017 22:36:01    1958942

Didnt see this thread before. Absolute stupidity. I know people like to get ahead of themselves when the hurling starts up again, but I can assure you that regardless even how the KK game went, Clare's focus this year is on Limerick in the championship not the league. If we stay up that will be a bonus but the only game that matters is Limerick.

To be writing a team with the talent of Clare off in February is crazy. Tipp are ahead at the moment but I seriously believe that Clare have the best squad to challenge them. Take Sunday for example:- We were missing 6 All Stars in McGrath, Kelly, Donnellan (albeit he came on), David Mc, Conor Ryan and Galvin. 5 of these will probably start come championship in addition to our captain Pat O Connor. Other than Tipp, name another team that could be missing that level of talent and give KK their biggest ever defeat under Cody? No one is the answer. Clare hurling is in a good place at the moment talent wise. The new management team will be judged on the championship only. With our level of strength and depth I would be disgusted if we dont beat Limerick.

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2472 - 21/02/2017 01:52:32    1958968

Almost everyone overreacts about sporting teams. One result changes mindsets very quickly. Had Gakway beaten Tipp last year the Tipp lads would be roasted all winter and would never win anything again...now by listening to some people they are unbeatable.
Every now and again you'll get big results for teams but Hurling is like that and sport in general is like that

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 21/02/2017 09:08:32    1959006

I think when Clare won the All Ireland a few years ago everyone thought it was the start of dominance....The same happened with Tipp prior to last years win. I still think Clare will get an All Ireland with this generation of players. Kilkenny are beginning to drift a bit and won't be as dominant.

I am hoping for a new golden era of Hurling like we saw in the 90's. It would be great to see Clare, Galway, Waterford, Limerick and Wexford all winning senior All Ireland's in the coming years.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 21/02/2017 09:42:56    1959013

GoldenVale (UK) - Posts: 22 - 21/02/2017 10:40:31    1959049

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 21/02/2017 11:51:14    1959086

What's the story with Galvin?

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 21/02/2017 14:19:30    1959167

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2472 - 22/02/2017 05:16:11    1959447

tipp ..top of the pile
galway/waterford close seconds galway could and with average luck would have beaten tipp last year.
waterford look very close to the big breakthrough
kilkenny look on a slight downward spiral but come the summer and with cody, not to be taken lightly.

the rest clare,potential limerick,always hard beat come june cork,seem short a few top quality performers.
wexford, the davy effect seems to have ignited them,but will it burn out come summer?
dublin, hard know what to make of them.one day mediocre,next day very good.

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 22/02/2017 10:55:30    1959497