Clare team named. 1Fahy 2Morey 3McInerney 4O'Connor 5Fitzgerald 6Cleary 7O'Brien 8Galvin 9Malone 10Kelly 11Collins 12Conlon 13O'Donnell 14Shanagher 15McGrath

So 2 changes from the last day oisin o'brien is back replacing gudgie and cathal malone instead of reidy.
Its great to have o'brien back hes a real quality man marker.
Im not sure what malone brings, i think peter duggan or niall deasy would have been much better options if a big man is what is required.

hurlingexpert (Clare) - Posts: 1941 - 07/07/2017 20:24:13    2012131

Like all the Limerick posters, I'm backing Clare on Sunday. I'm already getting tired of listening to Cork supporters and the din from the south of the border will be deafening if they win on Sunday. It's a massive hurling county and they will travel in vast numbers like the Mongolian hordes of the past but I don't think they are good enough. It's going to be a severe test for their younger players who won nothing underage (mainly because of Limerick) to cope with that pressure against a relatively experienced Clare side. I think if Clare play well - they will win.

Dealer (Limerick) - Posts: 837 - 07/07/2017 21:57:57    2012168

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 08/07/2017 03:57:00    2012246

LohansRedHelmet (Clare) - Posts: 2697 - 08/07/2017 03:57:55    2012247

Hard luck Clare. I think yere tactics were poor. Allowing Cork to take short puck outs was not a good plan. Cork deserved the win, no doubt about that. However I'd be interested in Clare posters opinions on the wides. Is it ok for Tony Kelly to hit 4 or 5 wides every game. Tipp or Kilkenny wouldn't put up with it. He's not on form at all...the penalty was a stinker.
I think Tipp or Waterford will have too much for ye now unless there's a complete restructuring and tactical turnabout.

bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 09/07/2017 18:25:05    2013227

Dealer (Limerick) - Posts: 837 - 09/07/2017 21:40:09    2013422

Clare have great hurlers but too many small men. Morey I would not drop because of his attacking play, and Conor mcgrath.
The short passing game is hard to watch, but i suppose ye have no choice with so many small players. Deasy may be an option.

Galway got rid of the small lads. Cunningham started and Donoghue continued(managers). Finding big men with power who can catch a high ball. Direct positive hurling is the way forward. Clare play too negitive with all the passing as if afraid to lose the ball.

Clare players looked like there are thinking thinking thinking . Where as Cork look free, contest the high ball and hope for the best. Cork are not that big they have the correct attitude.

Cork kilkenny Tipp Galway play direct.
Dublin Clare Wexford Limerick and Waterford pass a little too much.

Clare could still win the All Ireland if ye get passed the quarter final because the game would bring ye on alot. Cork and Galway are new to the seen as waiting semi finalists and this wont suit them at all.

Sheedy (Galway) - Posts: 107 - 09/07/2017 22:35:11    2013490

Hats off to the rebels with a great mature performance even if they didn't fire on all cylinders and seemed to get stuck in the mud playing a very poor clare side. Closing out the game and being in complete control for 60 minutes overall is impressive. Even more so that this is thier thrid game in a row where they have been so consistnet.

Where to start with the bad points? It's easy to throw a few of them under the bus on a loss and start criticising lads who give their all but from an analysis pov, there are a few of the lads on this starting 15 that are just not good enough for this level and thats a huge worry i have said since posting here a few months ago.

Going through the team today.. O Brien got roasted, POC was off the pace and cleary isnt good enough for CB either. All this talk of man markers and work horses is old style hurling. Its too fast now. Too much speed involved. A previous point above spoke of Galway going for speed and power. The old style of man v man and hitting and hoping is gone. it's all non stop movement and constant angled runs.

A player with a good hurling brain coupled with speed and precision is undefendable by someone who has limited pure hurling ability and this is clares undoing time and time again. At least Jason Mc Carthy and Morey are rocket fast and I thought Clare looked better with the changes so i hope the management learn from it.

Kelly hitting and missing 4-5 balls glaring wides is getting disastrous now. Hero ball when the forwards need to be fed. How the clare forwards must have cursed his distribution today. Real off day for him which is a massive worry seeing as be hasn't done it since winning the AI. He should have been taken off and I am one of his biggest fans. I think he's in the top 10 most talented hurlers in the country.

A bigger worry is podge who looks a shadow of himself. Aaron shangher doesnt know what to do with the ball when he gets it. Mc grath was good, O donnell tried his hardest but overall, the clare forwards didnt fight enugh.

As for the puckouts... If davy fitz was still over Clare and that happened a team of his.. he would be absolutely slaughtered. Yes it worked for a while but cork adjusted in the second half and called clares bluff. they got 7 points from going short. Says it all really.

doyler5 (Limerick) - Posts: 44 - 10/07/2017 00:05:51    2013576

It's too early to write Clare off but this group of lads have won 3 championship matches since 2013... those 3 teams they beat are Laois, Offaly and Limerick... Galway and cork twice as well as Limerick has beaten Clare in those four years of early exits.

In 2012, Waterford dumped them out and in 2011 it was galway.

Below is the clare team that won the All Ireland. In bold are the players currently not in the starting 15 or even in the squad in some cases.

P Kelly; D O'Donovan, D Mc Inereney, C Dillon; B Bugler, P Donnellan, P O'Connor; Conor Ryan, C Galvin; J Conlon, T Kelly, Colin Ryan; P Collins, D Honan, C McGrath. Subs: C McInerney, F Lynch, N O'Connell SOD & C. Ryan

Is the squad really better now than back then?

doyler5 (Limerick) - Posts: 44 - 10/07/2017 00:27:01    2013591

brianboru (Clare) - Posts: 561 - 10/07/2017 02:00:38    2013616

Cork deserved to win, but we lost the game first 20 mins of second half with crazy wides, dropping balls into nash's hands and missing a sitter. Also to cough up 7 scores direct from short puckouts is unforgivable.

Unless we become more adventurous we wont have a hope against Tipp

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 10/07/2017 10:03:09    2013740

Cleary is not my cup of tea but he did a good job yesterday. POC went off with a head injury after that terrible blow from Horgan. Doyler im surprised with your analysis of these 2 players.

Podge and Oisin were not fit and should not have started. Insult to players on the bench and lads not in the 26. If fitz did it there would be uproar.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 10/07/2017 10:05:29    2013747

no its not ok for kelly to hit 4 or 5 a game, or galvin either. Conor McGrath made excellent runs and got very little ball.

When a team finally decide to target that cork fb line, it will rain goals, wait and see. We blew our best chance of a munster title in 20 years yesterday. Hard to take.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 10/07/2017 10:07:54    2013751

doyler5 (Limerick) - Posts: 44 - 10/07/2017 10:42:56    2013802

Thank God for Ger Loughnane who says it as it is management done believe in players they have so they devise stupid tactics if you had an under 10
team and you employed these tactics you would be sacked.
Everyone in the Stand wanted our full forward line to push up mark on their puckouts all day long Nash picked out Cahalane who fed the ball in front of full forward line if it was not working they would not have persisted with it.

Playing galvin as sweeper picking Oisin O Brien & Podge both not fit Picking Cathal Malone got two great goal chances missed both ignoreing the form Peter Duggan is in training got 4 minutes Aaron Cunningham always plays well in Thurles {space} got maybe 10 Shanagher winning high ball when it came his way Cathal McInerney always good impact sub no game time Conor McGrath starved off possessional crazy wides

It costs a family a fortune now to go to watch matches to watch this rubbish of tactics wont be many following to Cork

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 10/07/2017 11:24:43    2013845

i reckon doyler that team you picked wont be far off what is picked for Tipp game.

Limerick is where it should be played.

Clareman (Clare) - Posts: 1056 - 10/07/2017 11:36:14    2013856

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 10/07/2017 12:00:18    2013885

TouchOfClass (Galway) - Posts: 730 - 10/07/2017 13:09:02    2013972

bring back Daly - these two codgers from U21 days are as bad as Davy - what works underage rarely works at senior where inter county teams are selecting their 26 best hurlers, athletes, strength, power, some may be 18/19 and others 33/34 - ye shouldn't have promoted them based on underage success, there are significantly better hurlers in Clare than the 15 starters, Galvin should never be a sweeper, Pat O'Connor is not a corner back, Davy McI is not a full back, the current half-back line are not up to standard (compare them to Doyle, Seanie and Daly) - Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor were the wrong choice and have little idea on how to significantly change the mess Davy has created, significant surgery is required quickly before the unique talents are lost forever - Loughnane was right when he said 2013 was the "greatest fluke of all time" just like he said of Galway being "spineless", Micheal Donoghue is working to build a spine in Galway but Moloney and O'Connor are not brave enough to take the big decisions - decision 1 to send DOgC back to Cork - wishing our neighbours well

TouchOfClass (Galway) - Posts: 730 - 10/07/2017 13:33:37    2014015

Hope they look at this team for Tipperary

Touhy { Fahy did ok but think Touhy better stopper }

Morey
McInerney
POC { may be in battle for place}

Fitzgerald
Dillon { plays all his club hurling here less expoed than full back}
McCarthy

Galvin/Kelly

Duggan
Reidy
Deasy

Cunningham/O Donnell
Conlon
McGrath

clooney (Clare) - Posts: 984 - 10/07/2017 16:26:33    2014253