Anthony Daly's three-year reign as Clare hurling manager ended with his side's All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny. Many of the county's great warriors are also expected to depart the inter-county scene, but young gun Jonathan Clancy is convinced they still have plenty to offer. When Clare played Kilkenny in this year's All-Ireland hurling semi-final, their best performers included thirtysomethings Frank Lohan, Seanie McMahon and Colin Lynch. The Banner County's 2-21 to 1-16 defeat to the All-Ireland champions-elect brought the curtain down on Anthony Daly's three-year reign as manager. Since then, the spotlight has been firmly on Clare's old guard and what their future intentions are. Brian Lohan and Seanie McMahon called time on their long and illustrious inter-county careers. None of the county's elder statesmen owes Clare anything, but new kid on the block Jonathan Clancy would still love to see them involved again next season. "There has been a lot of talk about what the lads are going to do. I don't know what their intentions are but I definitely can't see Davy Fitz retiring just yet. He's chasing Christy Ring's record for championship appearances and he won't go until he breaks that," the 20-year-old midfielder says. "I hope they will all stay on to be honest. They have so much still to offer and their attitude is superb. And they are all unbelievably fit for their age. I remember one of the first nights I was at training and Seanie McMahon flew past me. That's how fit those guys are." The hugely promising Clarecastle player first came on the Clare panel last year, making appearances as a substitute against Wexford and Cork in the All-Ireland quarter and semi-finals respectively. He made his full championship debut in the rout of Limerick this year and reckons he learned a great deal from playing alongside Colin Lynch. "Colin was like a father-figure to me this year. Your game can only improve from playing alongside someone like him. "It was a bit daunting being in the same dressing-room as fellas like Colin, Seanie and Brian at the start. After all, these were the same players I idolized when I was growing up. But they were very welcoming and made me feel completely at ease. It would be a big blow to Clare if they retired." Anthony Daly has also been a massive influence on Clancy which is hardly surprising given that he captained Clare to All-Ireland victories in 1995 and '97, and hails from the same parish. During his time in charge, the Banner County failed to win a single Munster championship game, but reached two All-Ireland semi-finals, one quarter-final as well as a National League final. "With a bit of luck, he could have won an All-Ireland with Clare," the former St. Flannan's star suggests. "We should have beaten Cork in last year's All-Ireland semi-final and were also unlucky against Kilkenny this year. We had three good goal chances in the first half, but only took one of them and that's what cost us in the end. "Anthony is a huge Clare man who always wants to see Clare doing well. I was sorry to see him go, but he obviously felt he had done as much as he could." As in 2005, the Banner County had a good run in the National League with the high points being their victories over Cork and Waterford away from home. They took an unbeaten record into the league semi-final which they lost to Limerick (who were also unbeaten until then) after extra-time. Clare's Munster championship opener against All-Ireland champions Cork in Thurles provided them with a glorious opportunity to make amends for last year's heartbreaking All-Ireland semi-final defeat. And they got off to a great start, with early scores from Niall Gilligan, Tony Carmody and Barry Nugent propelling them into a 0-6 to 0-2 lead after 15 minutes. But with Joe Deane in inspired form, Cork battled back to take a 0-10 to 0-8 lead at the interval. They extended their advantage to five points shortly after the restart and their eventual winning margin was six, 0-20 to 0-14. "We only really hurled for the first quarter," Clancy ruefully reflects. "We felt we had a serious chance beforehand, and were determined to gain revenge for last year. But once Cork got into their stride, we struggled to stay with them. I don't think we gave a good account of ourselves that day." Anthony Daly's charges got their season back on track with three successive wins in the All-Ireland qualifier series. After easily accounting for Dublin in their first game, Clare cruised to a comprehensive 2-21 to 0-10 victory over a woeful Limerick team in what had been regarded as one of the biggest hurling fixtures of the summer. There was only one team in it and Clare were full value for their 17-point winning margin. Limerick were in complete disarray in the first half and managed only three points, all of which came from frees. Clare, on the other hand, had first half goals from Tony Griffin and Declan O'Rourke and were 10 points clear at the break. It continued to be one-way traffic in the second half with no fewer than nine Clare players getting their names on the scoreboard. Despite the intense rivalry that exists between the counties, Clare took no pleasure from winning such a one-sided game. Clare secured top spot in their group with a 2-15 to 1-9 win over Offaly in Ennis. The Banner County hit 11 wides in the first 18 minutes before eventually finding their scoring touch and goals from Derek Quinn and Tony Carmody had them perched on a 2-7 to 0-5 half-time lead. The home side could have scored four goals in the opening 20 minutes, and their failure to take any enabled Offaly to stay in contention. After 15 minutes, Offaly goalkeeper Shane O'Connor was forced to go off with a blood injury and by the time he returned in the 28th minute, Quinn and Carmody had beaten his replacement with fine strikes. Offaly cut the deficit to five points, 2-9 to 1-7, after 45 minutes but not even the introduction of the great Brian Whelahan could make a difference as the Banner eased to victory. Clare were drawn to face Wexford in the All-Ireland quarter-final for the second year running, and the outcome was the same with the Munster side running out facile winners by 1-27 to 1-15. Clare led from start to finish and the game was effectively over as a contest after 17 minutes when Diarmuid McMahon's goal gave them a 1-7 to 0-1 lead. There was still nine points in it at the interval and Clare put further daylight between the sides after the restart with three quick points. Rory McCarthy scored a Wexford goal at the end of the third quarter, but Clare comfortably maintained their vice-like grip on proceedings to make it four wins from four, and easy ones at that. The Banner County's All-Ireland dream was shattered by a slicker Kilkenny outfit at the penultimate stage. Nevertheless, they won the admiration of their supporters for twice coming back from difficult situations before the Cats pulled away for a somewhat flattering eight-point win. A ninth minute Niall Gilligan goal cancelled out Henry Shefflin's early major, but with a bit of luck and better finishing, Tony Griffin could have had the ball in the net twice shortly afterwards. As disappointing as these misses were, they didn't affect Clare's confidence and the sides were level on 1-10 each at half-time. It remained close until Eoin McCormack scored Kilkenny's second goal in the 49th minute. The margin was now five points and Clare had also lost Gerry Quinn to a broken hand. But showing great character, they battled back, inspired by two quick scores from Tony Carmody and Niall Gilligan from play before the latter put over a 59th minute free. Seanie McMahon's fourth successful free brought the Banner to within a point, but Kilkenny finished strongly and Clare's fate was sealed with the dismissal of Frank Lohan on a second yellow card in the closing stages. While many of their big names face uncertain futures, Clancy - who is studying Business and Accounting at Limerick IT - is confident that Clare will remain a force in the coming year. "I firmly believe we have the players to go a step further next year. We always feel we are in with a shout and have no fear of anyone. "We had a good under 21 team this year which unfortunately lost to Tipperary in the first round of the Munster championship. We have the hurlers coming through and if the older fellas can stay with us for another year, I think we could possibly challenge for an All-Ireland next year." Tweet

Most Read Stories