Clare GAA Website

Joyce-Power caps Treaty fightback

Limerick 1-10 Clare 0-10

By Fintan O’Toole

Thursday, March 11, 2010

FOR the majority of last night’s Cadbury’s Munster U21FC quarter-final in Cooraclare, Limerick full-forward Cormac Joyce-Power’s role entailed aiding his colleagues out the field. But, when stationed close to goal late on, his impact was decisive in settling this game. As his side trailed 0-8 to 0-9 in the final stages, the Limerick senior player made his telling contribution. In the 52nd minute he touched down a pass from Bobby O’Brien into the path of Seamus O’Carroll, collected the return and neatly tucked a shot into the bottom corner of the net. Suddenly Limerick were in the ascendancy for the first time since the fourth minute and Clare, who had hitherto controlled proceedings, were in the uncomfortable position of being on the backfoot.

O’Carroll tacked on another point for Limerick, and although Clare full-forward Gary Leahy maintained the high standards of accuracy that had characterised his freetaking all night, with a point in the 58th minute, it was Joyce-Power who had the final say. He seized possession in open space around the middle in the 52nd minute before striding forward to hit a marvellous long-range effort between the posts to seal Limerick’s advance to a last four meeting with Tipperary next Thursday night in Semple Stadium. That strong late finish capped a wonderful recovery from Limerick as for much of the night they looked listless against a forceful and energetic Clare side. A frozen Gaelic Grounds pitch meant Limerick had to cough up home advantage as the tie was switched to the West Clare venue early yesterday and Clare looked adapted better to familiar surroundings in the first-half.

Limerick struck two early blows with points from Eoghan O’Connor and Tony McMahon inside the first four minutes, but thereafter in the opening half Clare’s rearguard was a watertight unit. Clare had levelled the match by the 7th minute thanks to a pair of fine frees by Gary Leahy and they were also thankful to goalkeeper Peter O’Dwyer who made a smart block to deny O’Carroll a 9th minute goal. The lively nature of the opening stages bore portents for an engaging encounter, yet the play became bogged down around the middle for the remainder of the first-half. Shooting was wayward on both sides with Limerick having reason to bemoan the fact that the foothold O’Brien and Joyce-Power gave them around the middle never materialised into a stream of scores.

Instead Clare grew into the game with Sean Collins, who has been starring at variety of levels in hurling of late, starting to acquit himself brilliantly with the big ball and his Cratloe clubmate Liam Markham also shining. Up front Clare had a pair of forwards with an eye for a score in Leahy and Padraig McMahon, and they each notched a brace apiece between the 22nd and 31st minutes to leave Clare 0-6 to 0-2 ahead at the break.

Clare got an early fillip in the second-half when Shane Brennan curled a beautiful shot between the posts, but Limerick mounted a strong response as they eradicated the sloppy handling of their first-half play. O’Connor emerged as a prolific scoretaker up front and the promptings of centre-back Eoin Joy also underpinned their revival. O’Connor (2) and O’Carroll whittled down Clare’s advantage to 0-7 to 0-5 by the 39th minute. Yet Clare seemed to have weather that storm when Brennan and substitute Michéal Malone chipped in with a point apiece to provide them with a four point cushion, 0-9 to 0-5, entering the final quarter. Their vocal home support sensed Clare were on the cusp of a satisfying success, which was all the more admirable considering the absence of Kilmurry-Ibrickane stars Darren Hickey and Mark McCarthy.

At that juncture it was extremely difficult to see Limerick turning things around but they managed to do that in remarkable fashion. O’Connor was on target from open play and placed ball, and when Joy charged through in the 51st minute to blast over, they were only a point adrift. Limerick never let that steam of momentum drop and Joyce-Power bossed the match in a significant fashion late on to propel the Treaty side forward.

Scorers for Limerick: E O’Connor 0-5 (0-3f), C Joyce-Power 1-1, S O’Carroll 0-2, T McMahon, E Joy 0-1 each.

Clare: G Leahy 0-5 (0-3f), S Brennan, P McMahon (0-1f) 0-2 each, M Malone 0-1.

LIMERICK: B Scanlon; D Quaid, M McCormack, E Fitzgibbon; J Riordan, E Joy, B Treacy; B O’Brien, T McMahon; D Ward, J Kelly, P Sheehan; E O’Connor, C Joyce-Power, S O’Carroll.
Subs: E McEniry for Sheehan (39), J Martin for Ward (62).

CLARE: P O’Dwyer; M Moloney, D Ryan, S Cormican; M O’Loughlin, L Markham, S Tierney; C Ryan, M Hallinan; S Collins, S Brennan, P McMahon; E Lyons, G Leahy, C Cormican.
Subs: S Crotty for Lyons (43), M Malone for C Cormican (43), I White for Hallinan (50), C Dickson for Tierney (58).

Referee: P O’Sullivan (Kerry)

NUI Galway 1-17 Waterford IT 1-16 (After Extra-Time)

Monday, March 08, 2010

THIRTY years of failures and disappointment in the Fitzgibbon Cup were
washed away as NUI Galway swept to success on their home turf in Pearse
Stadium on Saturday.

They did it in heart-stopping fashion with Clare’s precocious attacker
John Conlon rifling over the winning point in the 82nd minute after a
tremendous catch and offload by sub Shane Quinlan. It ended an
energy-sapping two days of hurling for NUIG as they once more required
the medium of extra-time to push over the finishing line in first place.

The manner of NUIG’s victory was sensational. For the opening two-thirds
they looked bereft of ideas and their lethargy contributed to a low-key
encounter in comparison to Friday’s fireworks spectacular against LIT in
Dangan.

WIT’s methodical and controlled hurling generated a handsome lead of
1-11 to 0-5 by the 39th minute.

But NUIG’s stunning revival, largely underpinned by a brilliant goal by
Caimin Morey, saw them reel WIT back in before an injury-time score by
Seamus Hennessy tied the match at 1-11 apiece. In extra-time the teams
stayed close to each other and consistently traded points, before Conlon
popped up with the decisive shot.

For Galway senior John Lee, this was his last shot at Fitzgibbon Cup
glory with NUIG as he is in the final year of his medicine degree and
success after six years of trying was immensely satisfying.

“I’ve been here six years trying to win it, lost three semi-finals
before this and one final. We were nine points down at one stage today
and it looked impossible to get back. I was struggling myself to get
into it but some of the lads showed unbelievable character. That’s the
thing about this team and they’ve shown it all year.

“I’m delighted for Tony Regan (selector and former NUIG sports officer)
as well, that was a big incentive for us today to win it, he’s given so
much to hurling in NUIG. Whenever you go into the NUIG Sports Centre,
he’d make you read the plaque listing past NUIG winning teams with the
likes of Joe Connolly and Conor Hayes. It’s great Tony now finally has a
reason to put us on it.”

Regan himself was simply delighted to see hurling in the college having
a cause for cheer. “Hopefully it augurs well for Galway hurling as the
last time we won the Fitzgibbon, Galway won the Liam McCarthy Cup. I see
Galway hurling people around here with a smile on their faces and there
hasn’t been much of that around there for a while.”

For WIT, this was a quite devastating experience. It was particularly
rough justice for corner-forward Timmy Hammersley who cemented his place
as the standout Fitzgibbon player this year with a 1-11 haul that
brought his competition total to a whopping 3-57 from six games.
Hammersley’s splendid finish to the net in the 29th minute helped WIT to
a 1-7 to 0-4 interval lead and all around the field they hurled with
greater authority in the opening half. NUIG could make little impression
up front after a WIT rearguard brilliantly anchored by Shane Fives and
Riche McCarthy, and Tipperary duo Ray McLoughney and Hammersley sparkled
up front. That trend continued early in the second-half and NUIG’s
wretched play looked set to leave their expectant home supporters
disappointed.

But somehow NUIG roused themselves. The switch of Finian Coone to
half-forward and John Lee to half-back worked as both players prospered
in their new roles, and powered on by Seamus Hennessy, Barry Daly and
Caimin Morey, they pegged WIT back. Morey’s 43rd minute goal was key,
and a string of points by Coone, Hennessy and Conlon left the minimum
between them at 1-11 to 1-10 in the 60th minute, before Hennessy popped
up with the levelling score. Extra-time was a hugely exciting period
with NUIG just edging 1-14 to 1-13 ahead by the midway mark.

But inspired by Hammersley, WIT looked to be close to victory with a
1-16 to 1-15 lead by the 77th minute. However after James O’Gorman tied
it up, Conlon provided a dramatic winner for NUIG.

Scorers for NUI Galway: F Coone 0-9 (0-6f, 0-1 ‘65), C Morey 1-1, S
Hennessy 0-3 (0-2f), J Conlon 0-2, B Daly, J O’Gorman 0-1 each.

Scorers for Waterford IT: T Hammersley 1-11 (0-10f), B O’Meara, R
McLoughney 0-2 each, H Vaughan 0-1.

NUI GALWAY: D Tuohy (Clare); D Nash (Clare), J Lee (Galway), D Connolly
(Galway); P Gordon (Galway), S Hennessy (Tipperary), P Kelly (Clare); B
Daly (Galway), D O’Donovan (Clare); J Conlon (Clare), K Keehan (Galway),
C O’Donovan (Clare); G Kelly (Galway), C Morey (Clare), F Coone
(Galway).
Subs: JP O’Connell (Galway) for C O’Donovan (half-time), S Quinlan
(Tipperary) for Keehan (half-time), J O’Gorman (Offaly) for Conlon (56),
Conlon for G Kelly (60).

WATERFORD IT: A Power (Waterford); B Kenny (Galway), R McCarthy
(Limerick), N Connors (Waterford); W Hutchinson (Waterford), S Fives
(Waterford), PJ Rowe (Kilkenny); E Barrett (Clare), M Molloy (Wexford);
F O’Leary (Cork), R McLoughney (Tipperary), R Good (Cork); T Hammersley
(Tipperary), B O’Meara (Tipperary), K Grehan (Kilkenny).

Subs: K Reade (Tipperary) for Good (44), S Power (Waterford) for Grehan
(54), W O’Dwyer (Tipperary) for Molloy (56), H Vaughan (Clare) for Power
(60).

Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork).

Read more:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/sensational-nuig-end-the-wait-113960.
html#ixzz0hZxWGQZO

Gallant NUIG reap reward

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0308/1224265794697.html

FITZGIBBON CUP FINAL/NUIG 1-17 Waterford 1-6 AET : NUIG BRIDGED a
30-year gap when they captured the Fitzgibbon Cup in dramatic
circumstances at Pearse Stadium on Saturday.

Waterford IT, bidding for their fifth title in eight years, seemed
poised for victory when they led by 1-11 to 0-5 after 49 minutes, but
remarkably they failed to score for the remainder of normal time.

John Lee, whose switch to centre-back helped instigate their comeback in
the final, said they were extremely keen to win it this year for college
GAA officer and former Roscommon footballer Tony ‘Horse’ Regan who is
retiring after decades of service.

“I am just delighted for ‘Horse’ Regan. After more than 30 years
involved this is his retirement present. Of all the people involved it
is for him, we really wanted to win this for him more than anyone.
That’s what makes it so sweet,” said Lee.

“We were seven points down against DIT and came back. We were three down
against UCD and came back, all year we have done the same,” said Lee.

In the end promising Clare U-21 John Conlon seized the moment to shoot
the winner to claim NUIG’s first title since 1980.

Conlon must have felt his Fitzgibbon Cup final was over when he was
subbed with four minutes left in normal time. But he was drafted back on
in extra-time and emerged as the match-winner as, ironically, the man
who replaced him, James O’Gorman, levelled in stoppage time before
Conlon snatched the title with a point from 25 yards.

NUIG’s exertions in the semi-final seemed to have proved costly as they
were sluggish in the opening 40 minutes.

But the switching of Lee to centre-back, coupled with the emergence of
the likes of Seamus Hennessy, Patrick Kelly and Caimin Morey, hauled the
hosts back into it as Waterford’s scoring dried up.

Waterford, who led 1-7 to 0-4 at the break thanks to a fine goal from
Timmy Hammersley, buckled under the the challenge. A superb goal from
Clare U-21 star Morey gave momentum to the NUIG fightback after 42
minutes and the revival was completed when Hennessy levelled in the
dying seconds.

NUI Galway led by 1-14 to 1-13 at the interval in extra-time but
Waterford held the edge after the restart with Hammersley and Henry
Vaughan putting them back in front. NUIG skipper Finian Coone levelled
before Hammersley brought his total to 1-11. But NUIG never gave up and
O’Gorman levelled before Conlon sealed victory.

NUI GALWAY: D Tuohy; D Nash, J Lee, D Connolly; P Gordon, S Hennessy
(0-3, two frees), P Kelly; B Daly (0-1), D O’Donovan; J Conlon (0-2), K
Keehan, C O’Donovan; G Kelly, C Morey (1-1), F Coone (0-9, six frees,
one 65). Subs: JP O’Connell for C O’Donovan (ht), S Quinlan for Keehan
(ht); J O’Gorman (0-1) for Conlon (56), Conlon for Kelly (60).

WATERFORD IT: A Power; B Kenny, S Fives, N Connors; W Hutchinson, E
Barrett, PJ Rowe; R McCarthy, M Molloy; F O’Leary, B O’Meara (0-2), R
Good; T Hammersley (1-11, nine frees), K Grehan, R McLoughney (0-2).
Subs: K Reade for Good (42 mins), S Power for Grehan (53), W O’Dwyer for
Molloy (56), H Vaughan (0-1) for Power (60).

Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)

Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon Cup Final

NUI Galway 1-17 Waterford IT 1-16 AET - first title for NUI Galway since 1980

Ulster Bank Ryan Cup Final
IT Carlow 1-12 DCU 0-13

Ulster Bank Fergal Maher Cup Final
Napier University, Edinburgh 3-16 Dundalk IT 1-10

Galway get the right side of LIT

FITZGIBBON CUP SEMI-FINAL/NUI GALWAY 1-24 Limerick IT 1-23 AET:

GALWAY DEFENDER John Lee put the shackles on his county colleague Joe Canning as hosts NUIG shocked favourites Limerick IT in Dangan yesterday.

Canning did not score from play until he landed a point in extra-time and, while the quality of ball into him was poor, Lee dealt with the threat sufficiently to give NUIG a fighting chance.

And they seized the opportunity to book a place in today’s final as they bid to bridge a 30-year gap since they lifted their ninth crown.

And yet Canning - who still managed to hit 0-13 - could have won it in the dying seconds but he saw a rasping 21-yard free fly over rather than under the bar.

NUIG got a huge boost in the second minute when Cormac O’Donovan fired home a goal but Willie Hyland’s accuracy hauled LIT back into contention.

The sides were level six times in the opening half as Canning and Coone regularly exchanged pointed frees.

The teams were level at 1-8 to 0-11 at the break but NUIG got a great start to the second-half with points from Domhnall O’Donovan, David Barrett and Coone and in between Canning uncharacteristically mishit a 21-yards free goal opportunity which skewed wide.

Canning recovered by landing sideline pucks from either side but NUIG were more hungry and should have pulled away but a final wides tally of 18 allowed Limerick IT stay in the contest.

Limerick IT drew level with a Timmy Dalton goal five minutes from time and led in stoppage time before Séamus Hennessy rescued NUIG with a point from distance on the left touchline.

NUIG’s David Barrett was red-carded for a wild pull in the dying moments but they led by 1-21 to 1-20 at the interval in extra-time.

Points from Shane Quinlan, Coone and Kelly were enough in the end to send them through as Canning’s last-gasp effort failed to rescue the favourites.

NUI GALWAY: D Tuohy; D Nash, J Lee, D Connolly; P Gordon, S Hennessy (0-2, one free), P Kelly (0-1); B Daly (0-2), D O’Donovan (0-2); D Barrett (0-2), K Keehan, C O’Donovan (1-0); G Kelly (0-2), J Conlon (0-5, four frees), F Coone (0-5, three frees). Subs: C Morey (0-2) for Keehan (37 mins), S Quinlan (0-1) for C O’Donovan, 47 (mins), JP O’Connell for Kelly (56 mins).

LIMERICK IT: M Ryan; C Chaplin, C Cooney, J Gunning; N O’Connell (0-1, free), J McInerney, R Sherlock; P O’Brien (0-1), S Collins (0-2); N Quinn (0-2), S Callanan, W Hyland (0-3); S Tobin, J Canning (0-13, nine frees, two sidelines, one 65), B Gaffney (0-1). Subs: J O’Keeffe for Sherlock (27 mins), T Dalton (1-0) for O’Brien (36 mins).

Referee: B Gavin (Offaly).

Hennessy talks up NUIG’s rocky road to success

NUI Galway 1-17 Waterford IT 1-16 (After extra-time)
Fitzgibbon cup final
By John Fallon for the Irish Independent newspaper

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/hennessy-talks-up-nuigs-rocky-road-to-success-2091696.html

Monday March 08 2010

Tipperary hurler Seamus Hennessy — who landed the last-gasp points that sent the semi-final and final to extra-time — reckoned that tough group games all season had moulded NUI Galway into a winning side. Hennessy himself showed great nerve to force Saturday’s decider at Pearse Stadium into extra-time, repeating his feat of the previous day when a gripping contest with red-hot favourites Limerick IT also went to an extra 20 minutes. In the end it was the promising Clare U-21 player John Conlon who seized the moment when he shot the match-winner in stoppage-time at the end of extra-time.

“This is a massive success for the college and it is just wonderful to be part of it,” Hennessy said. “Even in the group games we were under pressure, but the one thing this team has is character — and the willingness to keep going till the bitter end. “We built that up during the year and it served us well in the semi-final and final.” Conlon must have felt his final was over when he was subbed with four minutes left in normal time.

But he was brought back on in extra-time and emerged as the hero as, ironically, the man who initially replaced him, James O’Gorman, levelled in stoppage-time before Conlon seized the moment to snatch the title with a point from 25 yards.

NUIG’s exertions in edging out LIT in Friday’s 1-24 to 1-23 thriller after extra-time seemed to have come with a heavy price as they were sluggish for the opening 40 minutes and Waterford IT seemed poised for victory when they led by 1-11 to 0-5 after 49 minutes.

Remarkably, Waterford failed to score for the remainder of normal time and the switching of John Lee to centre-back, coupled with the emergence of the likes of Hennessy, Patrick Kelly and Caimin Morey, hauled the hosts back into it. Waterford, who led by 1-7 to 0-4 at the break thanks for a fine goal from Timmy Hammersly, were just not able to deal with the challenge.

A superb goal from Morey gave momentum to the NUIG fightback after 42 minutes and the revival was completed when Hennessy levelled in the dying seconds.

NUI Galway led by 1-14 to 1-13 at the interval in extra-time, but Waterford held the edge after the restart, with Hammersly and Henry Vaughan putting them back in front.

NUIG skipper Finian Coone levelled before Hammersly brought his total to 1-11. But NUIG never gave up and as the game slipped into stoppage-time, sub O’Gorman levelled before Shane Quinlan set Conlon up for the match-winner.

The victory ended 30 years of frustration and heartbreak for the Galway college and no one was more thrilled than Galway defender Lee.

tough

“I am six years in college trying to win this and it is one hell of a tough competition to win,” Lee said. “All year we had our backs against the wall. We were seven points down against DIT and came back. We were three down against UCD and came back; all year we have done the same.”

Lee also paid tribute to College GAA officer and former Roscommon footballer Tony ‘Horse’ Regan, who is retiring after decades of service.

“I am just delighted for ‘Horse’ Regan,” Lee added. “After more than 30 years involved, this is his retirement present. We really wanted to win this for him more than anyone. That’s what makes it so sweet.”

Scorers — NUI Galway: F Coone 0-9 (0-6f, 0-1 ‘65), C Morey 1-1, S Hennessy 0-3 (0-2f), J Conlon 0-2, B Daly, J O’Gorman 0-1 each. Waterford IT: T Hammersly 1-11 (0-9f), R McLoughney, B O’Meara 0-2 each, H Vaughan 0-1.

NUI Galway — D Tuohy; D Nash, J Lee, D Connolly; P Gordon, S Hennessy, P Kelly; B Daly, D O’Donovan; J Conlon, K Keehan, C O’Donovan; G Kelly, C Morey, F Coone. Subs: JP O’Connell for C O’Donovan (h-t), S Quinlan for Keehan (h-t), J O’Gorman for Conlon (56), Conlon for Kelly (60).

Waterford IT — A Power; B Kenny, S Fives, N Connors; W Hutchinson, E Barrett, PJ Rowe; R McCarthy, M Molloy; F O’Leary, B O’Meara, R Good; T Hammersly, K Grehan, R McLoughney. Subs: K Reade for Good (42), S Power for Grehan (53), W O’Dwyer for Molloy (56), H Vaughan for Power (60).

Ref — D Kirwan (Cork).

Camogie - National League results

From Máire Uí Scolaí:

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Div 1:
Galway 3-16, ( E Kilkelly 1-2, V Curtin, N Mc Grath 1-1 each,, M Dunn 0-4,A Connolly 0-3(0-1f),B Hanney 0-2, T Rutledge,C Bowes 0-1 each, L Ryan 0-1f)
Clare 1-5, (N Murphy 1-0,C Morey 0-3f,S Enright,N Carroll 0-1 each

Wexford 2-17, ( U Leacy 1-4(0-3f,L Holohan 1-3, A Codd,F Kavanagh 0-3 each,K Kelly, C Storey.C Murphy 0-1 each, M Leacy 0-1f
Dublin 0-5, A Maguire 0-2f, C Lucey 0-2f, S Mannion 0-1

Kilkenny 5-5, (A Neary 3-2 (0-2f), M Dargan 1-1,M Quilty 1-0,K Power 0-1, E Keane 0-1f)
Tipperary 0-11,(C Grogan 0-8 (0-2′45, 0-1f), C Hennessey,G Kinnane, J Horan 0-1 each)

Div 2:
Down 1-13, (S Coulter 1-0,F Carr 0-8 (0-7f), M Mc Nally,K Tinley,K Mc Mullan,C Mc Clan,N Mallon 0-1 each)
Wexford 2-10, ( C O’Connor 2-3,S Kehoe,Lisa Bolger 0-2 each,Linda Bolger,B Gordon,E O’Connor 0-1 each)

Westmeath 3-3, (L O’Connor M Smyth,L Burke 1-0 each, D Mc Grath 0-3 (0-1f)
London 1-7,( A Kennealy 1-5, B Grennan, E O’Higgins 0-1 each)

Galway, 2-10, V Curtin 1-2 (0-1f,0-1′45),M Linnane 1-0,, O Kilkenny 0-4, A Callinan, A Donoghue, S Healy 0-1 each, T Murray 0-1f
Waterford 2-7, J Simpson 1-2, S Curran 1-0,A Lyng 0-3, D Fahy 0-2, (0-1f, -1′45)

Offaly, 0-15,( E Darmody 0-6,M Davis 0-4,A Kelly,A Watkins 0-2 each, S Flannery 0-1)
Derry 1-6, ( B Convery 1-1,M Mc Goldrick 0-5)

Cork 2-7, (C Kearney 2-1, M Walsh 0-3, A Donovan 0-1, R de Faoite, D Leahy 0-1f each)
Antrim 2-7,(S Graham 1-5,M Graham 1-0,E Mc Mullan,R Mc Carry 0-1 each)

Div 3:
Meath 1-15, (L Lynch 1-2, J Dolan 0-11(0-5f, 0-1′45), S Hacket 0-2)
Roscommon 2-10,( N Coyle 1-1,C Kenny 1-0,K Hopkins 0-5,S O’Brien 0-4)

Laois 4-11,(E Mahony, E Delaney 1-2 each, A Murphy 1-1,K Cuddy 1-0, A Mahony 0-5 (0-1f, 0-1′45),N Dollard 0-1)
Kildare 2-4, (S O’Carroll 1-3, R O’Connell 1-0, L Moore 0-1)

Armagh 4-13, (C Mc Sorley 3-6, B O’Hagan 1-0, B Murray 0-4, C Donnelly,J Mallon, K O’Brien 0- each)
Dublin 0-3, ( E Murphy 0-3)

Div 4:
Tyrone 4-12, (E Mc Arlean 2-0, E Mc Aliskey 1-4, M Fitzgerald1-0,S Jordan 0-5, E Fitzgerald,C Hanna, G O’Neill 0-1 each)
Carlow 0-7, (Margaret Coady 0-4, Mary Coady , N Quirke, C Mullin 0-1 each)

Contact the Clare GAA Office at mailto:clare@gaa.ie

Flaherty stars in Banner blitz

Clare 2-20 Down 0-6

By Jim O’Sullivan

Monday, February 22, 2010

BACK in 1993, he burst on the national scene as a third-minute injury
replacement in a Munster championship victory over Limerick at Cusack
Park before going on to play a major role in the Banner’s breakthrough
in the All-Ireland series. Yesterday, at the same venue, new team boss
Ger O’Loughlin, better known as ‘Sparrow,’ watched from the sideline as
Clare blitzed an eager but weak Down side in the first round of the
Allianz League. Afterwards, he articulated his hopes for re-building the
team, following the trauma of the player revolt which unseated Mike
McNamara - but with the boost of a first title in the U21 grade
inspiring hope for a brighter future.

As the scoreline suggests, this was virtually all one-way traffic,
notably with the sum of Down wides over the two halves comparable to
Clare’s points total. And, while it was by no means a one-man show, the
contribution of 2-10 by full-forward Mark Flaherty from intermediate
side Killanena was the game’s chief talking point. Down over nighted in
Ennis after a six-hour bus journey (reportedly refusing an earlier start
that would have facilitated supporters wishing to see the club game in
the Gaelic Grounds), so manager Gerard Monan wasn’t able to put forward
weariness as an excuse. Instead, he accepted that Clare were a more
experienced outfit, praised his players for their effort and was honest
enough to accept that they ‘need a bit of shooting practice’.

Clare were seven points clear before Down got the first of their four
first-half scores and that was in the 22nd minute following the sixth of
nine wides during the period. Flaherty was prominent from an early
stage, as were wing-forwards Sean Collins (first) and Jonathan Clancy
and overall Clare were easily controlling the game. Other factors
included a more dominant midfield, where captain Brian O’Connell
operated after filling the number six jersey in the Waterford Crystal
campaign and a more than competent defence where U21 star Cian Dillon
was very comfortable at full-back and Brendan Bugler showed the value of
his experience in the right corner. Flaherty got the first goal in the
31st minute, but without the excellence of Graham Clarke’s goalkeeping
over the course of the opening quarter, Clare could have had three or
four in the bag by then. It was 1-13 to 0-4 at the break (with Flaherty
hitting 1-8) and the pattern of the game changed little on the
resumption.

Down opted to use three players at midfield, leaving Dillon on his own
for a while and while a series of substitutes helped them to maintain a
spirited challenge, a continuing weakness in their finishing seriously
limited them. Nearing the end of the game, Bugler prevented a Down goal
before Flaherty found the net in the last minute of normal time. The
Clare manager admitted to being happy with the overall display, pointing
out that while the panel has been together for seven weeks, they have
‘very little hurling’ done. “I thought we played quite well in the first
half, (but) we were poor enough for 20/25 minutes of the second half.
That’s something we have to work on over the next couple of weeks.
Against stronger opposition we’d be punished, but it’s a learning
process for everybody. And we learned a good bit out of today as well.”

Ultimately, O’Loughlin views the challenge of getting back to the first
division as being of ‘the utmost importance’. The target for the Down
boss is to pick up eight points, to avoid finishing near the bottom of
the group. “Okay the scoreboard looks bad, but I was very proud of them.
They worked, they hit wides but they still responded in the right way
and fair play to them. They are training hard, the commitment is
excellent and they are bonding together well.”

Scorers for Clare: M Flaherty 2-10; J Clancy 0-3; O Murphy and S Collins
0-2 each; P Donnellan (free), B O’Connell and D McMahon 0-1 each.

Scorers for Down: P Braniff 0-4 (0-2 frees); J Coyle and C Woods (free)
0-1 each.

Subs for Clare: J Conlon for Clancy (51); C Ryan for N O’Connell (55); D
McMahon for Lynch (64); D Barrett for Collins (68).

Subs for Down: J McCusker for Coyle (48); P Flynn for Teague (52); E
McGuinness for Keith (56); S Conlon for E Clarke (60); M Hughes for L
Clarke (66).

Referee: M Haverty (Galway)

Division Two: Clare and Antrim record wins

Feb 21, 2010

Ger O’Loughlin’s first competitive game in charge of Clare resulted in a
2-20 to 0-6 Allianz GAA National Hurling League Division Two defeat of
Down in Ennis on Sunday. As opening games in a league campaign go, it
could not have been much easier for the Banner, who hit the first seven
points of the game without reply, before finishing the half 1-13 to 0-4
ahead. Remarkably, Clare free-taker Mark Flaherty scored 1-8 of his
side’s first-half haul. Flaherty added a second goal after the break and
increased his personal tally to 2-10 as Clare cruised to victory in a
one-sided game played in front of a paltry attendance. Andy Savage,
Simon Wilson and Stephen Clarke were all missing for Down, who could
struggle in Division Two as they face the daunting trip to Wexford Park
next Sunday.

Conlon’s first touch seals top spot for NUIG after fight back

NUIG 2-12 Cork IT 1-12

Wednesday February 17 2010

Goals from Seamus Hennessy and John Conlon enabled NUIG to overcome a
seven-point half-time deficit and seal top place in the group. Cork IT,
needing to win in Dangan to have any chance of staying in the
competition, dominated the first period and led 1-10 to 0-6 at the
break. NUIG made a positional switch that paid instant dividends as John
Lee and Hennessy combined to set up Domhnaill O’Donovan for a marvellous
point. Hennessy was perfectly positioned to blast home for the Galway
side from close range and then Conlon crashed in a second goal with his
first touch after coming on. That put the Galway students ahead for the
first time and they held on in a thrilling finish.

Scorers — NUIG: F Coone 0-7 (2f, 2 ‘65′), S Hennessy, J Conlon 1-0, P
Gordon, D O’Donovan, G Kelly, J O’Gorman, B Daly 0-1 each. Cork IT: P
Horgan 1-7 (0-5f, 0-1 ‘65′), B Corry, C Cusack 0-2, P Gould 0-1.

NUIG — D Touhy; D Nash, N Casey, D Connolly; P Kelly, S Hennessy, P
Gordon; J Lee, D O’Donovan; S Quinlan, K Keehan, F Coone; G Kelly, D
Barrett, J O’Gorman. Subs: B Daly for Barrett, J Conlon for O’Gorman.

Cork IT — J Condon; C Murphy, E Dillon, J O’Callaghan; L Desmond, R
Cashman, S White; S McDonnell, B Lawton; P Gould, B Corry, C Fennelly; P
Horgan, C Cusack, T Murphy. Subs: C Naughton for Lawton, T Murphy for
McDonnell, A Mannix for White.

Ref — M Haverty (Galway)

Ryan excels in DIT triumph to give Daly food for thought

DIT 1-14 UCD 0-14

Wednesday February 17 2010

DUBLIN manager Anthony Daly had plenty to digest as he watched DIT beat
already-qualified UCD at Mobhi Road to book their place in the
quarter-finals. Ballyboden St Enda’s corner-forward Paul Ryan was the
most impressive forward on show, scoring 1-8 of DIT’s total and
displaying some excellent accuracy from frees. A Liam Rushe free — one
of seven that he converted — edged the Belfield boys in front at the
interval 0-9 to 1-5 after they had recovered from Ryan’s opportunistic
12th-minute goal. But, with Tomas Brady in commanding form at the back
and Willie O’Dwyer scoring three fine points, it was DIT who excelled
after the break, outscoring their rivals 0-9 to 0-5.

Scorers — DIT: P Ryan 1-8 (0-6f), W O’Dwyer 0-3, H Keogh, P Kelly, D
Treacy 0-1 each. UCD: L Rushe 0-8 (7f), D Kenny, L Ryan, C Lyng, D
O’Connor, J Boland, D Lyng (f) 0-1 each.

DIT — F McGarry; C O’Shaughnessy, J Walsh, P Lynch; P Phelan, T Brady,
F Cullen; M Moloney, P Hartley; P Kelly, W O’Dwyer, R Butler; P Ryan, D
O’Dwyer, H Keogh. Subs: D Molloy for Atkinson (40), J Clarke for Walsh
(45), D Treacy for Butler (45), D Morris for Kelly (55).

UCD — J Ryan; E O’Shea, D Kenny, O Gough; N Prendergast, D Langton, C
Gleeson; R O’Carroll, L Ryan; J Boland, D Lyng, L Rushe; C Lyng, P
Atkinson, D O’Connor. Subs: J Foley for C Lyng (51), R O’Loughlin for D
Lyng (58).

Ref — B Kelly (Westmeath)

Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon Cup Round 3 Results
DIT 1-14 UCD 0-14
UL 3-18 UUJ 3-7
NUI Galway 2-12 Cork IT 1-12
Waterford IT 0-18 UCC 1-10
Limerick IT 2-19 GMIT 1-11

Visit the Clare GAA web site online at http://www.claregaa.ie
RESULTS
THURSDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2010
Ulster Bank HE Corn na Mac Léinn Quarter-final
RCSI 4-15 Tipp Inst-St Pats 1-1

Ulster Bank HE Freshers Football Championship Division 1
Cork IT 1-10 UUJ 0-12
NUI Galway BEAT UCC BY 1 POINT
QUB 2-14 St Mary’s Belfast 0-4
DIT 3-20 IT Sligo 0-5

Ulster Bank HE Freshers Football Championship Division 2 Quarter-finals
NUI Maynooth v Dundalk IT
IT Carlow 5-12 IT Tallaght 2-7
DCU v Limerick IT
IT Tralee 0-12 St Pats TC 1-8

Ulster Bank HE Freshers Hurling Championship Division 1 Quarter-finals
UCC 1-14 UCD 0-8
UL 2-18 NUI Galway 0-6
DCU 2-11 GMIT 1-9

Ulster Bank HE Freshers Hurling Championship Division 2
IT Tralee W/O TCD SCR
St Marys-BMC v Athlone IT OFF - refixed for Thursday 18th
UUJ v MICL @ Borris in Ossory. Ref: TBC

Ulster Bank HE Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 1
St Pats-Mater Dei 0-13 DIT 1-6

FRIDAY 12th FEBRUARY 2010
Ulster Bank HE Freshers B Hurling Championship Quarter-Final
(Extra-time if necessary)
UCD v Cork IT (3), 1pm @ Belfield. Ref: Dave Feeney (Dublin)

Ulster Bank HE Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 1
(Extra-time if necessary)
Limerick IT v GMIT, 1pm (TBC) @ Limerick. Ref: Denis Richardson (Limerick)

Ulster Bank HE Corn na Mac Léinn Quarter-final
(Extra-time if necesssary)
Marino College v Cadets, 2pm @ Na Fianna. Ref: Gary McCormack (Dublin)

SUNDAY 14th FEBRUARY 2010
Ulster Bank Ryan Cup Round 2
GMIT Letterfrack v QUB, 1pm @ Letterfrack. Ref: Christopher Brown (Galway)

Galway and Dublin name Walsh Cup sides

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/galway-and-dublin-name-walsh-cup-sides-
445738.html

11/02/2010 - 09:59:12

Former captain David Collins is set to return for the Galway hurlers in
Sunday’s Walsh Cup final against Dublin (Parnell Park, throw-in
12.45pm), over two years after his last appearance for the Tribesmen.

Collins broke his ankle back in late 2007 but following some time away
in Australia, he has now linked up with John McIntyre’s squad with a
view to returning to the inter-county scene.

The 2005 Young Hurler of the Year is listed among the Galway substitutes
for the Walsh Cup decider against Dublin, but McIntyre will be without
the services of Richie Murray and Andy Coen.

The experienced duo have pulled out of the Galway panel, conceding that
they are not in a position “to meet the commitment required due to work
and other factors”.

Meanwhile, Dublin manager Anthony Daly has made one change to his side
for Sunday’s clash. Goalkeeper Gary Maguire returns between the sticks
in place of Alan Nolan.

A Dubs line-up is also due to play Tipperary in a challenge match at St.
Brigid’s Russell Park venue on Saturday night (throw-in 7.30pm).

The likes of Joey Boland, Liam Rushe and David O’Callaghan, who all
lined out for their colleges in the Walsh Cup competition, will start
against Tipp.

GALWAY (SH v Dublin): C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, P Holland; D
Barry, T Og Regan, K Hynes; G Farragher, N Cahalan; A Callanan, C
Donnellan, D Burke; A Harte, J Gantley, N Hayes.

DUBLIN (SH v Galway): G Maguire; S O’Sullivan, N Corcoran, R Trainor; S
Hiney, R Fallon, M O’Brien; J McCaffrey, S Lambert; D Curtin, S Ryan, J
Kelly; P Carton, K Flynn, A McCrabbe.

DUBLIN (SH v Tipperary): F McGarry; T Brady, C Hennebry, O Gough; D
Byrne, M Carton, D O’Reilly; M May, J Boland; P Kelly, L Rushe, S
Durkin; D O’Callaghan, D Treacy, P Ryan.

Limerick IT 0-18 Waterford IT 1-11
Thursday February 11 2010

FOUR days from Portumna’s Valentines’s Day showdown with Dunloy in the
GAA All-Ireland Club semi-final, Joe Canning showed no love for the
backs of Waterford IT at LIT’s Moylish campus sports field.

The mercurial full-forward contributed 11 points, eight from play, as
Limerick IT saw off Colm Bonnar’s men by four points.

Tipperary’s Timmy Hammersley tormented Clare’s All-Ireland U-21-winning
corner-back James Gunning in the opening quarter as the WIT midfield
pair of Mark Molloy and Willie O’Dwyer found space to deliver the
telling ball into their inside line. WIT would ultimately rue not making
better use of their initial advantage with four scoreable wides in the
first 15 minutes.

LIT managed to stay in touch during this period through scores from
Paudie O’Brien and Canning (two). A marvellous turn, run and pass by
Sean Tobin led to Niall Quinn firing LIT into the lead for the first
time, and that score marked a turning point for the home side.

Canning added two more before Tobin registered a fine point, which was
soon followed by further white flags from Nicky O’Connell, Canning and
Seamus Callanan. Ray McLoughney stopped the rot for the Waterford side
with a point, and Hammersley added another to reduce the gap to five.
Two more Canning points from play upped the margin to seven before
fellow Galwayman Quinn pointed to leave the hosts ahead 0-13 to 0-5 at
the break.

An exchange of points got the second half under way before a WIT goal –
courtesy of McLoughney — in the 42nd minute gave the visitors some
hope. The goal inspired further WIT scores and the deficit was suddenly
down to four.

Canning, though, was once again the master of the situation. He tacked
on two excellent scores from play to relieve some of the pressure. Two
more Hammersley frees kept the fires of comeback stoked for WIT, and the
visitors entered the final quarter carrying the momentum.

Four minutes from time, Hammersley made a dash goalwards along the
end-line, and was taken to the ground by a cohort of LIT backs. Referee
Jason O’Mahony awarded a 20 metre-free. Up stepped goalkeeper Adrian
Power but his rasping shot screeched a few inches north of Matthew
Ryan’s crossbar.

Canning then had the game’s final say, slotting a swift pass from Sean
Collins straight over the crossbar to ensure a win for the Davy
Fitzgerald’s troops.

Scorers — Limerick IT: J Canning 0-11 (0-2f), N Quinn, S Callanan 0-2
each, N O’Connell, S Collins, S Tobin 0-1 each. Waterford IT: T
Hammersley 0-6 (0-4f), R McLoughney 1-1, K Reade 0-2, F O’Leary, A Power
(f) 0-1 each.

Limerick IT — M Ryan; J Gunning, C Cooney, C Chaplin; N O’Connell, J
McInerney, R Sherlock; P O’Brien, S Collins; N Quinn, S Callanan, W
Hyland; B Gaffney, J Canning, S Tobin. Subs: A Ryan for Hyland (h/t), P
Browne for Quinn (56 mins).

Waterford IT — A Power; B Kenny, S Fives, N Connors; W Hutchinson, E
Barrett, PJ Rowe; M Molloy, W O’Dwyer; F O’Leary, K Reade, R Good; T
Hammersley, K Grehan, R McLoughney. Subs: J Gahan for Good (39 mins), C
Lacey for Fives (45 mins).

Ref — J O’Mahony (Limerick).

Clare collapse after promising start
Ladies Football league Division 2 rd 1
ARMAGH…………..2-14
CLARE…………1-4
By Michael O Connor.
CLARE:Emma O Driscoll,
REFEREE: Gerry Guinan (Galway).