Clare Hurling Panel 2026 – The Full Squad That Won the League and Will Chase Munster Glory

Brian Lohan has built a Clare hurling panel in 2026 that combines the All-Ireland winning experience of 2024 with a wave of young players emerging from one of the strongest underage structures in the province, and the league campaign – 8 goals, 83 points scored, 12 different scorers against Down, six debutants making their mark – proved that the Banner’s depth is the envy of every other county in Munster.

Here is the complete guide to who is in the Clare panel for 2026, what each key player brings, and the new faces who could define the summer.

With Clare’s squad making them leading contenders for Munster and All-Ireland glory, the odds are moving fast. These are the highest-rated licensed bookmakers tracking the Clare championship market right now:

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Clare Hurling 2026 – Key Player Stats
Captain	Conor Cleary
Top scorer 2026 (league)	Mark Rodgers – 1-50 (53 points)
Free taker	Peter Duggan – 7/7 frees vs Wexford
Most experienced	Tony Kelly – 5 All-Stars, 2 All-Ireland medals
Goalkeeper	Éibhear Quilligan – 3 clean sheets in league
Key debutants	Mark Sheedy, Jamie Moylan (All-Ireland Minor 2023)
Fitness doubt	Shane O’Donnell – confirmed for season Oct 2025
Wing-back leader	Diarmaid Ryan – 3 decisive points in League Final

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The Leadership Core

Tony Kelly – 32 years old, 5 All-Stars, 2 All-Ireland medals (2013, 2024) Kelly is still the most dangerous player in Clare’s forward line when fully fit and motivated, and both conditions apply in 2026. His goal against Dublin in the League Final showed that his pace, deceptiveness, and reading of the game have not diminished with age. Outside of hurling, Kelly works as a teacher at St Flannan’s College in Ennis – the school that has produced more Clare hurlers than any other institution in the county’s history.

Peter Duggan – primary scoring threat from play and placed balls Duggan finished the 2026 league second in Clare’s scoring charts with 15 points and was virtually perfect from frees, going 7 from 7 in the win over Wexford. His value to Clare goes beyond the scoreboard – he is the player opposition managers plan their defensive structure around, which creates space for Rodgers and Kelly.

Mark Rodgers – Clare’s leading scorer in 2026 Rodgers finished the league as Clare’s top scorer with 53 points and provided the consistent attacking output that gave Clare their scoring platform across the campaign. His development from promising forward to first-choice attacker has been one of the stories of the Banner’s 2026 pre-championship preparation.

The New Generation

Six debutants featured for Clare during the 2026 league campaign, the most significant being Mark Sheedy of Sixmilebridge and Jamie Moylan of Cratloe – both members of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Minor Championship in 2023. Their introduction to senior inter-county hurling has been seamless, and both are pushing for championship starts.

Sheedy started at wing-back in the U20 win over Waterford in Sixmilebridge in March and was one of Clare’s more composed performers in a scrappy game. Moylan’s athleticism and work rate at midfield gives Lohan options he did not have in the same form in 2024.

The Captain

Conor Cleary has been confirmed as captain for the 2026 season. Cleary has been one of Clare’s most consistent performers across multiple championship campaigns and his experience in big Munster games – he played in the 2024 All-Ireland winning campaign from start to finish – makes him the natural leader for a squad targeting back-to-back glory.