GAELIC GAMES:DONAL O'GRADY has settled the pirate ship that is the Limerick hurling panel but winning every game in Division Two will count for nothing if they are unable to escape Ennis with the spoils tonight.
Three All Stars from the previous decade are notable by their absence. Andrew O’Shaughnessy announced his retirement this week and while the door remains slightly ajar for Ollie Moran and Mark Foley, they are mere spectators against a young Clare side desperate to avoid a third year on this unproductive second tier.
“I approached them (Moran and Foley) because I approached everybody who had been in the 2009 panel and the 2010 panel and gave everyone a chance to come in,” said O’Grady. “Their response was that they weren’t quite sure where they were and they were going to play league hurling with their clubs. I said ‘look, if you feel you are at a level that you can come back to inter-county hurling, give me a call’ and I left it at that.”
Clare, well-beaten 2-9 to 0-6 by Limerick in round one, also lost by three points to Laois in the regular campaign, are without their inspirational captain Brian O’Connell, who emigrated to Australia, and an injury concern surrounds Conor McGrath. Their manager, Ger O’Loughlin, places the importance of this game above all other hurling matters – including the upcoming Munster championship.
“If we don’t come out of the right side of it it possibly would be a different campaign for the championship because it would go very flat I would imagine. I’m realistic to know that on Saturday evening if we play up to scratch and Limerick play up their potential it’s a 50-50 game.
“Another year in Division Two, it wouldn’t do us any good . . . we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
This indicates a sticky affair will follow with both sides mindful of the need not to lose rather than going out and just hurling away.
“It is a home game for Clare and I think a home game is always worth a couple of points difference,” O’Grady added before suggesting the referee can be swayed at times by a vocal home crowd.
“There’ll be a big home crowd there and . . . in tight games, let’s be honest, refereeing decisions can be crucial.”
O’Loughlin put such comments down to pre-game jousting. “I honestly do feel myself that it won’t be the decisive factor on Saturday.”
Hard to call. The crowd may not influence the referee but enough of them roaring may just help Clare to get out of Division Two before they become too familiar with its confines. Limerick’s form suggests otherwise but Clare’s desperation might just help them edge this encounter.
CLARE: TBA
LIMERICK: N Quaid; D Reale, G O’Mahoney, T Condon; W McNamara, S Hickey, D Breen; D O’Grady, P Browne; D Hannon, R McCarthy, J Ryan; S Tobin, K Downes, G Mulcahy.
Referee: A McGrath (Westmeath).
