A NEW ERA in Clare hurling begins today with joint managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor taking the reins at senior level for the first time in a competitive game.
The duo have succeeded Davy Fitzgerald and they’ve given several players that they coached to U21 success a chance to impress for their trip to face Kerry in the Munster senior hurling league today.
Seadna Morey and Cathal McInerney are notable recalls in defence and attack respectively. The team contains nine players who were involved in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Galway.
Injuries have hit the 2013 All-Ireland senior winning pair Morey and McInerney in recent seasons with neither featuring in last summer’s championship. In 2015 McInerney was involved exclusively with the Clare footballers.
Defenders Eoin Quirke and Jason McCarthy, midfielder Kevin Hehir and wing-forward Cathal Malone are all handed starting spots as well.
McCarthy and Hehir were both U21 hurlers last year, while Quirke was part of the Clare team that reached the 2015 Munster U21 final.
Malone was an All-Ireland U21 winner in 2013, McInerney was part of the Clare side that triumphed in the 2012 All-Ireland U21 decider while Morey won three All-Ireland medals at that grade between 2012 and 2014.
Brendan Bugler, Colm Galvin and Podge Collins provide experience to the starting side while Cian Dillon, John Conlon and Shane O’Donnell are familiar names amongst the substitutes.
Clare are without several key players for the start of this year’s campaign due to club commitments, injuries and travelling.
Clare
1. Andrew Fahy (Whitegate)
2. Eoin Quirke (Whitegate)
3. David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona)
4. Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge)
5. Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona)
6. Conor Cleary (Kilmaley)
7. Brendan Bugler (Whitegate)
8. Colm Galvin (Clonlara)
9. Kevin Hehir (Inagh-Kilnamona)
10. Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge)
11. Podge Collins (Cratloe)
12. Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones)
13. David Reidy (Éire Óg)
14. Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones)
15. Cathal McInerney (Cratloe)
Subs
16. Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona)
17. Cian Dillon (Crusheen)
18. Shane McNamara (Clooney-Quin)
19. Ben O’Gorman (Wolfe Tones)
20. Stephen O’Halloran (Clarecastle)
21. John Conlon (Clonlara)
22. Conor O’Donnell (Crusheen)
23. Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin)
24. Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara)
25. Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge)
26. Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge)
27. Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
28. Bobby Duggan (Clarecastle)
Kerry
1. Martin Stackpoole (Lixnaw)
2. Sean Weir (Crotta O’Neill’s)
3. Rory Horgan (St Brendan’s)
4. Bryan Murphy (Causeway)
5. John Buckley (Lixnaw)
6. Pa Kelly (Clarecastle)
7. Darren Dineen (St Brendan’s)
8. Paudie O’Connor (Kilmoyley)
9. Thomas Casey (Causeway)
10. Micheal O’Leary (Abbeydorney)
11. Daniel Collins (captain) (Kilmoyley)
12. Mikey Boyle (Ballyduff)
13. John Egan (St Brendan’s)
14. Shane Nolan (Crotta O’Neill’s)
15. Jordan Conway (Crotta O’Neill’s)
Subs
16. Aiden McCabe (Kilmoyley)
17. Billy Lyons (Causeway)
18. James O’Connor (Abbeydorney)
19. Tomás O’Connor (Crotta O’Neill’s)
20. Padraig Boyle (Ballyduff)
21. James Godley (Kilmoyley)
22. Fionán Horgan (St Brendan’s)
23. Philp Lucid (Ballyheigue)
24. John Griffin (Lixnaw)
25. Sean Nolan (Kilmoyley)
26. Jordan Brick (Kilmoyley)
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