CLARE’S DUAL STAR Podge Collins has backed Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor to do a “great job” with the county’s senior hurlers.
Moloney and O’Connor will succeed Davy Fitzgerald and form a new joint-management team in the Banner County.
Talks continued over the weekend and the pair could be ratified as early as tomorrow evening.
It’s also understood that Donal Óg Cusack will remain on board as coach, with 1995 and 1997 All-Ireland winning centre back Seanie McMahon joining the set-up as a selector.
The path was cleared for former All-Ireland U21 winning duo Moloney and O’Connor to step up to the senior job when Anthony Daly declared that he was pulling out of the race on Saturday.
And Collins, who lined out for Cratloe in yesterday’s (SUN) Clare SFC final, said: “They (Moloney and O’Connor) managed us at minor and U21, massive time for them.
“They’re excellent, they give their all for Clare.
I’m sure if they do get it, they will do a great job.”
Collins (24), has also backed Fitzgerald to enjoy “loads of success” in his new Wexford role.
The 2013 All-Ireland winning manager was ratified as the Model County’s new supremo on Friday evening and is now putting the finishing touches to his backroom team, with former U21 manager JJ Doyle on board.
Fitzgerald has been an inter-county manager since cutting his teeth with Waterford in 2008 and Collins said: “The man is so passionate about hurling, that’s all he wants to do.
I’m sure he sees it as a new challenge. Wexford are a coming team.
“I’m sure he’ll have loads of success with them. I just wish him all the best.”
Collins added that Fitzgerald owes nothing to Clare hurling, having presided over that All-Ireland win three years ago before steering the team to a first National League title since 1978 in May.
He said: “To be honest, Davy has given so much to Clare, and the whole thing,
I’d say at the end of this year he was just thinking about it (leaving).
He talked to the two captains (Cian Dillon and Tony Kelly), talked to the delegates in Clare and stuff like that and I suppose just said the best thing for him was a new challenge. In fairness to him, he owes nothing to Clare. A great Clare man.”
While it has been reported that a players’ vote sealed Fitzgerald’s fate, Collins insists that the issue wasn’t clear-cut.
He said: “Every year, the management review the year, the players review the
year. I’d say that (vote) didn’t have a lot to do with it.”
Collins also revealed that he’s no closer to deciding whether to pick hurling or football next year, having told local radio that he would concentrate on one code only in 2017.
He said: “I was doing a favour for a person in Clare FM, just said it in passing, that this year was very difficult.
“I said that but I don’t know what I’m going to do, to be honest. I don’t know which of them.”
He admitted that juggling both in 2016 was “full on”, and that he didn’t fully recover from the cruciate ligament injury he sustained over a year ago.
Collins revealed: “It was full on. I didn’t really get back from the cruciate injury fully.
“First (hurling) game back was Kilkenny in the league, things were hotting up, never really got a run at the year.
“Then I fractured my thumb in the Munster (football) semi-final against Kerry.
“I had to get surgery at the end of the year. I knew there was something wrong.
“When stuff like that happens, it makes it a lot harder.”
And Collins admitted that Fitzgerald’s Clare underperformed in two massive championship games during the summer — the Munster semi-final defeat to Waterford and the qualifier exit against Galway.
He reflected: “Since the All-Ireland, it’s very hard to get back there.
Even this year, a lot of people were giving out about the way we performed, the Waterford game and the Galway game.
“In fairness, we let ourselves down on both occasions.”
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