*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
IT WAS always going to be Clare’s final league outing of 2025 but Saturday’s one point loss to Tipperary meant Brian Lohan’s side finish bottom of the table, Enda Treacy rates the performances of the Banner hurlers following their fifth loss of 2025.
By Enda Treacy
Wexford’s win over Limerick means Clare with five losses from six outings finish bottom of Division 1A of the Allianz National Hurling League.
1: Eibhear Quilligan
Made a fantastic save from Jake Morris early in the second half but very nearly nullified that piece of brilliant play when he flapped at a long range Noel McGrath effort that dropped short and nearly trickled into the net. Hit a lot of his restarts short due to the lack of ball winning ability in the half forward line in what was a mixed bag for the Feakle netminder.
Rating: 7
2: Adam Hogan
Got pinged early on for wrestling with Jason Forde and from there on, he was on the wrong side of Colm Lyons and soon picked up a yellow card. Like the team as a whole, he dominated the ball in his sector early in the second half but struggled when moved over to Jake Morris late in the half and was on the edge in that time, with a second yellow threatened twice late on.
Rating: 6
3: Conor Cleary
After a torrid last outing against Cork on his return to the fold in 2025, the old reliable Kilmaley hurler was closer to his top form throughout this game. He was dominant in the 505/50 stakes all game and even chipped in with a rare point in the purple patch in the first few minutes of the second half.
Rating: 8
4: Shane Woods
Woods had an assured first half performance at the back, winning numerous possessions and making a solid contribution to the defensive effort but it was a different story in the second half. Jake Morris was given far too much space to run into in the last quarter as Tipp found him again and again, with Woods struggling to curtail him. A tale of two halves for Woods but it will be a learning experience in his first start at senior level.
Rating: 5
5: Daithí Lohan
The pick of the newcomers for Clare in this game. Competed very well all game and was onto an awful lot of possession in both halves. Moves very well with the ball and stood up in the physical stakes, adding to the play going up and down the pitch, keeping an experienced head in Seamus Kennedy to very little.
Rating: 7
6: John Conlon
The defensive lynchpin of the team despite the loss, Conlon was consistent right throughout and easily outdone his teammates in terms of possession and influence. He was utterly dominant in the first fifteen minutes of the second half and with Tipp allowing him to cover back, he mopped up possession and more often than not, made good use of it.
Rating: 8
7: David McInerney
McInerney’s withdrawal looked to be a pre-ordained move as it certainly wasn’t a performance issue that had him called ashore in the 47th minute. Along with Conlon, McInerney was dominating the first half and he hit an obligatory long range point early in the first half. Encouraging to see him so sharp after his injury woes lately.
Rating: 7
8: Ryan Taylor
Mixed the good with the bad, Taylor and Malone were the dominant pairing overall in the midfield battle throughout the game but he left some scoring chances behind late in the game when the result was in the balance, particularly three minutes from time when he was all alone from 30 odd metres out and managed to fire the ball wide on the run.
Rating: 7
9: Cathal Malone
As usual, the unseen work was evident in spades from Malone for those keeping a keen eye on proceedings. Malone was omni-present throughout the game and he wouldn’t have been far away from Conlon in the possession stats for the Banner.
Rating: 8
10: Tony Kelly
The big positive for Kelly and Clare is the fact that the Ballyea man has played five consecutive league games for the first time in recent memory and he looks to be eager for action heading into the championship. He has been guilty of not contributing out of possession throughout his career, but he was prominent in that aspect yesterday, turning over at least three possession, including one late in the first half on Brian McGrath where Kelly man shook him with a shoulder, plucked the loose possession and fired over the bar on the run.
Rating: 7
11: Robin Mounsey
Earning his opportunity with a good performance in a challenge match against Offaly recently, Mounsey didn’t manage to take it in what was a rare start for the Ruan hurler. He managed to pick off a point during his time on the pitch, but he was a footnote for the majority and when you consider the prominence of his direct opponent in Ronan Maher, it tells a tale of woe for him.
Rating: 5
12: Seán Rynne
A player who has shown flashes of what he could bring to the team in the last few weeks, he brought mixed opinions from supporters by full-time on Saturday night. There is no denying his output when on the pitch and he got into good positions throughout and landed a fine point from under the old stand in the first half. However, he still shows his relative inexperience at this level at times, and took on shot several times when the easier option was turned down but set up Rodgers for his goal early in the second half in a glimpse of the quality he does have.
Rating: 6
18: Aron Shanagher
A late inclusion to the starting line up in place of Gearoíd Sheedy, it took the Shannon man a long time to make his mark on the game but he was the main outlet in the final quarter when the rest of his team were at sea. He got onto several possessions when Tipperary were on top, popped over two good points and fed his teammates for scoring chances on a number of occasions. His reluctance to use his right side frustrates and when you consider he popped a point over on that side, it shows that he is capable.
Rating: 7
14: Shane Meehan
The arrival of Shane Meehan as a regular starter for Clare has yet to arrive, and on the evidence of this showing, it may be some time before it comes to fruition. He can’t deny that the ball didn’t come his way – especially in the second half – but his first touch deserted him several times and just couldn’t hold onto possession to make an impact. Disappointing.
Rating: 5
15: Mark Rodgers
It fell to Rodgers to take up the scoring mantle for a Clare forward line in this game – with the exception of Tony Kelly – that doesn’t have a history of heavy scoring elsewhere and while he showed flashes of his quality with the goal and his freetaking, he didn’t consistently get involved his hit had a ding-dong battle with Eoghan Connolly.
Rating: 7
Subs:
23: David Reidy
Popped over a close range point after his introduction at half-time but struggled to get any change out of the outstanding Michael Breen for the remainder. Failed to get much clean possession and it was a problem throughout the forward division for the last half an hour.
Rating: 5
20: Darragh Lohan
Replacing McInerney in the 47th minute, Lohan certainly struggled to have the input and influence of the man he replaced. He didn’t exactly impress but neither did he get a run around as he generally used any possession he received well.
Rating: 5
24: Aidan McCarthy
Had one possession in his time on the pitch that led to a very speculative shot from the sideline under intense pressure from a Tipperary defender that unfortunately drifted wide. Struggled to influence the game in his 20 minute appearance.
Rating: 5
22: Patrick Crotty
Can’t be accused of not getting stuck in but it was a cameo to forget for Crotty as the ball eluded him with regularity when possession was within his grasp. He fumbled possession several times as his first touch deserted him, particularly heading into added time when he was fed a ball inside the Tipperary 21, but inexplicably, he fumbled possession as Tipperary eventually recovered the ball with the following passage leading to Stakelum’s winner.
Rating: 5
26: Paddy Donnellan
Donnellan had only two minutes on the pitch as he was introduced far too late to make any sort of impression.
Rating: 5
