*Ger O’Connell and Joe Hayes.
TWO FORMER Clare goalkeepers have been ratified as the new county minor managers.
Lissycasey’s Joe Hayes is the new minor football manager, he takes over from Dermot Coughlan whom he had served with last year.
Hayes’ management team includes Ger Keane (St. Senan’s Kilkee), Fearghal Carroll (Cratloe), Alan Clohessy (Liscannor) and Cathal O’Connor (Coolmeen).
Ger O’Connell from Clonlara is the new minor hurling manager, replacing Brian O’Connell who led Clare to last year’s All- Ireland and Munster title.
Outgoing coach Damien O’Halloran (Inagh/Kilnamona) is continuing while the incoming management will include Barry Corbett (Clooney/Quin).
Welcoming the minor hurling appointment, coaching officer Neil O’Brien noted that the new minor manager had worked with the under 16ss for the past couple of years. “It’s great to see coaches coming through the underage system”, he said.
100 Clare appearances were made by Hayes from his time joining the county football panel in 2001 until he was forced to retire with a hip injury in November 2017. He was part of the Tipperary management in 2020 when they won the Munster championship while he joined Colm Collins’ Clare management for a season in 2023.
He will link up with three former county teammates, Keane, Clohessy and O’Connor for the new role.
Clonlara’s O’Connell spent three years in charge of the Clare senior camogie team, during his tenure Clare reached the All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2020, their first time making the knockout stages since 2014 and they also recorded a memorable away win over Kilkenny in the National Camogie League in 2020. On the field of play, he was the netminder of the Clare team which claimed All-Ireland minor glory in 1997 while at club level he won a memorable Clare SHC medal in 2008 and is also the holder of three Clare Cup medals.
Retaining O’Halloran as coach is seen as a big plus, the former Clare minor had previously been involved with Galway’s minor hurlers and was part of the Inagh/Kilnamona management this year as their senior side contested the Clare SHC semi-finals and Clare Cup final. Corbett was part of the Tulla management this year who missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the intermediate championship but he had been coach of Clooney/Quin during their run to successive quarter-final appearances.
