Having voted for Clare’s greatest senior hurling team, readers of The Clare Echo are now being tasked with choosing the county’s senior gaelic football team from 1990 to 2020.
Highlights of the era include Clare winning their second ever Munster SFC in 1992 then managed by John Maughan and competing in the All-Ireland championship. Provincial final appearances followed in 1997, 2000 and 2012.
A forty five man shortlist has been compiled by sportswriter Seamus Hayes, Clare Echo Sales Executive Niall O’Connor and Head of Sport, Páraic McMahon on who they adjudge to have been the best players in championship for the senior side over the last three decades.
Once again, it is the readers that have the final say. You can utilise ‘AN OTHAIR’ to include who you feel should be in a certain position.
Voting kicks off now with three men in the running to be named as goalkeeper. Votes will stay open until 5pm on Tuesday (April 21st).
It was the opposite of third time lucky for James Hanrahan when it came to winning Munster medals. The Éire Óg netminder was in goals on the 1992 side that tasted provincial glory and shocked the nation by defeating Kerry. Subsequent final appearances result in defeats to the Kingdom in 1997 and 2000. He retired at the end of the 2002 campaign and would later become manager of the county U21s and goalkeeper coach with the seniors.
Goalkeeper of the Clare side that won the inaugural Tommy Murphy Cup in 2004, Dermot O’Brien took on the mantle from James Hanrahan as number one. The Kilmurry Ibrickane custodian returned to Croke Park six years later when his club were defeated on All-Ireland final day.
Referred to by ex-teammates as “Mr Clare Football”, Lissycasey’s Joe Hayes brought the curtain down on his inter-county career in November 2017 due to a recurring hip injury. He first joined the panel in 2001 and returned again in 2005 staying for a further twelve years. Joe is now part of the management team with the Tipperary senior footballers.
