Clare v Galway: CLARE'S MASTER and commander, the no-nonsense Mike McNamara, has shifted their chairs around in an attempt to trouble Galway in the tightened confines of their home patch tonight. There is a very real chance the visitors' burgeoning championship aspirations will be extinguished here.
Clare have departed from the days of veterans clinging on to past glory, instead, Mike Mac has begun rebuilding, using what hurlers are at his disposal, but it helps that Colin Ryan and James McInerney have reached maturity at either end of the field.
Ryan drifted deep the last day but managed to register five points from play alongside 0-7 from placed ball. He looks a genuine top-grade hurler and has been shifted, allegedly – don’t trust these line-ups, to the left wing with Tony Griffin pulled back to midfield alongside captain Brian O’Connell. This means Jonathan Clancy is in the full forward line where Niall Gilligan must catch fire if Clare are to have any chance.
The Griffin ploy may be to help stymie a flow of clean ball into Joe Canning, who will be supported by the whizzing activity of Niall Healy and Damien Hayes, who has recovered from a calf strain.
Despite the return to fitness of James Skehill, John McIntyre remains loyal to goalkeeper Colm Callanan and the 15 who started what was perceived as a progressive defeat to Kilkenny.
Galway are radically altered, in personnel and positionally, from the side that lost in Ennis two years ago with the Canning brothers certain to make an impact. Clare look dangerous and seem to enjoy this rivalry but Galway’s natural hurling ability should set up an All-Ireland quarter-final against Cork.
CLARE: P Brennan; P Vaughan, J McInerney, G O’Grady; A Markham, B Bugler, P Donnellan; B O’Connell (capt), T Griffin; T Carmody, D McMahon, C Ryan; N Gilligan, D Barrett, J Clancy.
GALWAY: C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning (capt); F Moore, J Lee, A Cullinane; E Lynch, K Hynes; A Callanan, C Donnellan, A Smith; D Hayes, J Canning, N Healy.
Referee: J Owens (Wexford).
