Clare footballer Cillian Brennan pictured at the launch of the Munster GAA Senior Hurling and Football Championship 2024 at Cahir Castle in Tipperary. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Not many people predicted big things for the Clare footballers this year.
The departure of Colm Collins as manager and absence from the panel for a variety of reasons of star players like Eoin Cleary, Keelan Sexton, Ciarán Russell, Cathal O’Connor, and Jamie Malone looked like too severe a talent drain to overcome.
Clare supporters have probably been pleasantly surprised so with how the year has unfolded so far.
Mark Fitzgerald came in as manager and very quickly built a new-look team that performed creditably in Division 3 of the Allianz League, only missing out on promotion due to a final round defeat to Down.
Young players and previously fringe members of the panel have taken centre stage and blossomed.
One of the few veterans left in the panel, Cillian Brennan, has watched this from the sidelines due to injury, and has been hugely impressed by the application of those given their chance to shine.
“Yeah, I suppose, look, there was no hiding away from the fact of the changes that were there in personnel from last year but it was a challenge that we were all really hungry for and really looking forward to for the year to come,” says Brennan.
“It also created a huge opportunity for lads there that had been knocking on the door for a number of years. These guys, some of them had been getting game time, some of them had been in and around the panel chomping at the bit to get a chance.
“It was really positive to see the way these lads applied themselves. By no means it wasn’t perfect but the main thing was that lads were willing to learn and push themselves and we’ve been very well guided with Mark and the backroom team to push standards and keep trying to drive Clare football forward.”
Colm Collins was always going to be a difficult act to follow for Mark Fitzgerald.
He’d spent 10 years in charge of the team, brought Clare football to a level of consistency never previously seen, and had a great relationship with all the players.
Brian McNamara is one of a number of young players to have impressed this year for a new-look Clare football team.
Fitzgerald has made the transition look pretty seamless, and Brennan credits him for being canny enough to build on the Collins blueprint rather than rip it up and start with a blank sheet.
“Coming from my own experience, I’ve been following Clare football very closely since my two brothers were playing, from a young age and following along and then I was lucky enough to come in in 2016 when Colm was the manager and got the opportunity to be part of the panel and you get used to a certain environment and a certain culture around the place but Mark and his backroom team have been extremely receptive to, I suppose, hear about what structures we had in place previously and try and build on that but also add their own fresh stamp on it as well,” says Brennan.
“They’ve worked extremely well with Declan Downes, who was there as part of the management team previously and he’s stayed on and that transition has been extremely smooth and the players and management, everyone working well together and continuing to drive things forward.”
A groin injury mean Brennan didn’t play a minute of football during the League and he hopes to make up for last time in the championship, starting with Saturday’s Munster semi-final against Waterford.
“It goes back to last year, nearly going back to February 2023, had a bit of tightness when we were playing Dublin in the League,” he says.
“A couple of games afterwards I was getting bit so pinching in the groin and when we went to play Limerick in the Munster semi-final, felt a sharp pain in it. Colm Collins might say it was from kicking a ball, taking a shot as a full-back.
“I usually wouldn’t be up that far but I suffered the consequences unfortunately and went for a scan after it.
“The scan actually came up clear so I played for a number of weeks after it and knew something wasn’t right when I came back to the club season, tried to rehab it. Ended up playing a game or two trying to keep the club out of relegation and eventually when I got into Santry they scanned it again and they actually looked at the scan from April and there had been a tear there that hadn’t been picked up on.
“Made it a bit worse unfortunately and just lengthened the rehab. I was coming to it at a stage where the injury had progressed further than I would have liked so it’s a slow process.
“Unfortunately we ended up with six or seven groin injuries from last year and the nature of them, they’re very unpredictable and it makes it a bit challenging when you’re looking and lads and asking you, ‘When are you going to be back?’ and you think one day it’s great nd you’re going to be back very soon and you think other days, ‘Oh Jaysus, I’m a bit off it yet’ but thankfully I’m on the right side of it now hopefully and coming closer to getting back.”