Clare formula mixes old and new

GAELIC GAMES:CHANGE HAS been the theme of Clare hurling in recent years and while the team for Sunday's Munster hurling quarter-final against Waterford maintains that trend, there are still some enduring ties with their last great triumph - the 1997 All-Ireland title. It's in with the new, but not yet entirely out with the old.

There are still three survivors from that last success of 11 years ago; full back Frank Lohan, midfielder Colin Lynch and full forward Niall Gilligan. Lohan will make his 55th championship start, and Gilligan his 50th - and he's also just one goal shy of the record 20 Clare championship goals, held by 1950s legend Jimmy Smyth.

There are similar ties on the sideline. For Mike McNamara, a selector under Ger Loughnane during the All-Ireland wins of 1995 and 1997, Sunday marks his first championship game as Clare manager, and two of his selectors - Ollie Baker and Fergie Tuohy - were also part of the 1997 team.

Sunday's team is also notable for the return of both Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody. Griffin missed last summer as he was studying in Canada, and Carmody had simply opted out. But McNamara is also giving youth its chance. Both Dara Clancy and Paddy Donnellan will get their first championship start in the defence, as will Mark Flaherty at corner forward as Clare seek their first Munster championship victory since 2003.

Flaherty fast established himself as Clare's top free-taker during the league and was always likely to get into the starting line-up. There are other players - Conor Plunkett, Diarmuid McMahon and new team captain Brian O'Connell - who may not have All-Ireland winning experience but won't fear the challenge of Waterford.

Declan O'Rourke is the main injury absentee, while Gerry Quinn and Fergal Lynch are among the replacements.

Clare nominate their captain rather than adopt the county champions tradition, and O'Connell takes over the role this year from Wolfe Tones clubmate Frank Lohan. He's only the fourth Clare player to get the captaincy since Anthony Daly, who held it from 1992 to 1999, and was succeeded by Brian Lohan (2000-2002), Seán McMahon (2003-2006) and then Frank Lohan (2007).

O'Connell is no stranger to the panel either and will start at midfield on Sunday alongside Lynch. He was brought into the panel in 2002 by then manager Cyril Lyons, played three years under Daly, and then last year under the much-troubled reign of Tony Considine. He talks like a seasoned player and acts like one too.

"This is probably one of the better set-ups we've had over the last couple of years," he says. "We're really focused. I feel we are getting closer, year by year, to the Clare of old. In saying that, we've brought in quite a few new faces again this year. But the nucleus of the team has been around for a few years now, and we'd like to think getting closer. Maybe this year we might cause the odd upset or two."

After all the managerial unrest of last year, sparked by the stand-off between Considine and now retired goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald, it seems McNamara's appointment has at least restored full faith in the sideline.

"Mike is just a great character, very approachable as well. Has a good relationship with all the players. He keeps a low profile as well, though. Ollie and Fergie and Alan Cunningham would do a lot of the training, and Mike would be more analysing what is going on, and have his say then," added O'Connell.

"But it's been good having a fresh face, a new voice, and he's still very driven. He loves Clare hurling. He'll do anything for Clare hurling. It's the one thing he thinks about, constantly. When he wasn't involved, and he'll tell you himself, though Offaly lads won't like hearing it, I think he was always thinking of Clare. He's been involved at under-21 and minor and even junior teams. He just wants to be involved. I think he's been waiting for the manager's job for a couple of years, and it's good to see him in there."

O'Connell admits the controversy which dogged Considine's year in charge had a negative effect on the field: "We tried to put it at the back of our minds. It wasn't ideal, and maybe it was there the whole time, niggling away. There was always something in the local papers. I don't know if we were as tuned in and as focused as we should have been.

"I think Tony knew himself he wasn't going to get another year. There were times during the year when rumours were going around that he might be gone after the next training session. That's not good for any group, and we found it difficult to focus with all that going on."

Clare upset Waterford in their last meeting in the 2005 All-Ireland qualifiers (4-14 to 0-21) and Sunday's game at the Gaelic Grounds has another tie with the past as it's the same venue where they began their triumphant 1995 All-Ireland campaign.

CLARE (SH v Waterford): P Brennan; G O'Grady, F Lohan, D Clancy; P Donnellan, C Plunkett, B Bulger; C Lynch, B O'Connell; T Carmody, D McMahon, J Clancy; T Griffin; N Gilligan, M Flaherty.