CHEER UP; Banner hero fed up with doom & gloom predictions for Mike Mac's squad, it's time to be positive.Byline: ORLA BANNON TONY GRIFFIN Tony Griffin (born January 11, 1981) is a member of the Co.Clare intercounty Hurling team. He played his club hurling with Local club Ballyea, Co. Clare. Schools career Griffin played half-forward with St. Flannan's during his time there. is fed up hearing about what's wrong with Clare hurling hurling, outdoor ball and stick game similar to field hockey (see hockey, field). The national pastime of Ireland, it was played for many centuries before the Gaelic Athletic Association standardized the rules in 1884. . Relegation to Division Two, the controversial departure of Gerry Quinn and the retirement of stalwart Colin Lynch mid-season have all contributed to a foreboding sense of gloom. It's a time for positive people and positive thinking, especially with a Munster Championship semi-final against either Cork or Tipperary just a matter of weeks away. "It is very easy when you are losing for small little issues to become big issues quickly," claimed Griffin. "So Clare lost to Limerick Limerick, city, Republic of Ireland Limerick, city (1991 pop. 56,083), seat of Co. Limerick, SW Republic of Ireland, at the head of the Shannon estuary. The city has a port with two docks. away after being 11 points down and pulling it back to one point gap. "Then we lose to Waterford at home and the public, the radio station and the two local papers start to say: What is wrong with this team? "It was just two league games in February and people are saying: what's wrong? For us as players it is important not to let that seep into our mental consciousness. "Anyone who talks to me talks about what's wrong with Clare, not what's right with Clare. I think there is a lot right. "John Conlan John Conlan can refer to:
Tommy Walsh (born 1956 in London) is an English celebrity builder. He attended Parmiter's School, then in Bethnal Green. in the league. They are the kind of players that show what is right with Clare. "The one thing that we can't do is that we can't lose self-belief. "We can't lose the belief that we can develop a team that good enough to be competitive over the next few years." This is Griffin's ninth year with Clare and he has seen a tremendous personnel overhaul in the team. Seanie McMahon, Davy Fitzgerald David 'Davy' FitzGerald (born 2 August, 1971) is an Irish sportsman. He plays hurling with his local club Sixmilebridge and with the Clare senior inter-county team. He is the current goalkeeper for "the bridge" team but, due to a controversial row with manager Tony Considine, he and Frankie Lohan all retired in the last three years and following Lynch's recent withdrawal, that leaves Niall Gilligan as the only surviving link from the 1997 All-Ireland winning team. He's aware that as a senior player and a leader, it's important the older heads are in peak form if they want to at least repeat last year's success in reaching the Munster final. "There are six of us who aren't playing as well as we know we can," he confessed. "That is six or seven of the players that have been around for the last three or four years, not playing well. "When you have two players not playing well you can maybe get away with it. "There are probably four or five of us in the forwards who aren't contributing scores as they were in other years. "Last year against Waterford and Limerick players were playing very well so if we can get more of our players playing to that level then it will be a very different team." Supporters of Mike McNamara's side will need to be patient however. There has been such an influx of players in and out that a settling-in period is inevitable. While that has been happening they have slipped down the pecking order pecking order Basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird pecks another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank. For groups of mammals (e.g. in Munster. "Looking at the likes of Waterford, Cork and then Kilkenny the teams haven't changed too much the last few years. "Even Tipp have a team that has been developing for three years now. "Whereas Clare have changed the goalie this year, the full-back and if you go through the field we have lost players. "It takes time to find replacements and that is something that we didn't take into account. "There are still eight weeks to go (to Championship) and that is a long time in terms of training and getting our form. "So it could be a very different team for the Championship. It is definitely interesting times in Clare." CAPTION(S): HOPES Griffin sees lots of reasons for Clare to be cheerful |
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