CLARE BOSS DAVY Fitzgerald has handed championship debuts to David McInerney, Conor Ryan and Shane O’Donnell for Sunday’s Munster quarter-final against Waterford.
McInerney gets the nod to start at full-back while Ryan will play at midfield and O’Donnell is selected at full-forward.
Both McInerney and Ryan were part of Clare’s triumphant side that won the Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 hurling championship last September. Attacker O’Donnell is just out of the minor ranks and will not turn 19 until next month.
In all there are 8 members of last year’s U21 side in the Clare senior outfit. McInerney and Ryan are joined by teammates Seadna Morey, Patrick O’Connor, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly, Padraic Collins and Conor McGrath.
Of the U21 brigade only O’Connor, Collins and McGrath have started a Munster senior championship match before.
Kelly and Galvin both only made their senior debuts in the All-Ireland qualifier against Dublin last July while Morey came on as a substitute in the Munster semi-final against Waterford last June.
Clare’s Tony Kelly.
Pic: INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
In total there are nine survivors from the side that lost to the Déise by 2-17 to 1-18 in last year’s Munster championship – Patrick Kelly, Domhnall O’Donovan, Brendan Bugler, O’Connor, Patrick Donnellan, Collins, Colin Ryan, John Conlon and McGrath.
The new players into the mix are McInerney, Morey, Galvin, Conor Ryan, Kelly and O’Donnell with Cian Dillon, Conor Cooney, James McInerney, Nicky O’Connell, Enda Barrett and Jonathan Clancy the players who have made way.
CLARE: Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona); Domhnall O’Donovan (Clonlara), David McInerney (Tulla), Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge); Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Patrick Donnellan (O’Callaghan Mills), Patrick O’Connor (Tubber); Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Conor Ryan (Cratloe); John Conlon (Clonlara), Tony Kelly (Ballyea), Colin Ryan (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Padraic Collins (Cratloe), Shane O’Donnell (Eire Og), Conor McGrath (Cratloe).
