Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work. We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 110 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 142 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 112 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 38 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 34 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 133 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 59 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 74 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 46 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 92 partners can use this special purpose
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 99 partners can use this special purpose
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 72 partners can use this feature
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 53 partners can use this feature
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 88 partners can use this feature
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 69 partners can use this special purpose
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
Cookie List
Taking stick: Clare looking big for their age
CLARE HAVE LOST just one game worth mentioning in 2012.
And being honest, it’s only worth check-listing for the sake of posterity. That was the Waterford Crystal Cup final to Tipperary as both counties kept a hint of shadow to their sides.
When Davy Fitzgerald has let them shine, they have blinded their opponents. Four wins from four in the league 1B and, all of a sudden, this could be a big year for Clare.
Promotion and, if you are to believe the whispers, a league title is what Davy has targeted from this league. Cock your ears a little more and you’ll have heard talk of the preparation being done in the Banner County – training 30 days out of 34, for example. Whatever of that, Clare certainly look to be in fine fettle and have won each league game by an average of more than nine points.
Limerick were cleaved by 14 in front of their own women and children at the Gaelic Grounds while Wexford, most recently, were swatted aside in Ennis. The Banner visit second-placed Offaly in their final regulation league fixture, with a chance to eliminate the Faithful County from the promotion picture.
Because pushing on to win the league title is what they crave. In the same way that Dublin needed it last year to reinforce their self-belief, Clare’s and Davy’s impatient ambitions may warrant that too. To achieve it from a base in Division 1B would be quite remarkable considering how highly-charged those in 1A have been thus far. This is as close to championship hurling as we have seen outside the summer in some time, ahead of a weekend in which every team bar Dublin have something to play for. The point being that the counties perceived to be stronger than Clare right now and on high alert.
Davy Fitzgerald on the sideline in Portlaoise recently. INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
In the same way that Donal O’Grady did not want to play second-tier league after blitzing through it in 2011, Davy Fitz knows promotion coupled with continued progress in the league will only steel his side for his championship opener with Waterford. Should The Banner’s form land them a league semi-final – they will need to win the 1B final first – then they will play any of Cork, Kilkenny or Tipperary. For the confidence of this rather young side, they need a chance to take on the best.
So it may be.
Conor McGrath and Nicky O’Connell are making plenty of headlines right now but they are not alone. John Conlon is among a great crop of young forwards emerging in Munster (and beyond) and you would expect Fitzgerald to use him a little better than Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin did in 2011.
The Munster loss to Tipperary stood out to many as a reason why Clare could hope to challenge the best as they went 1-03 to 0-00 up early on but to see Conlon put on powerhouse Paudie Maher made little sense. In a sport where you look to create mismatches, this at best nullified their excellent forward; being less generous, he was overwhelmed by the Thurles man.
He rattled off 1-3 against Laois, just a point against Antrim but 0-4 as the Banner eventually ran Limerick off their own field on day one. If Clare arrange their instruments correctly, the tune could carry them a long way. The locals seem content with their new manager thus far, with only a few voices dissenting against a perceived overuse of the short passing games. For any team finding its feet, patience is required as both style and a game plan is formulated.
And yet for all the optimism garnered through their four wins in a row, Davy Fitz need only look at his next-door neighbours Limerick for proof that a good spring does not a summer makes. The Treaty County razed all before them by an average of almost 10 points in the 2011 NHL2 but still came up short in Munster – against Waterford, coincidentally – and in the qualifiers against Dublin. Some of the younger guns got a little shyer as the year went on, something Davy Fitz may yet encounter.
A young team sometimes needs to walk before it can run but, for now, Clare are looking big for their age.
No winners in Portlaoise ‘racism’ row, says Justin McNulty
Back to school: O’Dwyer wants to learn from Dublin’s rising stars
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Clare GAA Davy Fitzgerald Editor's picks Hurling National Hurling League Young Guns