Lingering questions for Clare ahead of Munster Senior Hurling League clash with Cork

On Monday, Clare face Cork in Mallow for a second – and what will most likely be Cork’s last – Munster Senior League outing.

Ben O’Connor’s experimental side were beaten convincingly on Wednesday by Limerick, but with both Clare and Cork set to enjoy the availability of their Fitzgibbon contingent for this contest, it should throw up a few differences.

LINGERING 

For Clare, though, there’s no denying the reality of what their 2025 season was. Having won the All-Ireland title the year previous, they not only got relegated from the top flight in the National Hurling League, they were unceremoniously dumped out of Munster after a home defeat to Tipperary.

The aim in 2026 will be all about getting back on track and performing to the level that they had shown just a year earlier, but there is one unique factor Clare face in 2026 that none of the other Munster SHC teams have: Division 1B.

It may be a positive, it may be a negative. League and championship differ greatly, but with the exception of Dublin, Wexford and Kildare – none of which at the level they’ll face in Munster – Clare are up against teams from the Joe McDonagh Cup.

They should and must cruise to the Division 1B title, but it’s hard to see how that’s going to be of benefit to their championship preparations, especially if they’re looking to get back to Croke Park.

Although, the changes to the Clare setup heading into this year suggest they’ll have a very similar setup to the one of last, with Brian Lohan in charge of the Banner for his seventh season.

OMISSIONS 

From the outside, the cull of five players from Clare’s senior hurling panel might raise eyebrows, but few, if any of their omissions, will stand out to Cork fans. Of the five departures, Patrick Crotty is the only one with championship minutes to his name.

The forward has dipped in and out since joining the setup in 2022, featuring across last spring’s league and arriving with strong Fitzgibbon pedigree, but has been axed for 2026.

Other cuts include Gearóid Sheedy, marking the end of his stop-start Clare career since his league debut against Cork in 2024, while Ian MacNamara has been dropped by Brian Lohan for a second time, despite starting three rounds of the National Hurling League last season.

Conn Smyth’s departure is injury-shaped rather than form-led, and Killian O’Connor exits without any senior exposure.

The biggest talking point though, carries over from last season, the one abrupt change during last year’s Munster Championship, when Aidan McCarthy suddenly disappeared from the panel ahead of their third match against Tipperary.

CONTROVERSY 

That was until, he shared his side of events in a statement.

“Just to clarify and confirm, I did not walk off the Clare senior hurling panel,” McCarthy wrote. “I was willing, ready and able to line out for my county against Tipperary on Saturday evening if selected.” 

The outcome, however, is unchanged. With confirmation that McCarthy is not, and will not be, involved for the 2026 season, Clare are losing a player of genuine value. Given his age profile, too, it is a blow that will continue to hurt.

It would be misleading to suggest Clare are suddenly short of options, but McCarthy has delivered often enough, and at a high enough level, to be considered a net loss to the panel.

They will march on, and in the first round against Limerick, three of last year’s U20s – goalkeeper Mark Sheedy, defender Eoin McMahon and forward Jack O’Neill – were all given starts, and they were joined by plenty of experienced names, too.

Mark Rodgers top scored with 1-11, Peter Duggan raised a white flag from a sideline and David Fitzgerald got on the scoresheet. Diarmuid Ryan, Rory Hayes, Conor Cleary and Cathal Malone also featured.

How they stack up on Monday will be interesting to see, as will their team selection and performances in Division 1B.