Gilligan rejects offer of Banner return

ALL-IRELAND winner Niall Gilligan has turned down an initial approach to link up with the Clare senior hurling panel for the 2010 campaign.

The Sixmilebridge clubman was absent from Monday night’s first official collective training session of the year and is understood to be taking more time out to consider his intercounty future.

Gilligan has been a key member of the Banner County set-up since making his debut in 1997 and has racked up over half a century of championship appearance.

Gilligan, 33, is Clare’s all-time leading championship goalscorer ahead of the legendary Jimmy Smyth and he captured an All-Ireland SHC medal in 1997.

Meanwhile, versatile Alan Markham has committed himself to the Clare cause for another season.

Markham, who made his championship debut in 1999, was present at the first session of the year along with defender Gerry Quinn, who was exiled last year under Mike McNamara’s management.

Quinn has accepted an invitation to return to the intercounty fold but Tony Griffin, who retired last year at just 28 years of age, is sticking by his decision for now citing work commitments.

Thirty-three players attended Monday first get-together and new boss Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin has introduced a host of players from last year’s All-Ireland U21 winning team.

Five Clonlara players who played key roles in that historic success will be involved with the senior team this year, namely Nicky O’Connell; Darach Honan; the O’Donovan brothers, Domhnall and Cormac and John Conlon, who has already played tasted senior action. Crusheen goalkeeper Donal Tuohy has been called in along with clubmate Cian Dillon while Enda Barrett (Newmarket) and Eamon Glynn (Inagh-Kilnamona) will also be involved.

Cratloe’s Sean Collins has also received a call-up while Colin Ryan, who made an impressive impact in his first year at senior level in 2009, is once again part of the set-up.

Mike McNamara’s son Conor, Damien Browne, Conor McMahon and Caimin Morey are some of the early casualties but O’Loughlin is stressing that his panel remains very much open-ended ahead of Fitzgibbon cup and local club fare.

Morey is currently on the injured list but will hope to figure for NUIG in the Fitzgibbon Cup while McMahon is currently out of the country but is due to meet with team management when he returns.

Meanwhile, All-Ireland U-21 hurling winners Sean Collins and Liam Markham could fulfil a dual mandate for the county at senior level this season.

The Cratloe duo, along with clubmate Martin Murphy, are likely to come into the frame for the new O’Loughlin’s setup while the new county football boss Micheál McDermott is open to concept of the trio also operating in his panel.

Both Collins and Markham were involved in the Clare senior football panel last season, as well as featuring for John Minogue’s All-Ireland U-21 winning hurling outfit. Murphy lined out for Clare in senior hurling championship in 2008 and 2009, and had previously made his senior county football debut under Páidí O Sé’s management of Clare in 2007. At club level the trio enjoyed huge success in both codes last year, winning a historic first Clare senior hurling crown and the Clare intermediate football title.

“They (Collins, Markham and Murphy) look like real candidates for the hurling panel”, stated McDermott. “I would like them on the senior football panel this year as well. Number one it is definitely something that myself and Ger O’Loughlin will have to sit down and talk about if there are players who definitely want to commit to the two teams.

McDermott admitted he is conscious of burnout issues but would be prepared to facilitate any attempts for the players to feature in both squads.

“I would be delighted if they want to play both codes, because something could be worked out between the two management teams to give the players the best possible chance to play both,” he told The Clare People.

“You have to be conscious of player burnout issues. You don’t want to ask too much of players. But if they’re prepared to commit to the two teams, I can see no reason at all why we can’t work around it and make it beneficial to both panels and the players in particular.”