Conlon: U-21 stars need time to raise Banner

THEIR senior hurling fortunes may reside at a low ebb after the All-Ireland senior qualifier mauling at the hands of Dublin, but Clare U-21 star John Conlon has pleaded with the Banner supporters to be patient with the streams of underage talent that the county are producing.

Hopes of senior success have soared since Clare swept to a historic All-Ireland U21 title but despite a competitive display in the Munster semi-final against Waterford, Clare’s summer ended in abrupt fashion when they were emphatically despatched by Dublin in the qualifiers. Yet Conlon remains upbeat and stresses that the outlook is positive. Tonight they contest their third successive Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21HC final and Clare have already claimed Munster minor hurling honours this summer. But Conlon believes it is imperative that these burgeoning talents are given time to make their mark on the senior stage.

“People are expecting a lot of things straight away from this U21 set up. We have to build and we’re not going to do that overnight. You’re not going to get 21 and 22-year-olds and expect them to run out at Croke Park and be superstars straight away. It’s a big step up. I didn’t think the final score reflected the Dublin game. Everything went right for Dublin — they were hitting points over from 30 yards off the ground. You get those days. I think we need to just relax and go with the flow, and hopefully in a few years we’ll be back up there again.”