O’Loughlin says victory vital for Banner’s future

CLARE manager Ger O’Loughlin believes the result of this evening’s Allianz Division 2 final with Limerick could have a major bearing on his players staying in Ireland.

The Clarecastle man has “three or four players in limbo at the moment with regard to work” and there are plans afoot to organise jobs for them over the summer.

However, he is concerned a second season in Division 2 could convince some players to emigrate.

“I would imagine, again, that our guys are all young men, only 22 or 23, the majority of them lads want to stay and play for Clare,” pointed out O’Loughlin.

“They’ll remain in college probably for another two or three years so I think the nucleus of the team will be okay.

“Most of the 25 to 30-year-olds, thanks be to God, seem to have work and solid work so that’s not an issue.

“But, we’re building a team. I think if we could win on Saturday evening and turn a corner, you might have lads really wanting to play and I have no doubt they do at the moment.

“But I can see the other side of it as well, if they lost on Saturday, going into the championship, it could fall flat.

“But that’s the nature of it. That’s the way the competition goes.”

Clare are still reeling from the loss of their captain Brian O’Connell to emigration due to a lack of work. They have co-opted a committee with the county board to help players get jobs.

“You’re literally going from season to season, from month to month, to ensure that they’re happy and available to you,” said O’Loughlin. “But it will become an issue I’m sure down the road.”

But O’Loughlin fears others could follow O’Connell’s example and leave the country and their hurling careers behind.

“It must be something that every manager fears at the moment, that you’re working away with a guy and the next thing he tells you that he has to go, there is no other choice. In fairness to the Clare County Board and whoever else they have tried to make sure lads can stay around for championship.

“They’ve been doing that and we have done that since we came in last year.

“We’ve tried to do what we could do, get a job for a guy, be that long-term or short-term, we’ve tried to do that for them.

“Unfortunately, we lost our captain Brian O’Connell because he just couldn’t get work and he just couldn’t face the prospect of sitting at home doing nothing for another year. From that point of view, you just don’t know.

“It’s to the detriment of hurling if lads have to up and go.”

Meanwhile, Eoin Larkin has been passed fit for Sunday’s Division 1 final having overcome a dead leg picked up playing for his club James Stephens last weekend.

Tommy Walsh has not recovered from his shoulder injury. In all, the team shows four changes to the side that beat Offaly with David Herity taking over from PJ Ryan in goal and JJ Delaney returning to the half-back line.

Ticket sales for tomorrow’s final in Kilkenny are believed to be extremely slow with fears there may be moreU21 All-Ireland FC fans in Croke Park than for the main event.

Meanwhile, Waterford star inter-county defender Eoin Murphy picked up a serious head injury playing for his club Shamrocks in Cappoquin last night.