O’Dwyer to scour Clare for top talent

Mick O’Dwyer is aiming to entice all players capable of performing at inter-county level to wear the Clare jersey.

The Waterville legend, who was appointed as Micheal McDermott’s successor on Friday night, intends combing the county for the best talent later this month.

Speaking last week, former Clare defender Noel Roche said no one other than O’Dwyer would be able to encourage the best players to make themselves available.

“Let’s hope we’ll be able to do that,” smiled the 76-year-old. “We’ll keep the fingers crossed and hope that any player with potential will come back and play for us. There’s no point having good players in the county if they don’t come out and play.”

With the help of his selectors Michael Neylon and Ger Keane and physical trainer Michael Cahill, O’Dwyer will next week stage trials as he did in Wicklow.

“Any player that has any potential will get his chance,” he insisted, speaking in Quilty yesterday where he watched Kilmurry-Ibrickane leave it too late against Dr Crokes in the Munster club championship.

“We have a very good backroom team, which is most important, and a good physical trainer and we’re represented around the county so we’ll be looking at a lot of players over the next couple of weeks.”

O’Dwyer’s attitude to the league has been questioned in the past and while he hinted Clare may be slow starters in Division 4 next February he assures their attempts under him to gain promotion will be genuine.

“The league is the building process for the championship but we’ll be hoping to do well in the league.

“Maybe we’ll be a couple of weeks late starting [properly] for the league but still, overall, we’ll have them okay for that.

“We’re going to make a right effort to get out of Division 4.”

O’Dwyer took note of a number of Clare players in league games during his time with Wicklow and is looking forward to working with them.

“Gary Brennan is a fine footballer and I would have seen him playing when I was with Wicklow. [David] Tubridy is very good too and there are just of a lot of good players in the county.”