KELLY: ‘WE ALL WANT BRIAN TO STAY ON’
CLARE star Tony Kelly believes there should be no debate over boss Brian Lohan’s future – and has urged officials to offer him a fresh deal immediately. Lohan was appointed for two seasons in October 2019, with the option of a third year pending a review. Clare officials are at that review point now and it remains to be seen if they feel enough progress has been made to stick with the former defender, or indeed if Lohan himself wishes to stay on. From Kelly’s perspective, if Lohan does wish to continue then it should be a no-brainer to draw up a new agreement. ‘The only question mark should be if he wants to continue – there should be no debate otherwise,’ said Kelly, the PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for June. ‘If Brian Lohan wants the Clare job, he should be given the Clare job. ‘He came in in 2020. In 2019, we didn’t have a great campaign and he steadied the ship. ‘There was a lot going on in terms of Covid and he progressed us a bit last year. ‘This year we did make improvements again and if you can get the likes of Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan back next year, it would be a massive help to him and to us as well. ‘If it was up to me or the players, we’d love it if he decided to continue on. There should be no real debate. It shouldn’t be up for discussion – if he wants the job, he should get it.’ Kelly, who lit up the Championship with a remarkable individual display against Cork during Clare’s All-Ireland Round 2 qualifier defeat, is optimistic that former All-Star Duggan will be back for 2022. It’s been reported locally that towering forward Duggan, who has lived in Australia since November 2019, will shortly return and play in the upcoming county championship. ‘I think he’s actually in the country the coming week,’ said Kelly. ‘I think he’s back for his club. We can’t afford to be without anyone.’