Clare must front up or face a Treaty ‘tanking’ – O’Connor

CLARE hurlers must front up against Limerick to avoid a repeat of last year’s “tanking”, Jamesie O’Connor has warned, even as the Banner suffer further prechampionship defections.

O’Connor accepts his former teammate Brian Lohan has been dealt a tough hand ahead of their Munster SHC quarter-final on October 25, following the recent loss of Colm Galvin, as he rehabs a groin injury, and Podge Collins.

“Ideally, Brian would have all of these guys available,” he said. “We were already without Peter Duggan, who is abroad, and John Conlon tore his cruciate – which was a massive, massive loss.

“We all know what Colm Galvin has delivered for Clare, going back to his U-21 days. He has been phenomenal, consistently a biggame player and a guy who would deliver,” he stressed.

Electrified

“I don’t think we’ve seen the Podge of 2013, when he electrified things, in recent years . . . maybe the form isn’t there, maybe the appetite isn’t there, I’m not fully sure, I haven’t spoken to him or Brian. But certainly he’s a good guy to have around and you get the sense it’s another blow.”

O’Connor is unsure if players promoted from the U-20s are physically ready to compete with Limerick – or All-Ireland kingpins Tipperary if they advance. Yet, despite Lohan’s “depleted hand”, the Sky pundit insisted: “It’s up to the Clare players now. We all know we didn’t front up against Limerick last year; we got a tanking.

“If Clare aren’t at it going into that game, we know what Limerick are capable of doing to them. The onus is on the players that are there, the Tony Kellys, the Shane O’Donnells, those guys now have to step up.

“We are all aware of the challenge facing us,” he added. “We’ve just got to be as good as we can be and make sure we are ready to throw the kitchen sink at Limerick because if we’re not, we’ve seen how teams can put up big scores on you when you’re not at it or not as well prepared as you need to be.”