Lohan back to bolster Clare defence

HURLING/Championship 2003: Ian O'Riordan talks to coach Cyril Lyons about getting his side fully focused on the Cork challenge

Clare full back Brian Lohan will be fit for Sunday's Munster hurling semi-final against Cork. Lohan's knee injury, suffered in the quarter-final win over Tipperary, has responded well to treatment over the past fortnight, to the obvious relief of manager Cyril Lyons.

"We're expecting now that Brian will be fine for Sunday," said Lyons yesterday. "Of course that's huge news, and a big relief for us. He has made great progress over the last week and if he maintains that there should be no problems for him."

Lohan turned to sports injury specialist Gerard Hartmann in Limerick after the Tipperary game, and he prescribed a period of rest and intense daily physiotherapy. Lohan has also been icing the injured knee between six and 10 times a day to reduce the swelling. He avoided a serious tear to the medial collateral ligament and with Hartmann's help he has won the race against time and will line out in Thurles.

Lyons, however, was still faced with some selectorial dilemmas ahead of the Cork game, all defensive. Team captain Seánie McMahon was ruled out of his familiar centre back position because of the four-week suspension handed down after the Tipperary game for a swipe at Tipperary's Conor Gleeson.

Wing back David Hoey is another definite absentee. He broke a bone in his ankle just six minutes into the Tipperary game and is ruled out for several more weeks.

Conor Plunkett, who did such a good job when stepping in for Hoey, is named at centre back in place of McMahon. A vacancy has been left at wing back, however, with up to four players in the running - Conor Harrison, Gerry O'Grady, Ollie Baker and John Reddan.

Frank Lohan will captain the team in McMahon's absence.

One of the main talking points among the Clare players after their win over Tipperary on May 18th, which followed three successive defeats by the Premier county, was how the game had been their entire focus over the previous few months.

Sunday's championship meeting with Cork, the first between the counties since 1999, is different in that the Clare players have had less than three weeks to try to establish the same sort of focus. Lyons admitted it had not been easy.

"Three weeks might seem like enough time," he said, "but the games do really come so quickly on you. We also had club championship matches the week after the Tipperary game, so it's been more like two weeks to focus on this game.

"Given that you had nearly six months to focus on one game, and then less than three weeks to focus on the next, it is a lot different, and could be a difficulty. But we won't be offering that as any excuse if we don't perform well on Sunday.

"So the most important thing for this game is that we have the right attitude going out there. And that will be crucial in getting the sort of performance we want."

While Cork emerged victorious in that last championship meeting, taking Clare's Munster title in the process and going on to win their first All-Ireland since 1990, the team has undergone mixed fortunes in the intervening years. Last December's strike action by the players over their perceived treatment by the Cork County Board has added to the pressure for the championship, although Lyons was impressed by their form during the league.

"There are some younger players in there now, but a lot of that Cork team have been around for a while, and some of the best players that helped them win the All-Ireland a few years back are still playing.

"And they beat us convincingly in the league, and generally have been in better form. We only won three league matches, and they won six. And I thought they were very impressive the day they played us.

"And some of the young players have been very impressive, especially the likes of Setanta Ó hAilpín. He only came on a sub against us but made a huge impression. And they were also without their Na Piarsaigh players that day, who were involved in club action. So they didn't have a full-strength team and still beat us well.

"So we're under absolutely no illusions. We know we're playing a real quality team, and if we don't get it right then we know we're going to get beaten."

Last Sunday's drawn semi-final between Limerick and Waterford produced numerous talking points, mostly about the fiery quality of the hurling, but also about some refereeing decisions. Representatives from both counties stated afterwards that Munster referees should be appointed for Munster hurling championship matches.

Presumably then Clare and Cork would have been satisfied to hear that Tipperary's Willie Barrett will take charge of the game in Thurles?

"Well we wouldn't be bothered by those sort of things. I know Willie Barrett has refereed championship matches in the past with Clare, and would be regarded as a very competent and fair referee, both inside and outside of Clare.

"But we have no issue with the referees appointed. That's a decision for the authorities, and all we're worried about is trying to be right ourselves."

CLARE (SH v Cork): D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; AN Other, C Plunkett, G Quinn; D McMahon, C Lynch; A Markham, N Gilligan, T Griffin; T Carmody, A Quinn, J O'Connor.