Two-time All-Ireland winner Conor Clancy has been appointed as the new manager of the Kilmaley intermediate hurlers.
By Jamesy McConigley
Clancy who has been heavily involved with the club’s underage teams brings to an end Kilmaley’s search for a manager. 1981 All-Star Sean Stack had been appointed to the position at the club’s AGM but the Sixmilebridge man departed the position days later.
Evan Kilroy will remain as the trainer of Kilmaley’s first team with Kieran Dillon continuing as selector. New additions to the management include Strength and Condition coach David Cleary, and Martin Meehan with another name to be added in the coming weeks.
A winner of a senior championship in 2004 with Kilmaley, Conor judged last year’s campaign as unfortunate and feels bouncing back to Senior won’t be easy. “Somewhat unlucky to go down but now that we’re down there it’ll be a lot of work to get back up. It’s not going to be straight forward and it will be a big change in terms of expectations to get back up”, he told The Clare Herald.
He believes that teams use a ‘different’ approach when competing in the Clare IHC and it will be a distinct style that will be needed to be triumphant. With everyone around the county deeming Kilmaley as overwhelming favourites for the 2017 intermediate championship, the three time Munster medallist says that rebuilding is their main priority.
“It’s a pretty young team and I suppose a lot of it is trying to improve the overall level of the team’s performance, trying to improve players individually and see if we can improve things in terms of how we’re going to play”.
He’s the second person to replace the departing P.J Kennedy with Sean Stack parting company after just five days in charge. Conor says of the Stack situtation, “I believe he accepted the position but a number of days later he changed his mind so basically he accepted it prior to our A.G.M and he had a change of heart three or four days later.”