Clara vs. Portlaoise - Leinster club semi final 22/11/2009

[Bord na Mona man]

Clara planning without Brady
17 November 2009

Clara are planning for Sunday's Leinster club football semi-final against Portlaoise without influential midfielder Ross Brady, who received a straight red card in their quarter-final win over Rathvilly.

Brady, who has formed a powerful midfield partnership with his older brother Scott this year, was dismissed late in the first half of the Offaly champions' 0-14 to 1-8 victory over Rathvilly and has been suspended for four weeks as a result.

Brady scored two goals following his move to full forward in Clara's surprise defeat of Rhode in the Offaly SFC final, and also played a major role in overturning an eight-point interval deficit against Kildare kingpins St. Laurence's in the first round of the Leinster club championship.

[Offaly2010]

Ross Brady will be a huge loss for Clara in midfield but I still believe Clara can win this game and get to the Leinster Final.

I was actually at a few Portlaoise games this year and they are a good team but their backs are not as good as their forwards. Their corner forwards are very fast and they are good footballers.

I was actually at their last game against Senchalstown and although Senchalstown were shocking,Portlaoise were'nt great either,and Portlaoise are without Zach Tuohy who is gone back to Australia. With the likes of Thomas Deehan,John Reynolds and Graham Gulfoyle up front for Clara,if they get good ball in they can do damage to the Portlaoise defence. Kevin Fitzpatrick is the Portlaoise full back and I think John Reynolds will just have too much pace for him.

I think Clara will win a very close game by 3-6 points and reach the Leinster Final.

[Lone Shark]

Obviously what Clara have achieved so far is very much worthy of respect, but it's still hard to ignore the basic facts here - this is a Leinster semi final against the team generally considered to be the best of the thirteen sides left in the All Ireland competition. (Galls are marginally ahead in the betting, but that's very simply because they've one less game to play before the final.) Just to put gravy on it altogether, it's in their back yard. Clara could very easily play as good a game as they have all year and still fall four or five points short, that's the scale of the challenge facing them this Sunday.

Ross Brady will be missed, but there are certainly eighteen or nineteen lads in this Clara panel who have proved that they're well capable of stepping up to the mark, so I don't think that his absence will be the winning or losing of this game. How they cope with Portlaoise's high energy game around the middle third of the field will be much more so.

I can't wait for the game and I think they're definitely in with a fighting chance, however you couldn't say with any real confidence that they will win this game. I think they'll play well, and with the rub of the green, they might be within striking distance or even a point or two ahead with five minutes to go - and from there anything can happen. It'd be fantastic to have teams in the football and hurling deciders, so here's hoping.

[bracknaghboy]

Obviously what Clara have achieved so far is very much worthy of respect, but it's still hard to ignore the basic facts here - this is a Leinster semi final against the team generally considered to be the best of the thirteen sides left in the All Ireland competition. (Galls are marginally ahead in the betting, but that's very simply because they've one less game to play before the final.) Just to put gravy on it altogether, it's in their back yard. Clara could very easily play as good a game as they have all year and still fall four or five points short, that's the scale of the challenge facing them this Sunday.

Ross Brady will be missed, but there are certainly eighteen or nineteen lads in this Clara panel who have proved that they're well capable of stepping up to the mark, so I don't think that his absence will be the winning or losing of this game. How they cope with Portlaoise's high energy game around the middle third of the field will be much more so.

I can't wait for the game and I think they're definitely in with a fighting chance, however you couldn't say with any real confidence that they will win this game. I think they'll play well, and with the rub of the green, they might be within striking distance or even a point or two ahead with five minutes to go - and from there anything can happen. It'd be fantastic to have teams in the football and hurling deciders, so here's hoping.

The most diplomatic post of the year goes to.......... Lone Shark . I don't blame you for trying to avoid a repeat of the Tullamore predictions but I'll put my head on the block here and predict a good win for Portlaoise. What Clara have done so far has been fantastic but a substantial step up awaits on Sunday and think they might be a good few points off the mark here.

[Lone Shark]

Rest assured that if I thought Clara were no-hopers, I would say so. However they've proved so far that they have more than their share of class and appear to have a fair dollop of mental strength to go along with that, and that combination is enough to ensure that writing them off would be wrong. The bookies are calling it 75/25 in favour of Portlaoise, and it's very hard to argue with that synopsis, if I was pricing it I'd have been along the same lines.

[True Red]

what odds are clara for sunday?

[bula bula]

what odds are clara for sunday?

Clara are 9/4 on Paddy Power with Portlaoise at 2/5 and the draw at 15/2.
Clara are 11/10 with a 2 point head start and Portlaoise at 5/6.
At those prices the 5/6 on Portlaoise to beat the 2 point handicap is for me the one to be on. Would love to be wrong though.

[Lone Shark]

Powers are actually best price on Portlaoise - the handicap is three points generally.

[Frank Mcguigan]

Iv heard on the grape vine that Ross Brady is appealing his sending off on thursday night and that Brenden Murphy is attending in order to try get Bradys suspension overturned or at worst reduced

Also congradulations to Joe Quinn who made his return to the football field in a challenge against a Offaly 15 on Sunday , Its great to see him back after what has been a very difficult year for him ,shows the true character of the man to be back playing after all he has been through.

Regarding the Match sunday I think that the loss of Brady can not be underestimated , his workout rate around the middle is immense and has formed a brillant understanding with brother Scott , the option of throughing him in full foward if a goal is needed e.g (U21 + Senior fina) will also be lost. It will be a big ask for young Guilfoyle to fill the void at midfield , he undoubtely has the ability so hopefully he can cap off a brillant year with a performance beyound his years.
I also think in order for Clara to have a chance there backline needs to play out of there skin , i think the addition of Deasun Baggot the last day straightened the backline and if John Ledwith is fit to play it will also be a big boost.

Another deciding factor on this game could be Deehans ability to put back to back performances together along with Reyonlds , O Hara etc chipping in with scores.

Regarding Portlaoise they are obviously a very strong outfit , However Zach Tougheys loss like Bradys for Clara is immense and may in fact be greater , this was showen at the weekend when Portlaoises highly fancied u21 team without toughey crashed out of the Championship at the weekend.
Also in the Laois county final Arles Kilcruise were in that game right to the bitter end with only a penalty from corner foward Cahalane seeling the victory in a game in which Kilcruises work rate and doged football gave Portlaoise problems.

So with all this in mind I think that Clara have a real chance if they can meet the level of performance that they have reached in recent games and Hopefully Clara can come out on top and give Offaly Football something to shout about.

[leinsterman]

Clara will have to be on there toes from the throw it for this one. portlaoise will be the best club side clara will come up against.
Ross brady will be a big lost for this one and i think that will be the winning of it for portlaoise. clara can't let portlaoise get a good start
like they gave st. lawerances or it will be over at half time. portlaoise are a great side they have been at this stage before, plus home
game will be worth a few points for them. with brady out and the strong team portlaoise have plus they have a good bench, i take portlaoise
to win bye 4 or 5 points they be out to make up for last years lost to rhode .

[Lone Shark]

I presume there has to be a strong possibility of the game being called off at this stage? I'm actually hoping that it is, in that I'd like to see it and chances of me being able to get there from Galway, short of putting on a wetsuit and swimming to Portlaoise, are slim.

[turk]

Match abandoned! Clara were a point up with a few minutes played in the second half.

Garrycastle won the other semi and await the winners in the final.

[leinsterman]

thats a pity think clara had them today, wind with them for second half.
the only good thing out of it is ross brady will be back the next day, will it be in tullamore now??

[BUFFALO]

Judging by the way Michael Delany was speaking afterwards,I wouldn't be surprised if it's played before the hurling final in O'Moore park next Sunday.
If that did come to pass,then it'd surely be of some benefit to any travelling Offaly contingent.
Although,rationality would suggest that any re-played game should in fact be played in Tullamore,but as we all know,the GAA and rationality don't always go together.

[Plain of the Herbs]

My own take on this is that the next day is going to be a 'refixture' as opposed to a 'replay', therefore it would be played in Portlaoise. If Ross Brady got a straight red chances are he would get a four weeks suspension and would still miss the refixture.