All the talking is nearly done.

On Friday night the TUS Clare Senior Football Championship finally moves from speculation to reality, with the first ball thrown in on what promises to be one of the most open campaigns in recent years.

Éire Óg Inis are on the brink of history and are widely fancied to annex a third successive title. It is no secret that the Townies will feature on most people’s shortlist, and understandably so. Yet there is a growing belief throughout the Clare football fraternity that this championship is a more open prospect than it has been in recent years.

It is not so much a case of Éire Óg coming back to the pack, but rather the pack catching up with the champions.

Among the foremost contenders in that chase have to be Lissycasey. Recent winners of the Cusack Cup and a familiar club name on Clare underage team programmes, there is a  feeling that now is their time to deliver at senior level.

David Considine’s charges will be sweating on the availability of Aaron Griffin after his impressive year at inter-county level, but there is certainly no shortage of back-up. The Hills, Culligans, Meaneys and under-21 rising star Dermot McMahon are just a sample of a line-up that will be difficult to contain in Group 3.

That said, talk to Ennistymon about the difficulties of transferring underage success to senior glory.

The north Clare side have any amount of underage medals and inter-county representation within their squad, but have still been unable to make the breakthrough and claim the Jack Daly. They are among the most athletic and skilful sides in the championship, but will need a little more free-scoring potency up front to ensure they qualify from Group 2 and emerge as genuine championship contenders.

And then, of course, there are last year’s county finalists — the Parish - St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield.

They certainly did not become overawed by the occasion, pushing the eventual champions right to the wire. Tom Curran and Joe Rafferty lit up the championship in 2025 and will be looking to build on last year’s promise, albeit now alongside the pressure of expectation that 2026 will bring.

If last season’s journey taught Donagh Vaughan’s squad anything, however, it is that they are not too far away.

St Joseph’s Miltown find themselves in what looks, on paper, like the toughest group, although three teams will qualify for the knockout stages. Sean O’Brien’s side have the tradition and know-how, with Eoin and Conor Cleary, Seanie Malone and the ever-perdurable Gordon Kelly among those who merit serious contender status.

They were a late, late kick of a ball away from becoming Cusack Cup champions and, after an up-and-down early league campaign, perhaps they are doing a ‘Mayo’ on it — hitting form at just the right time.

Their neighbours Kilmurry Ibrickane never stopped being competitive, but the 16-time champions will admit that they are emerging from a period of transition. The likes of Conor Burke and Evan Cahill have now been embedded into a side which still possesses more than enough steel and experience elsewhere to go all the way. With a backroom team headed by Enda Coughlin and Evan Talty, they certainly know exactly what it takes.

Their opening-game opposition will be a tough nut to crack. St Breckan’s have made serious inroads at underage level in recent seasons and the 2023 county finalists will feature as a dark horse on many people’s list.

To emerge from the pack, however, they will have to navigate their way past Lissycasey, Kilmurry Ibrickane and last season’s Intermediate champions Corofin — a run that might well ensure their odds remain attractive.

And yet, there is one team not mentioned so far who were the last to take the Jack Daly away from the grip of the townies.

Cratloe are no strangers to the knockout stages and, with a clean bill of health, will fear nobody in Group 1 or beyond. They have pace aplenty among their younger players such as Marc O’Brien, Tadhg and Cathal Lohan and will look to combine that with the medal-winning astuteness of the Collins and Ryan brothers, along with Cathal McInerney.

That is the beauty of this year’s championship. Éire Óg are the champions, the favourites and the team everyone wants to knock off their perch. But there is a growing sense that the gap has narrowed.

The chasing pack is coming.

The Intermediate Football Championship is an even tougher assignment to call.

Cooraclare ignited with a brilliant late surge of form to reach last year’s final, but perhaps it came a year or two too early for the Milesians. The hoped-for return of Brian McNamara and Michael Garry, mixed with the Townsends and Pierce Lillis, could place Martin Daly’s side one step better this time around.

They will be fancied to have enough armoury to qualify from a group which also contains Ennistymon’s second string, Killimer — who are on a crest of a wave after making the breakthrough from Junior A last season — and Michael Cusack’s, who made an impressive run to the Division Three League final this spring.

Garry Cup champions Clondegad will also be on the shortlist.

Managed by James Murrihy, they have an exciting list of emerging players, including the McAlisters, while they can also rely on the wisdom of captain Tadhg Ó hUallacháin, Cillian Brennan and Morgan Garry. The Ballynacally side will certainly be there or thereabouts when the business end of the championship arrives.

Wolfe Tones na Sionna will be hoping to reorganise after falling through the trapdoor of relegation last season. Like so many of the dual Clare clubs, they will have to find the right balance and hope for the right run of injury luck between both codes.

On their day, however, John Reardon’s side can rely on Cody Waller, Aaron Kelly and Dean Devanney to give this championship a serious rattle.

Whoever emerges from Group 2 will have been thoroughly tested before any knockout football arrives.

Seasoned campaigners Coolmeen, dark horses Banner and West Clare rivals Naomh Eoin and Kilrush Shamrocks have all been within touching distance of a breakthrough in recent years.

The latter, sitting proudly atop Clare football’s Roll of Honour, will always carry the expectation of returning to the top table. It was a tough campaign in Division One of the Cusack Cup for the Shamrocks, but there will have been plenty of learnings for the Fennell brothers, Stephen Ryan, Tadhg Lysaght and co.

Most people expect the Shams to be at the business end of the campaign.

The action gets underway from this Friday night – Fixtures and Results, Clare GAA TV Streaming and Match tickets are available at the Official Clare GAA App. 

Three games feature on an exciting Clare GAA TV line-up for the opening weekend of the TUS Clare Senior Football Championship.

It all gets underway on Friday evening when Kilmurry Ibrickane meet St Breckan’s in what promises to be a fascinating contest, live from Hennessy Park in Miltown at 7.30pm.

Then, on Saturday, it’s a mouth-watering double-header from Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg.

First up, last year’s finalists St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield go face-to-face with Ennistymon at 4:00pm before reigning champions Éire Óg Inis begin the defence of their title against Cratloe at 6:00pm.

All Clare Club Match tickets available HERE with online discount . 

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