Clare’s heavy defeat to Cork last night won’t have come as any major surprise to football people across the county or the province.
The U21 system is so heavily in favour of the big two of Kerry and Cork that the annual pairing of the rivals in a Munster final is getitng quite tiresome.
Clare boss Colm Collins rightly pointed out the need for an open draw or at least some change to the overall All Ireland system to give teams a second chance.
Clare are never going to be able to compete against a team like Cork or Kerry unless at least given the right tools and backing from Munster and county level.
The gap between the sides was not just on the scoreboard as Clare were physically smaller and lighter which at this level doesn’t come overnight.
At development squad level is where Cork and Kerry are streets ahead of Clare, even Tipperary have come closer to the mark over the last few years.
Physical development but also mental strength and belief are keys components to beating any big name side like Cork or Dublin.
Looking at last night’s game it struck this writer what a great shame it is where a samll county like Clare cannot accommodate dual players.
What a forward line of Conor Mc Grath and Catal Mc Inerney would have done for Clare is unknown but it is something that the county should seek to try and develop in the future with the likes of Tony Kelly and others coming on stream over the next 2-3 years.
Ultimately Clare were beaten by a better stronger team but one which has been used to developing players and systems for decades.
For Clare to come up to that level it will need a serious re think of how the championships are run but also how all underage county teams are prepared.
