Clare Manager Rails Against Major Munster Championship Change Proposed For 2026

Clare saw their All-Ireland campaign come to an end yesterday, with their 2-17 to 2-14 defeat against Louth capping off what has been an underwhelming round robin phase for the county.

Peter Keane's side would lose all three fixtures in their group, suffering heavy losses in the games against Down and Monaghan. This also comes on the back of a significant defeat to Kerry in the Munster final.

Clare gained passage into the Sam Maguire competition on the back of their provincial final appearance, having only managed a third-placed finish in Division 3 during their league campaign. Their victory over a struggling Tipperary side was enough to ensure they would not play in the Tailteann Cup in 2025.

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Clare were handed a relatively straightforward path to the Munster final this year, something that will not be the case in 2026 should a new proposal be voted through next month.

The provincial council are set to vote on a proposal that would see Kerry and Cork seeded for next year's Munster Championship, ensuring that they would not meet until the final.

Speaking after yesterday's game, Clare boss Peter Keane spoke out against such a potential move (h/t Irish Examiner).

It is interesting this week now there seems to be a move by the Muster Council to go back to seeding Cork and Kerry, which I think would be a terrible move for football in the province.

You take any county, the only way you are going to get better is to get out of [Division] Three and into Two and get to a higher standard and play at a higher Championship level. You look at Louth, where they have come from over a four or five-year window.

They have come from Four to Three to Two and stayed in Two and had success this year with a Leinster Championship. Counties have got to be given that chance. If you block it out altogether it’s no good for anyone.

As a Kerry man himself, it certainly seems as though Keane feels that this would be a bad move for Munster football as a whole.

It remains to be seen if that view will be widely shared within the province ahead of next month's vote.