| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Pádraic Ó Coileáin | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Born | (1992-01-14)14 January 1992 (age 33) Caherdavin,Limerick,Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Nickname | Podge | ||
| Occupation | Bank of Ireland employee | ||
| Club | |||
| Years | Club | ||
2009– | Cratloe | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Clare titles | 3 | 2 | |
| Inter-county* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2012–2023 | Clare | 41 (0–18) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 0 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 1 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 20:56, 26 November 2013. | |||
Pádraic "Podge" Collins (born 14 January 1992) is anIrishGaelic footballer andhurler who plays as a right wing-forward forCratloe and previously with theClare senior team.
He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of eighteen when he first linked up with the Clare minor team, before later lining out with the under-21 side. He made his senior debut in the2012 championship. Collins has since gone on to play a key role for Clare, and has won oneAll-Ireland medal.[1]
At club level Collins is adual senior championship medallist withCratloe.
Born inCaherdavin,Limerick, Collins first played competitive hurling whilst at school in St. Caimin's C.S., Shannon.
His father,Colm, managed theClare senior football team from 2013 onwards.[2][3]
Collins first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Clare minor team in 2010. He won his firstMunster medal that year following a 1-16 to 1-11 defeat ofWaterford.[4] Clare subsequently qualified for the All-Ireland decider againstKilkenny, however, Collins's side faced a narrow 2-10 to 0-14 defeat.[5]
By 2012 Collins had joined the Clare under-21 team. He won aMunster medal in that grade as Clare defeatedTipperary by 1-16 to 1-14.[6] Clare subsequently faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider. After trailing at half-time, Clare outscored their opponents by 1-10 to 0-4 in the second period of play to secure a 2-17 to 2-11 victory.[7] It was Collins's firstAll-Ireland medal in the grade.
Clare dominated the under-21 series once again in 2013. A 1-17 to 2-10 defeat of Tipperary in the provincial decider gave Collins a second Munster medal.[8] The subsequent All-Ireland saw Clare face first-time finalistsAntrim. In a complete mismatch, Clare powered to a 2-28 to 0-12 victory, with Collins collecting a second consecutive All-Ireland medal.[9]
Collins made his senior championship debut at right wing-forward in a 2-17 to 1-18 defeat by Waterford on 17 June 2012.[citation needed]
On 8 September 2013, Collins lined out againstCork in his first All-Ireland final. Three second-half goals throughConor Lehane,Anthony Nash andPa Cronin, and a tenth point of the game fromPatrick Horgan gave Cork a one-point lead as injury time came to an end. A last-gasp point from corner-backDomhnall O'Donovan earned Clare a 0-25 to 3-16 draw.[10] The replay on 28 September was regarded as one of the best in recent years. Clare'sShane O'Donnell was a late addition to the team, and went on to score a hat-trick of goals in the first nineteen minutes of the game. Horgan top scored for Cork, however, further goals fromConor McGrath andDarach Honan secured a 5-16 to 3-16 victory for Clare.[11] It was Collins's firstAll-Ireland medal. He rounded off the season by collecting his firstAll-Star award, while he was also a nominee forHurler of the Year.[12]
In 2014 along with his brother Sean he joined up with the Clare senior football team who were managed by his father Colm. He played during their NFL Div 4 campaign, but missed out on the final. He then lined out in theMunster Senior Football Championship game withWaterford, he missed out on the replay due to hurling. He returned to the side for the Munster semi final whereClare went down by 4 points toKerry.Clare then entered round 2 of the qualifiers where they facedCarlow. Collins scored a goal as his side ran out 4-26 to 2-13 winners. In the next round despite leading for long stages of the gameClare fell short by a point toKildare.[citation needed]
At the end of the 2014 Collins along with his brother reported they would be committing to football only for the 2015 season. In October 2015, it was reported that Collins would again play with the Clare footballers and hurlers in 2016.[13]
In December 2023, Collins announced his retirement from inter-county football.[14]
Awards