# John Conlon

John Conlon (born 23 January 1989) is an Irish hurler who plays for Clare Senior Championship club Clonlara. He usually lined out as a full-forward until 2020, when he became Clare's first choice for centre back.

## Playing career
### St. Flannan's College

Conlon played in all grades of hurling with St. Flannan's College in Ennis before progressing onto the college's senior team. On 12 March 2006, he was introduced as a substitute when St. Flannan's College suffered a 2–08 to 0–12 defeat by Midleton CBS Secondary School in the Harty Cup final. On 1 May 2006, Conlon broke onto the starting fifteen when he was selected at full-forward for the All-Ireland final against Dublin Colleges. He scored a point from play in the 1–11 to 0–11 defeat.
On 11 March 2007, Conlon lined out at full-forward when St. Flannan's College faced De La Salle College from Waterford in the Harty Cup final. He top scored with 0-08 but ended the game on the losing side after a 2–07 to 0–11 defeat.

### NUI Galway

As a student at NUI Galway, Conlon joined the university's senior hurling team and lined out in several Fitzgibbon Cup campaigns. On 6 March 2010, he lined out at right wing-forward when NUI Galway faced the Waterford Institute of Technology in the Fitzgibbon Cup final. Conlon scored the winning point in the 82nd minute and collected a winners' medal after the 1–1 to 1–16 extra-time victory.

### Clonlara

Conlon joined the Clonlara club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. He had already joined the club's senior team when he won a Clare Under-21 Championship medal in 2008.
On 28 October 2007, Conlon won a Clare Inetrmediate Championship medal following Clonlara's 1–21 to 1–18 defeat of Killanena in the final. On 25 November 2007, he scored 1–03 when Clonlara claimed the Munster Club Championship after a 1–14 to 1–08 defeat of Drom-Athlacca in the final.
On 26 October 2008, Conlon was selected at right wing-forward when Clonlara qualified for their first Clare Senior Championship final in 89 years. He scored two points from play and ended the game with a winners' medal after the 1–12 to 1–09 defeat of Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Conlon was again selected at right wing-forward when Clonlara qualified for a second successive final on 1 November 2009. He scored a point from play but ended the game on the losing side after the 3-05 to 1–09 defeat by first-time winners Cratloe.
On 11 October 2015, Conlon lined out at centre-back when Clonlara faced Sixmilebridge in the final. He ended the game on the losing side for the second time in his career after a 1–21 to 0–15 defeat.
On 16 October 2016, Conlon captained the team from right corner-forward when Clonlara faced Ballyea in the final. He scored a point from play in the 1–11 apiece draw. Conlon was switched to full-forward for the replay on 30 October 2016. He scored 1–01 from play but ended the game on the losing side after a 2–14 to 1–14 defeat.

### Clare
#### Minor and under-21

Conlon first played for Clare as a member of the minor team during the 2006 Munster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 5 April 2006 when he lined out at left wing-forward in a 2–13 to 1–08 defeat by Tipperary.
Conlon was eligible for the minor grade for a second successive season in 2007. He played his final game in the grade on 27 June 2007 when he scored a point from play in a 1–20 to 0–14 defeat by Cork.
On 20 July 2008, Conlon made his first appearance for the Clare under-21 team. He scored a two points in the 1–20 to 1–11 defeat of Cork. On 30 July 2008, Conlon lined out at right wing-forward when Clare faced Tipperary in the Munster final. He scored two points from play but ended the game on the losing side after a controversial 1–16 to 2–12 defeat by Tipperary.
Conlon was appointed captain of the Clare under-21 team in advance of the 2009 Munster Championship. On 29 July 2009, he captained the team from right wing-forward to a Munster final appearance against Waterford. Conlon ended the game with a Munster Championship medal after the 2–17 to 2–12 victory. On 13 September 2009, he again captained the team when Clare faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Conlon scored three points from play and collected a winners' medal after the 0–15 to 0–14 victory.
Conlon was eligible for the under-21 team for a third and final season in 2010. He played his last game for the team on 28 July 2010 when Clare suffered a 1–22 to 1–17 defeat by Tipperary in the Munster final.

#### Senior

Conlon was drafted onto the Clare senior team in advance of the 2009 National League. He made his first appearance for the team on 8 February 2009 when he was introduced as a substitute for Barry Nugent in a 3–13 to 1–18 first round defeat by Limerick. On 21 June 2009, Conlon made his Munster Championship debut when he was again introduced as a substitute in a 3–18 to 1–22 defeat by Tipperary.
On 7 April 2012, Conlon lined out at left corner-forward when Clare faced Limerick in the National League Division 1B final. He scored a point from play and claimed his first silverware at senior level after the 0–21 to 1–16 victory.
On 8 September 2013, Conlon was selected at right wing-forward when Clare qualified to play Cork in the All-Ireland final. He scored two points from play in the 0–25 to 3–16 draw. The replay on 28 September 2013 also saw Conlon scored two points from right wing-forward before collecting a winners' medal following the 5–16 to 3–16 victory.
Conlon was a regular starter during Clare's 2016 National League success, however, he missed the drawn final and the replay victory over Waterford after sustaining ankle ligament damage in the semi-final victory over Kilkenny.
On 9 July 2017, Conlon was selected at left wing-forward for his first Munster final appearance. He scored two points from play but ended the game on the losing side after Clare suffered a 1–25 to 1–20 defeat by Cork.
Conlon was selected at full-forward when Clare faced Cork in a second successive Munster final on 1 July 2018. He scored five points from play but ended on the losing side after a 2–24 to 3–19 defeat. Conlon ended the season by collecting his first GAA-GPA All-Star award.
Conlon was appointed captain of the Clare senior team for the 2020 season.
On 21 July 2024, he started in the half-back line as Clare won the All-Ireland for the first time in 11 years after an extra-time win against Cork by 3-29 to 1-34, claiming their fifth All-Ireland title.

## Career statistics

    As of 27 June 2021.
| Team | Year | National League | National League | National League | Munster | Munster | All-Ireland | All-Ireland | Total | Total |
| Team | Year | Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score |
| Clare | 2009 | Division 1 | 3 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-01 | 1 | 0-02 | 5 | 0-03 |
| Clare | 2010 | Division 2 | 7 | 1–13 | 1 | 0-01 | 1 | 0-03 | 9 | 1–17 |
| Clare | 2011 | Division 2 | 8 | 2–17 | 1 | 0-03 | 1 | 0-02 | 10 | 2–22 |
| Clare | 2012 | Division 1B | 6 | 2–11 | 1 | 1-02 | 2 | 0-06 | 9 | 3–19 |
| Clare | 2013 | Division 1A | 4 | 0-08 | 2 | 0-03 | 6 | 0-09 | 12 | 0–20 |
| Clare | 2014 | Division 1A | 6 | 1-08 | 1 | 1-02 | 2 | 1-05 | 9 | 3–15 |
| Clare | 2015 | Division 1A | 6 | 2–13 | 1 | 0-03 | 2 | 1-02 | 9 | 3–18 |
| Clare | 2016 | Division 1B | 6 | 3-07 | 1 | 0-01 | 3 | 0-03 | 10 | 3–11 |
| Clare | 2017 | Division 1A | 6 | 1-09 | 2 | 0-04 | 1 | 0-00 | 9 | 1–13 |
| Clare | 2018 | Division 1A | 6 | 0–15 | 5 | 1–19 | 3 | 0-08 | 14 | 1–42 |
| Clare | 2019 | Division 1A | 4 | 2-07 | 4 | 1-02 | — | — | 8 | 3-09 |
| Clare | 2020 | Division 1B | 4 | 0-05 | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 4 | 0-05 |
| Clare | 2021 | Division 1B | 5 | 0-01 | 1 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 6 | 0-01 |
| Total | Total | Total | 71 | 14–114 | 21 | 4–41 | 22 | 2–40 | 114 | 20–195 |

## Honours
### NUI Galway

* Fitzgibbon Cup (1) 2010

### Clonlara

* Clare Senior Hurling Championship (2) 2008,2023
* Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship (1) 2007
* Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship (1) 2007

### Clare

* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (2): 2013, 2024
* National Hurling League Division 1 (2): 2016, 2024
* National Hurling League Division 1B (1): 2012
* All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 2009
* Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 2009

### Awards

* GAA GPA All Stars Awards (2): 2018, 2023