WE’RE BACK AT THIS point again; Thurles on Munster hurling final day. Hurling Nirvana, hurling Valhalla. Flutes and fiddles everywhere. Timber flying.
The pairing of Clare and Limerick for the third consecutive year could not be any more appealing. While the names don’t grab you like the Old Firm might have, that’s a relationship that has some way to go before it’s seen as healthy again.
Limerick, unquestionably the greatest side of them all seeking to become the first to put five Liam MacCarthys together. Up against Clare, the punks without a Munster title to their name, but golly gosh, haven’t they kept Limerick honest in that time?
Cast your mind back 12 months ago to the epic in the Gaelic Grounds. Both teams leaving everything out there and then, for some reason, referee Liam Gordon found he had blown the pea clean out of his whistle as he ignored the two fouls on Tony Kelly and Adam Hogan that surely would have gifted Clare the free to take the game to extra-time with big momentum.
Games between these neighbours have become a mini-championship within itself.
While Clare have left good welts across the shins of Limerick from time to time, the Treatymen have triumphed at the moment of optimum need.
For the first round of Munster this year, the capacity of Ennis was bumped up to 20,055.
Leading 1-10 to 0-8 at the break, Clare were still nine points clear heading into the final quarter and threw Tony Kelly on to keep the foot on John Kiely’s throat.
And then a Diarmuid Byrnes flight free somehow went to the net, followed by goals for Donnacha Ó Dalaigh and Aaron Gillane.
A Limerick win, in Ennis. Fill the old pipe up there with that and smoke it. Tell us about your recently-acquired league title while you’re at it, lads.
Can Clare win this game? We know they can from their round robin win last year in Ennis by a single point. They ended Limerick’s 11-game unbeaten streak in Munster that evening.
But one trend has been hard to shake; the lack of green flags raised.
League hurling can be tailor-made for mullockers for sure, but in their first six games, Clare only managed to goal against Cork in the opener and David Fitzgerald’s special against Tipperary in the league semi-final in Portlaoise.
Three goals against Kilkenny in the league final gave them a taste that they brought into the Munster championship; they knocked Cork for three and ran up four against Waterford.
Given their previous collapses, Tipp were not going to give Clare anything handy but they still managed a major there too.
Yet how can we talk about a Clare win without acknowledging that every time it is put up to John Kiely, Paul Kinnerk and their Limerick players, they find a way to win?
It’s not just Clare, though Clare have come closer than most. It’s on the biggest days, against the best teams. Like the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny when they suddenly kicked into form early in the second half and outscored the Cats 0-19 to 0-4.
For Clare to win, they need more goals. Three out of the last five championship meetings is glaring.
Allowing Declan Hannon to drop back and sweep in front of Shane O’Donnell and cut out that route is not acceptable. Tony Kelly must start and must occupy Hannon.
A comfortable win for Limerick, and the five in a row is halfway to be being assured. Clare need to do a Tipperary 2010 and conjure up some Juju, some space and some green flags.
Can they do that? We think they will.
