OUT ON THE PITCH he was being carried shoulder-high, but once Brian Lohan gathered himself to take care of media duties, he had slipped back into that businesslike demeanour of his in the Croke Park media centre.
After a couple of minutes, the man of the moment arrived. Tony Kelly, padding in on his sock soles with his pair of Adidas Copa Mundials in his hand. And then he landed them up on the table in front of him.
Alright, it’s an old wives’ tale and hey, he has Liam MacCarthy in the dressing room and the Man of the Match Award sewn up, but we’ve seen Blood Brothers too many times to look at a pair of shoes on the table and not get nervous.
From the steps of the Hogan Stand, he proclaimed that Lohan was like a God in Clare.
Let’s tease that out, shall we?
“Since he has come in, everything has been for the betterment of Clare,” begins Kelly.
“Everything from a behind the scenes standpoint, we were probably in the media pre-Covid for not having our shit together, our centre of excellence was always on it.
“We were never on it for an unbelievable match or performance, it was always what’s going on in Clare, or who is rowing with you.
“But since he came in, he cleaned up everything behind the scenes. Then from a players’ point of view, he just has us eating out of the palm of his hand.
“Because he played and was such a legend, he has that the minute he walks into the dressing-room. He is teak tough in how he comes across in the media, but to us, he would defend you to the hilt. He is tough, he is sound man as well behind it all, if you can believe that. He has a softer side to him. He is just a legend,” he says.
And then, he moves onto demi-God, John Conlon.
“John is pretty much the leader of the pack, really,” explains Kelly.
“He’s the elder statemen on the team, but he really is an unbelievable guy outside of, obviously he is a talented hurler and everything like that, but his application, drive, willingness to bring young lads together, older lads together…”
Then, he assesses Conlon and puts him onto the Clare hurling Mount Rushmore.
“He is just, I would consider him on the same level as a Seanie McMahon, Brian Lohan, Colin Lynch.
“In Clare, it is like Lohan, McMahon, and Conlon has the same aura about him. His leadership ability is just second to none. He will go down as one of the best Clare players. He is 35, but he said he is doing another year. He said he is going to play until he is 36. Again, looks after himself incredibly well. No fear of him.
“I said last week, it’s appreciation more than anything. Eleven years ago we were coming off underage success thinking, ‘Jeez, this is mighty – you turn up and you win, or you get to finals year in, year out’. When you do that in your first or second year in senior, you think it’s kind of run of the mill.
“The hardship makes you appreciate it as you get older, definitely. For the seven or eight lads from 2013 it’s mighty for them as well, who have stuck the course.
“Like, we’ve been beaten in four Munster finals, got a bit of stick for not backing up that 2013 All-Ireland, even though it’s a different team. For the likes of John Conlon, Davy Mc, those type of characters, that makes it extra sweet.”
In his first year, he won Young Hurler of the Year and Hurler of the Year — Tony Kelly is an ornament on the game, and here he was at his most dazzling. Being captain was extra special for him.
“I suppose from a selfish point of view, it’s possibly the best thing I will ever do in hurling and there’s obviously a bit of luck involved,” he said.
“To be asked to be captain first of all and you have to have a team good enough and a panel good enough to win an All Ireland.
“From a personal point of view, it’s the best thing I will ever do in the GAA.”
He’s talking about in a very general sense. But for fans, his goal here was the best thing he will ever do. Asked to describe the moments that led to it, he does a fine job of articulating what instincts are.
“Eh… yeah, just there was a couple of red bodies and I was trying to avoid them and take my point. Often goals are made by the defender rather than yourself. You don’t take the ball and think ‘I am going to score a goal here,’” he began.
“It’s often that you take what is in front of you really so when the defender came,
“I didn’t want to get blocked down so I had to sidestep him and then another defender came so I had to sidestep again. And once you’re through, you have to have a rattle off a goal.
“Yeah look, fortunate enough that it hit the back of the net.”
For sure. But fitting, too.
