On 17 July, 2022 Limerick became All-Ireland senior hurling champions winning their fourth title in five years; it was the joint-highest-scoring final in history and the earliest an All-Ireland senior hurling final has ever been played.
Since then we've had some brilliant club championships up and down the country with some historic and emotional wins, maybe no more so in my own county where Kilruane won the final in Semple Stadium, the place where only a few months previous Dillon Quirke drew his last breath doing what he loved most, playing hurling for his club Clonoulty Rossmore, against the same team.
We saw Ballyhale reclaim their throne as club champions and cement themselves as the most decorated club in GAA history and hurling teams from Sligo and Mayo pushing teams from Limerick and Cork to the pin of their collar to win All-Ireland club hurling titles.
The split season is working, I’m all for it, allowing inter-county players some down time after their season finishes and allowing GAA people to plan weddings for the summer months and go on a summer holiday actually during the summer, safe in the knowledge the fixtures have been made and will be played when they’re supposed to be.
If you were lucky enough to be involved in a club who had a successful run in their championship the winter was short for you, with dinner dances, bringing the cup here and there and that magical feeling to keep you warm knowing your place has done something special this year.
But we always had that longing to get back to the inter-county championship and after a nine-month layoff we are back again.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Instead of talking about the green elephant in the room, who will beat them etc. I am going to focus on one team who interest me coming into this championship and that is our near neighbours in Clare. I attended school at St Flannan’s College, Ennis as a boarder for a couple of years, so I am more than aware of the rivalry between Clare and Tipp but also the love they have for GAA in the Banner County.
As Anthony Daly once said, "we love our traditional music and we love our hurling too". We tested this rivalry in 2001, as pupils, after Tommy Dunne lifted the Liam MacCarthy and we had a sea of blue and gold flags hanging out the windows of the famed building in Ennis.
We were told, in no uncertain terms, remove the flags or we would be removed. We obliged, eventually, but like Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank, when he let that music play over the speakers and out into the yard, it was worth the trouble it caused and for the briefest of moments even Clare were happy for Tipp, for us Tipp boarders anyway.
So why do Clare interest me this year?
Their greatest performance last year, by a distance, was the Munster final against Limerick. They had epic performances around the field form David Fitzgerald, Ryan Taylor, John Conlon and of course Tony Kelly. But they just didn’t have enough to get them over the line.
Now this year you can add in Adam Hogan, Brandon O’Connell, and Seadna Morey to the mix. Cian Galvin returning from injury is also a massive boost and most importantly the return of Aidan McCarthy. Not only the return of Aidan but the return of a player in serious form coming into this championship.
He has scored 2-51 in the league and was averaging 12 points a game; this will only help take some of that scoring pressure off Tony Kelly and now gives Clare a hand to play in terms of other teams solely focusing on shutting one scoring threat down.
Another player who is a year older and wiser and who I feel will have a big impact is Mark Rodgers. He came on a sub in the Munster final and scored two points but he’ll be looking for that starting berth this year.
So all in all Brian Lohan could call on an additional five players from that Munster final performance, lucky that the opposition can’t do that, oh wait, Cian Lynch and Peter Casey didn’t tog that day - ah Jesus lads!
Like Derek Lyng has in Kilkenny with his choice of free taker in terms of Billy Drennan or TJ Reid, Brian Lohan has a decision to make with McCarthy and Kelly. For me, I would keep McCarthy on the frees, take that responsibility away from Kelly and just allow him to hurl and also allow McCarthy to get into games early doors and get settled because what he faced during the league in terms of intensity and attention is a shadow to what's coming down the tracks in the championship.
Another major plus is the availability of Shane O’Donnell, an All-Star hurler. He has proven he’s not just about that hat-trick in 2013. He has been one of Clare’s most consistent performers in recent years and when he is on the pitch, Clare are a different animal.
He has spoken himself about his concussion and how he has adapted his game from always crashing into lads to now taking on the shot more himself and you know what, it has made him even better in my view and has made Clare a better team too.
In terms of assists O’Donnell is to Clare what Kevin De Bruyne is to Manchester City. In the championship last year he led the way in assisted scores with 24 in the championship which led to 1-23 being scored. A phenomenal return and it just shows the importance of this man to the group and how having him back and ready for road must help Brian Lohan sleep at night.
This is year four for Brian Lohan, the man who did everything and gave everything for his club and county. A hero among the Banner following and rightly so. But now, with the group he has, the players he has back this year and the competition in the squad it is time to deliver a championship. It’s minimum a Munster Championship for them to say it’s been a successful year.
Pressure, maybe, but pressure is a privilege and Clare have now put themselves into that conversation as one of the top teams in the country. Yes Kilkenny dismantled them in the All-Ireland semi last year but they are a much stronger outfit this year with more strength in depth, if needed.
Also when it comes to performing in the round robin format, Clare know how to get the wins and lead the way with eight wins from 12 round robin games played.
Ennis on Sunday is a massive test now for them versus Tipp, as a loss means going in the road to Caherdavin the following week having to get a victory against the top guns.
David Fitzgerald is a huge loss, for his physical presence and scoring ability from distance against teams who may sit back but this will allow an opportunity for someone else to step up to the mark and show Brian Lohan, "I’m ready for this, give me the jersey".
As a Tipp supporter we take on the Munster Championship this year with much more confidence, fitness and belief in the group. There are big performances in this Tipp group and the management will know how to get them ready for the battles ahead. It’s all kicking off at the weekend, Ennis will be rocking and I know we are in for some humdingers around the country.
Throw it in!
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
Watch Waterford v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
