As Clare ended their 11-year wait for the All-Ireland championship, captain Tony Kelly played a key role in both of Liam McCarthy’s victories.
A young player in 2013, Kelly showed all his quality and experience in an incredible performance as Clare defeated Cork in a classic All-Ireland hurling final.
During these years, Clare and Kelly went through difficult times. Clare did not play a single game in Croke Park between 2013 and 2018, and the narrow defeats in the All-Ireland semi-finals to Kilkenny in recent seasons were certainly difficult to take.
While Munster rivals Limerick were attracting all the attention due to their dominance in hurling, Clare must have wondered when his time would come.
Kelly never stopped believing in herself.
“You have to believe that you can compete or make it to the decisive phase of the championship.
“From the beginning of the year, the aim is to get ourselves into that position. Whether it works out or not – for one reason or another – every year is different. There is no guarantee that we will last until the decisive end of the championship next year.
“We have been lucky in recent years to get through to the Munster finals and make it to Croke Park. In the years from 2013 to 2018 we had not been back for one reason or another.
“We didn’t play well enough, we didn’t have enough guys playing well enough, we were beaten by better teams. That Galway team, Tipperary, Cork. So you have to believe in it.”
When Clare won the All-Ireland championship in 2013, Kelly was 19 years old and was named Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
As one of several young players in the team who have already tasted success at youth level, the Clare striker would not have been blamed for believing that more Liam McCarthy trophies were in store for him.
After an 11-year wait, Kelly, at the age of 30, is aware of how difficult it is to win an All-Ireland title.
“Some of us won when we were 18 or 19. We didn’t win anything in our twenties. And now, in our thirties, we’re winning again. That’s sport. But yeah, we’re lucky to have those two.”
“It’s different than in 2013. Back then, we had probably only recently become successful and thought, this is great, this is how it should happen.
“When you go from 2013 to 2024 without an All-Ireland, you appreciate it all the more.”
The key to Clare becoming a force to be reckoned with in hurling is manager Brian Lohan.
A memorable speech from Kelly showed how highly he is valued in Clare, having won the All-Ireland championship with the county Banner during his playing days.
Under Lohan, Clare have reached three Munster finals in a row and are now winning the biggest prize of all, under the man Kelly compared to God in Croke Park.
“He’s revered here in Clare. Probably more because he’s an incredible player. He understands the whole preparation aspect. He knows what goes into preparing for an inter-county game. He knows the work that each individual has to do off the field and on the field.
“He can be relaxed. He can be really fun at training. Not a week goes by without him making the team laugh at some point.
“In the media he probably seems very strict, very determined and very distant.
“But in our own camp, he can be the same, but still be a lot of fun. He can be tough with the guys when he needs to be and demand more. But when the guys are doing well, he’s a good communicator who can get that across when needed.”
