Tony Kelly says that he feels no pressure. An All Star for the past two years by dint of his extraordinary displays for Clare – averaging more than 0-13 per championship match in 2020 and 2021 – his performances are so central to his county's fortunes that anyone could be forgiven for feeling stressed.
It has to get in on him?
“No, it doesn’t, really. It wouldn’t be something I’d think about. Everyone from a team point of view is trying to carry out the management’s game plan whether that’s centred on doing a couple of things or centred on three or four players up front or a couple of guys at the back.”
The local view of the 2013 Hurler of the Year is that the displays he gives every day for Clare are no different from what he does in club matches or on the training pitch in the privacy of rain - and wind-lashed nights well away from the summer’s public gaze.
That high-performance consistency is so dependable that he doesn’t appear to doubt it. Unsurprisingly, his theory of teams and prominent players both downplays the superman effect and explains the dynamic for players, who are capable of such things.
“There’s probably a lot made of a couple of lads in every team but other lads around are probably far more important in terms of making certain lads look good and making them perform but in the grand scheme of things, all teams or most teams are playing to a system or game plan.
“Depending on the circumstance, it’s more often than centred on a couple of lads up front and that’s the nature of the game at the minute - getting the benefits out of the game plan.
“As to pressure, no – very little of it. Management don’t place pressure and the biggest pressure you’re under is carry out their instructions, tactics and game plan.”
More unsettling at present is the lack of pressure, as he works his way back from a difficult ankle injury, which has required surgery and rehabilitation. It took him away from his club Ballyea during their run to the county final.
“It happened in the winter championship of 2020. I rehabbed it that winter and it wasn’t too bad and then mainly after last year’s intercounty championship, it came back at me playing with the club.
“I kind of got to the stage where I couldn’t train, playing bits of matches here and there and then I just didn’t want to do much more damage in terms of the injury so decided to get the surgery done and clean it up. the inside had to be completely repaired. The ligament was just gone on the inside of my ankle. On the outside then, it was torn but they could repair it.”
He was a happy if frustrated spectator when Ballyea won the Clare title last November. His enforced absence has come at a bad time for Brian Lohan’s team, short as it is several frontline players and the county has lost both of its matches to date in the league, against Cork and Wexford.
There was however, relief for Clare supporters at the weekend when Kelly was glimpsed taking part in some pre-match routines. At this stage he believes that he remains on course for a late league comeback, maybe around the last two matches.
Peter Duggan, another All Star in the Clare attack, has returned to the country and committed to re-joining the panel but he also picked up an ankle injury.
“He’s back running,” says Kelly. “He’ll be back into full training this week or next week as well so yeah, delighted to have him back. A huge part of our team going back a couple of years ago before he left for Australia.”
Shane O’Donnell, the teenage sensation of 2013, suffered concussion last year and hasn’t been able to play since. His team-mate says that there’s no certainty yet when he will be able to return.
“I’m presuming he’ll be working with his own doctor and our doctor as well so he’s back running, back in the gym but in terms of contact stuff, we’re not sure when he’ll come back in doing tackling drills, matches, things like that.”
Manager Brian Lohan’s luck didn’t get any better with the recent announcement that one of Kelly’s contemporaries in the class of 2013, Colm Galvinl, had been forced by recurrent injury to retire from intercounty involvement.
“He’s definitely one of the best hurlers, if not the best hurler that I’ve played with all the way up along,” says Kelly, “just an exceptional, exceptional hurler and definitely a massive loss to our panel.
“His biggest attribute was probably his actual brain. He obviously had all the skills and all the hurling as well but the reading of it, where to be, the right pass to play, his knowledge of the actual game: that is probably his biggest loss in terms of being able to give that knowledge to younger lads.
“The only positive you could say is that at least he can play club hurling. If you’re looking at the likes of Paudie Maher (Tipperary All-Ireland winner, whose enforced retirement occurred last week), from his statement it looks like he’s done from intercounty and club which is such a shame for a fabulous hurler.”
- Tony Kelly was speaking at the launch of new Irish protein cookie brand ‘In the Zone’, which is endorsed by the GAA and the GPA.
