Clare joint-hurling manager Donal Moloney may not be on the sideline in Thurles this weekend but says winning a first Munster title in 20 years would be a dream come true.
Clare clash with Cork at Semple Stadium on Sunday having not claimed a provincial crown since their 2-16 to 0-10 replay victory over Waterford in 1998.
The Scarriff man won’t be joining Gerry O’Connor on the sidelines after his three-month ban for incidents in Clare’s thrilling 1-23 to 1-21 win over Tipperary was upheld by the Central Hearings Committee earlier in the week.
But Maloney says winning the Munster title would be massive for a Clare side that earned their spot after a big slice of luck, when Tipperary’s Jake Morris hit the post and Ian Galvin subsequently scored a goal up the other end, in that June 10th tie.
“We were never felt it was drifting away. We were building momentum. Obviously if Jake Morris had stuck that ball, but that was probably the only really good chance they had,” said Maloney.
“But sometimes you get a stroke of luck. The lads showed great composure because with only 85 or 90 seconds left on the clock we were a point down. They scored three points in that period so that was great.
“They had that belief. We knew that the players were going to see it out and not just see it out but that they had it within them to make the right decisions and get the result.
“It’s a standout moment. That one is [amplified] because it was such a spectacular moment, especially the way it swung from end to end. Look we got a bit of luck and we take it.
“[Clare lifting the cup] you dream about that. And you try and make it a reality. But the gap of 20 years is not of consequence to us. Sport is hugely competitive, whatever field game you’re in.
Fantastic workrate
“There are intervals between titles. That’s just a reality. It doesn’t bother us too much. This team here and now is different to last year’s team, it’s different to the 2016 team, to the team Davy had in 2013, -14, -15.
“This group of players, in terms of where they stand, are trying to focus on improving on their performance on a continuous basis.”
Clare began this year’s campaign with a disappointing 2-23 to 1-21 defeat to Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but they bounced back with victories over Waterford, Tipperary and Limerick.
John Conlon has been deployed as a target man in the full-forward line since the Cork defeat, and his fantastic workrate has led to a 1-8 haul.
“He has been tremendous for us. John is 29 so he’s been really instrumental in driving things for us so we have greatly encouraged them to lead and to set the tone and the agenda,” said Maloney.
“They are all very capable guys off the field so we are really trying to tap into that as well. John’s voice has been clear all year. He’s been very prominent in any meetings or discussions we’ve had.
“He has amassed a lot of experience. He’s a guy that a lot of people look up to because it’s not just words, it’s action. He’s really trying to get the best out of himself in every match, every training session.
“I don’t want to lay it all at John’s door because he will get held up some day, some team will close him down, that’s going to happen – it happens with every major player so other guys need to step into the breach when that happens.”
