Anthony Daly: Brick by brick. Step by step. Renovation projects are picking up pace

Clare weren't brilliant against Wexford, but it was much better than what we saw in Cork last weekend. Brick by brick. Step by step.

Huw Lawlor of Kilkenny, left, comtests a dropping sliotar with Tipperary players, from left, Denis Maher, Ger Browne and Mark Kehoe. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The highlight of the day for Clare yesterday was the warm-up, or to be more precise, the pre-warm-up.

Before the teams even came out, Tony Kelly was going through a rehab routine in the lashing rain, which was mostly a series of sprints. Then when the team started warming up, TK was stuck in the middle of it.

It lifted everyone’s hearts to see him back. It’s not that we’re all banking on Tony to bail Clare out of their current winless streak of three successive defeats, including the Munster Cup final. The man isn’t Hercules, but we all know we’re a totally different team with Tony than without him.

Tony still has a bit to go yet before he’s back, but at least he’s on the way. You could almost use that analogy as a metaphor for Clare’s performance yesterday. It wasn’t brilliant, but it was much better than what we saw in Cork last weekend. Brick by brick. Step by step.

Tony Kelly signs autographs for young supporters after the Allianz League match between Clare and Wexford. Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

There were positives for Brian Lohan’s men. Young Patrick Crotty, who is still only 19, was incredible when he was introduced at half-time. Jack Browne did well in the troublesome centre-back spot. Conor Cleary showed again why he’s one of the best man-markers in the game.

Clare were poor in the first half. Their use of possession was really slack at times. They needed to build the play through the lines more often, but that’s where TK comes in because he’s always an out-ball option and lethal scoring threat from out the field.

Clare’s shooting was desperate in the first half but Wexford’s shooting in the second half proved how tricky and deceptive the crossfield breeze was. It was hard to be critical of Clare after the break, but there were a couple of areas where I really felt they were lax on throughout.

I couldn’t understand why Rory Hayes wasn’t switched onto Rory O’Connor earlier. Allowing Mark Fanning — who was outstanding — to find loose Wexford players around the 65m line also really hurt Clare at key stages of the second half.

With the strength of the breeze, any puckout which found its intended target in space in that area was a definite point option. Damien Reck was wearing number 4, and he nailed two long-range scores from being able to find those empty pockets of space around midfield.

On the other hand, Clare’s puckouts were hugely improved from the Cork game. It’s not the fault of Eibhear Quilligan — who made a couple of excellent saves — if he pings a puckout and the intended target drops it, which happened too often for Clare’s liking. Yet at least the movement and option-taking was far better than in Cork.

This was a huge win for Wexford, especially as it backs up the victory against Limerick. You’re always at risk of coming down after the high of beating the All-Ireland champions, but Wexford still hit a level of performance worthy of securing a tricky away win. The only concern will be the amount of goal chances Clare created. Only for Fanning, Clare could have had at least two or three more goals.

As soon as the match was over, It was a rush home to watch the Tipp-Kilkenny match. I had it recorded, but I couldn’t get over the negativity on social media about the first 20 minutes, about the standard of play, of Tipp playing a seventh defender. I was asking myself: “Is it early February or early May?”

We’re all looking to be entertained, but you can’t expect players to have the foot to the pedal all year around. Maybe it’s a byproduct too of how Limerick seem to the barometer now when comparing them to anyone else. Although Limerick were beaten again on Saturday, it always seems to be an event when they play.

In any case, I thought the second half of Tipp-Kilkenny was great stuff. I felt that a draw would have been the fairest result. Kilkenny were defiant to the last, but Tipp had more standout performers.

Ronan Maher was the difference when he came on. Cathal Barrett gave a real exhibition. I had my doubts about Jason Forde in his early days on the team, but he has turned into a gold-standard inter-county player. Forde is a real leader up front for Tipp now, too. Even the last free to win the game was top-drawer stuff.

Tipp are clearly in transition, but they have so many players that if Colm Bonnar can get the combination right, a new-look team could suddenly take off. Dillon Quirke is a prime example. I heard stories of him flying it in training last year but maybe he just wasn’t ready for it. But he looks ready now.

On Saturday night in Limerick, I turned around to Donal Óg Cusack at one stage and said that while it’s awful to be getting old, I wouldn’t like to be out there on the pitch. The hits were something savage. The intensity was ferocious.

Deep down, I think Limerick feel that Galway are their closest challengers because they have that ideal blend of power and class to be able to really put it up to the All-Ireland champions.

They also have the strength in depth. It’s a fair luxury to be able to leave off Evan Niland and Brian Concannon and throw in Conor Cooney and Cathal Mannion.

Limerick were way better than in Wexford Park last week, but they can’t have any complaints about the result, which probably hinged on Gearoid Hegarty’s sending off.

Hego deserved to go. If anything, I think it might be a blessing in disguise for him and Limerick in the long run. I’m sure John Kiely will be saying to him this week: “Hi Hego, take your one-match ban, you deserve it, but this can’t happen again.”

Hego plays on the edge. He has for a long time, and has gone over it before Saturday night. All the great teams had that edge but there’s a skill too in how you use it, and Gearoid needs to plane it down in certain scenarios when the heat rises.

It was a great win for Galway. I met a few of their supporters afterwards and they were delighted. They’re thrilled to have Henry steering the ship.

I’ve often said in the past that they can be too critical of their own, but when you have a 10-time All-Ireland winner on the sideline, you have to pull in the horns and let him at it.

Elsewhere, there were good wins for Cork, Waterford, and Dublin, but the most eye-catching scoreline was the 7-31 Waterford scored and Laois conceded. Laois shipped some big hidings in the league last year too, but that was in good weather on hard ground. To concede a tally of 50+ points in early February is a massive concern.

It has been a brilliant weekend for Waterford after Ballygunner’s success on Saturday. It was also a great weekend for anyone who happened to have Stephen Bennett, who hit 3-8, on their fantasy hurling team.

If you haven’t Bennett on your first 15, you might as well hand in your cards already.