Heroic Banner boys didn’t know meaning of defeat
To come from behind with 10 minutes to go and defeat Kilkenny by one point is the stuff of fairytale.
That an U21 team seeking their first title could perform so heroically and so confidently is quite remarkable.
This is a victory that will be celebrated long and hard down Ennis way. And rightly so.
They have been brilliant value for money all year as they overcame Limerick, Waterford, Galway and Kilkenny to snatch their first Munster and All-Ireland titles.
Their game against Galway in the semi-final was one of the finest played at this level. Wasn’t it a good job that Special Congress turned down an attempt to abolish this age group last year?
How often have we seen counties freeze when pitted against stronger opposition like Kilkenny in hurling and Kerry in football? The underdog does well for most of the game and then when it is there for the winning, they bow to the fearsome reputation of their more vaunted opponents. Just when they are on the point of victory, the fear of winning takes over and they are satisfied with an honourable defeat.
Any manager in charge of a team pitted against superior-rated opposition could learn a few things by watching a video of last Sunday’s U-21 final. Clare refused to bow down to the reputation of the great Cats. They looked them in the eye and said “we are as good as ye and before this game is over we are going to show ye that we are better than ye”.
And that’s exactly what they did – John Conlon got man of the match and deservedly so but on such an historic occasion, every Clare man, woman and child were made feel that they too were worthy of the accolade.
Congratulations too to Offaly and Cork’s camogie teams, who had great victories on Sunday in what was a gala day for camogie and hurling.
Cork’s camogie team are simply brilliant and like last week, a goalkeeper got player of the match. Aoife Murray deserved her award but it’s a fantastic team that goes to eight All-Ireland finals and Kilkenny shouldn’t be disappointed by this defeat. Joachim Kelly’s Offaly ladies made up for last year’s heartbreak when defeating Waterford in fine style. It’s great to see camogie growing in strength year on year and it all augurs well for the future of the game. Well done to all the ladies for playing a major part in a true family day in Croke Park on Sunday.
