Lyons lauds character and courage of players

FIVE months on after meeting in what Cyril Lyons recalls as "a poor League match" in Ennis, Clare and Waterford will be fighting it out for a place in the Guinness All-Ireland hurling final in Croke Park in two weeks' time.

Whatever about the actual pairing itself, it’s doubtful if Lyons or Justin McCarthy could have anticipated such a clash in the lead-up to the Munster championship.

Waterford would not have been rated that highly prior to Clare taking on Tipperary and losing by just two points. However, everything changed when they went on to win the Munster title after a lapse of 39 years. Clare, meanwhile, made steady progress through the qualifier system. The win over Dublin marked Lyons’ first since he took over as manager, but you won’t find him being boastful about the team’s progress to-date. Admirers would say that his quiet, tactful approach has helped bring the best out the players.