Lyons: Banner flying high after gutsy display against Cats

CLARE’S stunning performance against All-Ireland SHC champions Kilkenny was not alone a huge boost for Banner hurling but especially for manager Anthony Daly according to his predecessor Cyril Lyons.

Debutant Daly and his side shipped heavy criticism in the wake of their first round defeat to Waterford. Much of it was unjustified believes Lyons who is confident that his native county can again show their true worth in tomorrow afternoon’s quarter-final replay in Thurles.

“I think it was a hugely important day for Anthony Daly,” said Lyons.

“What we want is good people training our teams and it would have been hugely disappointing for him and for everybody else if Clare had gone down badly last Sunday.

“You would be hoping that this was the kind of game he needed and the team needed to settle them down. This will probably kick-start his managerial career. And, hopefully it will be a long and successful career.”

Lyons had an inkling that Clare would provide fireworks in Croker. Morale in the camp was good and the side benefited enormously from their performances in the qualifiers against Laois and Offaly.

“Players were trying hard, which is what you expect when things are not going well for you. It was particularly evident in the game against Offaly,” he agreed.

Their two-man full forward line had been utilised in those last two outings with the extra man working as a third midfielder.

But the roaming sweeper role of Alan Markham made its debut in Croke Park, a move that Lyons believes had been well worked.

“Obviously, that was something they were working on in training and not something that was sprung the week before the Kilkenny game,” he said.

Lyons said the tactic of using Markham served two crucial purposes. The deployment allowed Sean McMahon greater freedom in his centre back duties and more crucially the extra body robbed Kilkenny forwards of extra space.

“They weren’t allowed to win clean possession, which is the one thing over the years that Kilkenny have perfected - the ability to win ball coming from the puck-out or directly out of defence. Once they have the ball they run at you, make a score or win a free.

“The left side of the Clare defence was particularly good. Whatever about Martin Comerford, I don’t think Eddie Brennan touched the ball.”

The only downside was that while Niall Gilligan was a threat throughout Tony Griffin only shone for the last quarter in the two-man front line.

“The hope was that they would both start well and maintain it right through, but it did not really happen,” he said.

Conversely, James O’Connor’s form was hugely beneficial: “From what I would know of Jamesie, I would have come across very few players who would train as diligently or as well as him. I saw where one of the selectors praised him as a role model for the other players.”

So what master plans are being hatched out west?

Lyons is in the dark as much as everybody else about the thinking of Daly and his co-selectors,

“You wonder if they will persist with the same tactics. And, if they do, what the counter-measurers will be.”