Clare plan to scale heights
Kilkenny against Clare is a throwback to the 1995 decider, a game which the Banner lost before launching their bid for eventual All-Ireland glory. It also follows in the wake of last season's most torrid championship encounter, a ferociously hard-hitting All-Ireland quarter-final that ended in a draw, then in controversy, after an eye-injury to Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin. Then there is the fact that the sides met six weeks ago when fired-up Clare inflicted the only loss of the campaign on an experimental and atypically unprepared Kilkenny.
Given that history, and the pedigrees, today's game feels more like championship that league.
Certainly, that's how it feels to Davy Fitzgerald, Clare's experienced and combative keeper.
"Is it early May, it is?" he grins with a glint of mischief in the eyes.
"That's what it feels like alright. There is a bit more hype than normal for a League game. June is in my head (championship against the winners of Limerick/Tipperary), but this does have a different feel to it. There seems to be a bit of rivalry between us since last year and beating them in the League probably hasn't helped either, from that point of view."
Not that Fitzy is reading too much into that win. "I don't know what happened them that day, they didn't seem to care and didn't seem to be trying too hard. We were just coming off a bad defeat by Galway and they probably didn't think too much of us and with good reason.
"We were hurt because we'd played so badly in that game against Galway. We were asking ourselves, 'what are we doing all this hard training for?'.
But we did kick into gear that day in Nowlan Park. Sure they were trying things out like DJ at centre-back but it's the first time I can ever remember Brian Cody saying nothing on the sideline. That tells me they weren't up for that game, so I don't think it's going to have any relevance. They'll be up for this one. What we're expecting is that Kilkenny are going to come out with all guns blazing and try to teach us a lesson, after what happened in Nowlan Park."
The tone for this Kilkenny team is set by long-time manager Brian Cody. A ferocious competitor, Cody's philosophy is simple: win every tussle, win every ball, win every position, win every game, win every competition.
"They are a formidable team, in any province," says Fitzgerald. "Hopefully we'll be able to stand up to them we did it last year, twice. That was the first time in a while that anyone had really stood up to Kilkenny in championship. I know Wexford beat them in the semi-final in Leinster, but I don't think Kilkenny played particularly well that day. They weren't ready for Wexford but they were ready for us. The two teams stood up to each other, flat out, physical stuff, hard stuff, both of us played well. The second day, we stood up to them again, but they got a good start, and that was the difference. There is a bit of rivalry there after that, a lot of controversy, and I know what happened in Nowlan Park is going to drive them on even more, but I'm not bothered about that, I'm just looking forward to meeting them again, to the challenge.
"They're an excellent team, but that's what you have to aspire to, playing the best, having a cut at them. It's great that we're getting that opportunity in a League final. This is going to test us in a big way, see what we're made of. We're all looking forward to it."
The major aberration of the League is that most teams play the earlier rounds with one eye on the championship; by the time the League final comes around, that becomes two eyes on the championship. This year, that is most certainly not the case. Both Cody and Clare manager Anthony Daly have picked what would be their championship 15 and both have made no secret that this is a title they covet.
"That's right," agrees Fitzgerald. "It's different this year; we have five weeks afterwards to the championship, Kilkenny have even more. That's still the most important date on the calendar, but both of us will want to win this League. Kilkenny want to win every game they play, I have the same mentality, and so do the rest of the lads on the team.
"We won't be able to focus properly on the championship until we know who we're playing. All we know is that we have a date on June 5 with either Tipperary or Limerick. I'm trying not to think of that, just focus on this League final, take it game by game. Maybe last year we were thinking if we could get over Waterford, we were in the Munster final. You should never think like that.
"Kilkenny today is one great game to have to think about. I just hope the referee will let it go, because it will be one great battle. We are physical, that's the way we play best, but we're not dirty. Kilkenny are a physical side too, they'll give as good as they get, at least. I'd like to think we've improved from last year as regards our mentality, that we'll be flat out from the start, won't throw in the towel no matter what. Our team spirit has grown big-time in the last year. This game will tell us where we're at."
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