Daly relishing local derby showdown
Drawn together in the hurling qualifiers, the former All-Ireland -winning captain is relishing the big day explosion of passion at Cusack Park, as both sides bid to get their Croke Park quest back on line.
“There’ll be a big crowd, real championship atmosphere. It is a derby game with both teams in the same boat,” he said.
“People would argue we might have been better off getting an easy game first, and obviously we’d both have liked to have been in the group with only two strong teams; instead we’re in the group with the three stronger teams. But, win this one and you’re in a great position.”
Clare find themselves in this situation having lost to Cork in the Munster semi-final. That was a game in which they had been expected to push the All-Ireland champions to the limit, perhaps even overturn last year’s All-Ireland semi-final result.
The reality was a little different. After a very impressive start, Clare faded and were eventually brushed aside. Given the expectation level both inside the squad and inside the county, that was a major setback for the Banner. Understandably it took a while for the team to recover.
Admitted Daly: “We found it hard for the first couple of sessions. There was very little life in the whole thing and it was hard to get it going. Fellas were disappointed, we had sort of put all our eggs in one basket. We’re trying to approach things now in a positive light.
“The year isn’t over; last year we got to the All-Ireland semi-final on a similar route so there’s no reason why we can’t do that again. At the same time we know that if our work is the same as it was against Cork, we won’t beat anyone.”
That work ethic was key to the outcome, explained Daly.
“They outworked us, simple as that. As an example, Cork got in 16 clean blocks to our eight, and that’s not the Clare way. Our midfield and forwards just didn’t work hard enough; we must work and fight for everything like our lives depend on it, and we didn’t do that.
“Maybe we started to believe all the hype that we’d beat Cork, but hype isn’t enough. You have to work like dogs, and then hope for the breaks. We went away from our core values, not consciously, but that doesn’t work for us.”
Ironically, something similar happened to Limerick in their demoralising loss to Tipperary. They too came into that game on the back of a lot of hype, a lot of expectation, but it didn’t happen for them either.
“That’s right, and they’ve had two weeks longer than us to think about it so they’ll be raring to go. Our fellas must realise that it’s a huge challenge, and whoever gets over the line will be in a strong position.”
Tough on the two teams then, to have to meet so early in the qualifying procedure. But this was just the sort of scenario those who proposed this back-door system had in mind for the qualifiers.
“I think so, yes, that’s what they wanted, not one-sided games. 2003, Clare and Galway, Cusack Park, that was a massive day, huge crowd and a brilliant atmosphere. Unfortunately Clare came out the wrong end of it that day. There will be a mighty atmosphere in Cusack Park tomorrow. The place is going to be hopping.”
A big one, then. “Absolutely, we want to go through to the quarter-finals topping the group. Go through first and foremost, but top the group if we can. We have a tricky enough trip to Dublin (the fourth team in that group); they’re better than they looked against Westmeath, but we’ll get no credit if we win that one.
“We’ve seen the progress Offaly have made but they’ll be very disappointed with the way the forwards played (lost to Wexford last week in a low-scoring Leinster semi-final), and they’ll be trying to make up for that, though their backs were tremendous.
“It’s going to be tough, but I’m looking forward to that — we’re all looking forward to it — Limerick coming to play us in our own place.
“We either have the balls to stand up and make a stand or we don’t, that’s the bottom line.”
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