Banner are still happy campers, insists boss McNamara
On the thorny issue of Gerry Quinn’s continued absence from the squad, understood to be for disciplinary reasons, McNamara said in the wake of yesterday’s defeat to Kilkenny: “I have very little to say about that, but if you want to play with Clare then irrespective of your name or status you must abide by the same rules as everyone else.
“Despite the fact that heads are down and despite reports to the contrary — reports that are disappointing to me — we’re lucky with the bunch we have, an incredibly committed bunch, an incredibly happy camp.”
Yesterday’s 13 point defeat was Clare’s fifth loss in a row, leaving them anchored to the bottom of the league table, needing to win their two remaining games (against Dublin and Galway) while hoping that any of Cork, Limerick or Waterford lose both of theirs.
“We find ourselves where we find ourselves, but hurling is about the championship, it’s about June, July, August, September, that’s what it’s about. We don’t want to find ourselves where we are in the league, but if you were in a do-or-die situation for two points, you wouldn’t be sending for Kilkenny.
“The public has to be patient, you can’t build a team overnight, can’t just arrive in Ennis with 15 super hurlers. The greats of the past are gone, we have to build again; I don’t know if people remember how long it took to build that great team (of the 90’s), 80 years — hopefully we can build one now again in a shorter term, and if it takes two years, so be it.
“They have to be given opportunities, we all have to take the pain that goes with that — management, fans, the players themselves. It’s not that long ago Brian Cody was looking at three losses in a row in All-Ireland finals, and fellas were going wild looking for heads.
“There’s pain involved now, and it is painful to see good hurlers dropping balls. That will come with team-building, but that’s a slow process.”
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