Banner stick to basics for final test

While Clare senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald has built his reputation on innovation, on tactical thinking, his counterparts on the U21 team that has qualified for Saturday’s Bord Gáis All-Ireland U21 hurling championship final (7pm, Semple Stadium) have a more straightforward approach.

It’s not that tactics don’t enter their thinking, says Gerry O’Connor (Donal Moloney is the other half of the duo), but you’ve also got to place your trust in the players themselves.

“The seniors play to a particular pattern and we play to our pattern. You’re going to have a general style of play but ultimately you’re going to play to the strengths of the players at your disposal. If you’ve got three huge guys who can win ball in the half-forward line then you’re going to use a puck-out strategy that will incorporate them. But if you’ve got more of a running team, you are going to develop a style around those guys.”