Opportunity knocks on big stage for Ryan and Clare

Great expectations. All his hurling life Colin Ryan has been dealing with them.

A precocious talent, long spoken of as a potential future star, Colin was the free-taking mainstay of both the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clare teams that won county and All-Ireland U21 titles for club and county respectively.

With the club success came county minor and U21 titles in the mid-2000s signalling the return to glory of a club that through the ’60s and ’70s had bestrode the Clare hurling team like a Colossus but had lain dormant since 1981. They had three-in-a-row U21 titles in 2006 and came close to capturing the senior title on a few occasions but last year they did it, all that promise finally fulfilled.

With the county it’s taking a little longer. Colin was a member of the U21 side that won Clare’s first Munster title in 2009. They then went one better with the county’s first All-Ireland, beating no less a team than Kilkenny in the final and Colin hit nine of their 15 points.

At senior level, that breakthrough has yet to come, in Munster or the All-Ireland. For this year Munster is history, beaten by Cork in the semi-final when they failed to capitalise on a host of goal chances.

Sunday, however, is another opportunity. An All-Ireland quarter-final against neighbours Galway.

The loss to Cork was a setback but no more than that. They’ve learned from it, demolished Laois in the qualifiers, then dismissed Wexford. Which brings us to Sunday, and a real test against a team smarting after losing its title in Leinster.

“We’ll be going to Thurles knowing we’re well capable of getting a result but under no illusions either,” said Ryan. “People are saying Galway have struggled this year but they don’t have to go too far back to know just how good they are.

“They beat Kilkenny in the Leinster final last year, nearly won the All-Ireland title in the drawn game. They were unlucky that day, Henry Shefflin doing exceptionally well for Kilkenny, and again in the replay. Those lads have all that experience behind them now. No-one can write them off.

“We’ve played them enough over the last few years. If we can get a performance that’s great, and hopefully it will be good enough on the day.”