Gavin ready for take-off

There are a lot of contrasts between Clare and Limerick leading into this Sunday’s second All-Ireland SHC semi-final in Croke Park, says Limerick half-back Gavin O’Mahony.

First and most obvious are their respective paths. Limerick have played just two games and it is five weeks since the last outing, the Munster final win against Cork. Clare have had five games, two in Munster then three in the All-Ireland series, having lost against Cork in the Munster semi-final.

Both then are on a winning run but Clare are the ones on a roll, three wins on the trot (Laois, Wexford, Galway) and the last of those only three weeks ago. Advantage the Banner, Gavin? Possibly.

“I know Waterford seemed to struggle with it. Reading John Mullane, they always found the lay-off after winning the Munster championship very tough. It’s new territory for us and a case of just learning as we go,” he said.

“Definitely it would be great to have a couple of competitive matches and it’s very hard to get challenge matches this time of year. It’s been a case of training matches of 15 on 15, just put it in and try and make your place on the team in the Gaelic Grounds as opposed to doing it in Thurles or in Croke Park.”

That sounds exactly like what Anthony Daly and Leinster champions Dublin were saying in the build-up to their semi-final against Cork last week, they were relying on squad games to stay sharp. Dublin lost that game, albeit due to extenuating circumstances. Limerick did manage to get in a round of club championship games, Gavin’s Kilmallock winning a derby match against neighbours Effin — “it was nice to get a competitive match again under the belt again” — but then so did Dublin.

Then there’s the contrasting experience of the players on the two teams. Limerick have spent the last three seasons trying to get out of Division 1B.

Clare, meanwhile, maintained their 1A status with an impressive win over Cork and have won all round them at underage. Add into that mix the teams’ respective recent experience of Croke Park — Limerick beaten in the All-Ireland final of 2007, walloped in the semi-final of 2009, and again, it looks like advantage Clare. Only if you let it get to you says, Gavin.

“The weeks after the league final were probably the worst I have experienced. I know the league final dressing room was the worst I have experienced in Limerick.

“We had trained so hard, really believed we deserved to be up in 1A. To fall short and as flat as we did on the night was beyond belief but it just grounded lads again and kept lads honest for the next couple of weeks. We knew had to face Tipperary [Munster championship semi-final] and I suppose there was a fear that you could go out against Tipperary in the Gaelic Grounds with your tail between your legs. That was something we wanted to avoid.”

As for Croke Park, 2007 and ’09? “We are very inexperienced that way,” Gavin admits. “Playing in the league against Dublin this year was probably for most lads their only experience.

“We lost a senior final, a minor final [2005, Gavin playing], lost to Tipp in a semi-final in 2009 which wasn’t that good of an experience, but an experience is only there to learn from and if you’re not learning you’re at nothing. I don’t associate Croke Park with anything. I associate matches and performances and try and learn from them. If I was to go back to 2009 to try and draw on something then it’s backwards I’m going

“It’s only the last two matches I would be focusing on. We know our opposition, I nearly know who I will be marking so it’s a case of focus on him and see if you can do a job. What surrounds the white lines up there is impressive but it’s no help to us. It won’t put fear in us either.”

No negatives for Gavin or Limerick then, only the positives. Greatest positive of all? Limerick are the Munster champions.

“It’s my first Munster medal and you have to gain belief. I suppose there’s relief more than anything, when you train as hard as you do, that you can say, ‘right, we can win something, we can win medals’.

“That brings its own belief, that these medals can be won, there are teams out there that are beatable. The last couple of years have been very hard to be like that, that you can go out and achieve success and find victories.”