Deegan hails cut-throat competition

Just over three months ago the Clare senior hurling management team started the new season with one aim: to create problems for themselves.

All-Ireland champions at both senior and U21, 2013 had been a hugely successful season but already it was past tense. Driving on, that was the goal, no resting on laurels. With that in mind a conscious decision was taken to perhaps sacrifice a few wins in the Waterford Crystal Tournament and in the Allianz Hurling League, to blood a few new players and thus create those selection headaches.

In the event they managed to reach the Waterford Crystal final, beaten by Tipperary in the final; they have also reached the league semi-final and on Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds, take on that same opposition in the second game of a league double-header. Significantly however, says selector Mike Deegan, they have also reached their first goal – cut-throat competition for starting places.

“Obviously the league was competitive but it was the same last year, we could have been in a semi-final as easily as in the relegation playoff but got caught the last game against Tipperary.

“This year we’ve used more players and that was a deliberate decision. You could have a great year and still end up in either the quarter-final or a relegation playoff, so we decided to use the games to try out players.

We had good days and bad days but we got a bit out of it.”

A bit? Goalkeeper Donal Touhy has enjoyed great form, putting Patrick Kelly under pressure; Seadhna Morey and Paul Flanagan have shown themselves real options in the corner-back positions, and so it goes, all the way to Cathal ‘Tots’ O’Connell up front, as a roaming corner-forward or an alternative for centre-forward.

“That’s what you’re looking for, you want to create as much competition within the panel as possible,” agreed Deegan.

Getting back to Tipperary, however; this is actually their third competitive outing this year, Tipperary with the big win in the Waterford Crystal final, Clare reversing that in the league. Now it’s round three and still no clear idea who stands where. “The Waterford Crystal final, they got on a bit of a run near the end and pulled away but that wasn’t a true reflection of the game. We had played very well in the first half, they got a few scores to start and the second half and pulled away. In the league game they were short a few players, we scored a few goals and they made the difference.

It was good we finished it out that day, we drove on for the win.”

Drove on for the win, now driving on to repeat the glory of last year, that’s Clare in 2014.

“Long may it last,” says Deegan. There’s fantastic work going on all the time at all levels in Clare.”