New year, same goals
A few days before Clare take on Cork in the 2014 Munster semi-final, the team they beat in that All-Ireland senior final, the team that beat them at this same stage in Munster last year, how has life changed for Tony Kelly, pictured?
“It’s unusual alright but nothing different since we were back in January,” he said.
“Before that it was maybe built up around the county. Everywhere you went they were talking about the All-Ireland, but it’s a new year and 2013 will be well forgotten. Cork won’t be long reminding us that it’s a new year!”
Not just Cork reminding them of course.
“Once January comes around every year every county gets back down to brass tacks and we were no different. Davy, Louis, Mike and Paul [Fitzgerald, Mulqueen, Deegan and Kinnerk, the management team], once January came it was straight back down to hard work and they weren’t slow reminding us that we need to repeat what we did last year.
“From a player’s point of view it’s a good thing that the year comes around so fast and you can forget about last year. It’s all about proving yourself again in 2014.”
With a lot of other players in Tony’s position – so young, so many top honours so early — all the above would be taken with a shovel of salt. That is most certainly not the case here.
Second-season syndrome? Well, given that he actually made his senior debut in 2012, barely turned 18, that would be last year.
Struggling to find his form? Already this year he has starred with Limerick IT in the Fitzgibbon Cup (studying Business & Sport), while as captain of the Clare U21s he led by example in their recent Munster championship quarter-final win over Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.
In a way, playing at that grade can carry even greater pressure than at senior, especially as captain. Not for Tony Kelly.
“Ah no. There are 13 of 14 of us from the senior panel on the U21 panel and we’re all in the same boat, maybe eight or nine of us playing together since we were 16 all the way up along and we regard ourselves as the same.
“We’re no different to new lads coming on to the U21 panel or going back to the senior panel. Both management teams, both sets of players. Nobody has any big egos about themselves or puts extra pressure on themselves. It’s just about bringing your best performance and bringing it together with everybody else on the team, having a good performance team-wise.”
No pressure then on any front to perform again to the same standards as last year? “No.” The initial answer was that short, that simple.
“I’m only a cog in the wheel. If I work hard and do my bit in whatever position I’m picked, as long as you’re helping the team and working hard, that’s it. We had seven or eight All Stars last year. Those who got them don’t see themselves as any different to those who didn’t. We’re all pulling in the same direction.
“There is a bit of pressure but it’s team pressure, from winning the All-Ireland last year. You can use that in a positive way, work hard to get a performance and that’s what we’ll do.”
Is that a danger, where as reigning All-Ireland champions they expect more of themselves than they did last year?
“Not really. We want to win every game we play. Maybe we put a small bit of pressure on ourselves but that’s how you get the best from yourself.”
Kelly’s going to be a marked man this year, of course. He knows it and has already dealt with it.
“I got a taste of it last year with Brian Murphy [v Cork, All-Ireland final]. It’s something one has to adapt to. You get it at club level when you get to the latter stage of competitions but it’s upped a bit at inter-county level.
“The man you are going to be on isn’t going to give you an inch of space. It’s something you have to adapt to. The big thing is to keep plugging away and keep doing the things that brought success the year before and that’s something I have to get used to this year.”
And Tony Kelly? Mr Consistency, at the highest level. Something we’d all need to get used to, every year.
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