Fortress Ennis: How tough is the trip to Cusack Park for Cork? 

The Rebels travel to face Clare this weekend in a venue that has reputation for being a hard assignment. 

FORTRESS: A statue of Michael Cusack outside the stadium in Ennis. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

“Fortress” and “tough place to game” are two of the most common phrases associated with Clare senior hurlers and Cusack Park but the truth doesn’t necessarily back up those adages.

While Clare may have the second-best home record in the history of the Munster SHC round-robin behind Limerick who only incurred their second group loss in TUS Gaelic Grounds against Clare last month, they have won four of their seven games there.

Their away return is far better with six wins from eight games – four times in Thurles against Tipperary twice, Cork last year and Waterford this year, Waterford in Walsh Park and Limerick in TUS Gaelic Grounds last month.

League-wise, Clare’s home record the last five years hasn’t been sparkling. While they didn’t lose to Munster opposition, they didn’t beat them in three of the games either. In their seven home meetings with either Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny or Wexford there, they won three and lost four.

Where the “fortress” argument does stand up is in Clare’s last-round game in Cusack Park. For the fourth consecutive season in the round-robin iteration of the Munster SHC, The Banner’s last match will be at home. In 2018, ‘19 and ‘22, they beat Limerick, Cork and Waterford respectively.

Having said that, Limerick had qualified for the knock-out stages by the time they arrived in Ennis five years ago and Waterford last year were so demoralised after losing to Cork in Walsh Park the weekend before that they became virtual pushovers.

Clare’s true reference point for victory on Sunday came against Cork four years ago when they required a win to give themselves any chance of making the top three. Courtesy of Tony Kelly and Shane O’Donnell’s goal, that was secured but it wasn’t enough to propel them into the knock-out stages as Limerick’s defeat to Tipperary meant second and third spot were decided by score difference.

At least they know two points on Sunday will guarantee them a Munster final and the quirks of Cusack Park combined with vocal locals should work in their favour. Deceptive because of the proximity of the crowd to the pitch, the large playing surface – two metres wider than Croke Park, is something to consider.

In 2019, then Clare joint-manager Gerry O’Connor touched on how valuable they had made the venue for themselves. “Halfway through that first-half in Waterford last year, when Shane O'Donnell hit that shoulder on the Waterford full-back, that kind of lifted the crowd and there has been a very strong connection and bond between the Clare team and the public for the last year.

“We have essentially turned Cusack Park into a fortress now. That is a huge positive for us. We have lost very few games there and played very well. The supporters are very close to the pitch and they get right behind the team. There is an energy that comes down off the stands that the players feed off.

“It's about the small things: the way the wind blows there, the surface. You know that if the wind is blowing in this particular direction that the ball will drift in from the left post maybe and the same on the opposite side. That's just the way it is. The other huge advantage is that, logistically, it is all very easy.” 

Victors over Clare in five consecutive senior championship meetings from 2014 to ‘18 including back-to-back Munster finals, Cork have their reference points too and the fact that only they thus far have recorded a home win in the province’s six matches in 2023.

Tipperary’s five-goal ransacking will encourage them too but Clare have yet to go a Munster round-robin season without at least winning one game there.