Rodgers: Clare must take next step to make up for 2023 'despair'

Clare attacker Mark Rodgers vows and ambitous group is determined to make further progress

Clare's Mark Rodgers and Fergal O'Connor of Limerick in action during the Co-op Superstores Munster Hurling League tie.

Mark Rodgers considers Clare “a highly ambitious bunch” that are aiming to put their Munster final and All-Ireland semi-final woes of the last two years behind them in 2024.

Clarifying that Clare has “the same level of jealousy” of Limerick’s success as other counties, Rodgers admits there was “despair” in the group when they lost to Kilkenny in the last four for the second consecutive season.

“It’s fine losing and being upset but you have to get back to the drawing board and assess the damage and maybe pick a few areas to work on and step by step get there,” he says of the latest loss to Kilkenny last July.

Rodgers’ fellow forward Shane O’Donnell has spoken about the older players putting a major emphasis on achieving this year but the younger man feels the 2023 All-Star isn’t giving himself enough credit.

“In fairness to Shane, he probably undersold himself there – he exerts a huge effort every year as have the other boys. They have been fabulous role models and mentors to a lot of the younger guys including myself.

“We’re lucky we want into a group with just top-class people in it who are always there if we ever need a bit of advice or a bit of coaching along the way. If you ever need to ask a question or anything, there are always more than willing to help including Shane.

“But the management also facilitate that group and everyone challenges themselves to improve and get better and I think that’s what we’re doing. There’s an emphasis on every year, we’re a highly ambitious bunch, I’d like to think, and every year we go into, we’re trying to maximise our output.” 

Young hurler of the year Rodgers’ sustained spell in the Clare attack has as much to do with being able to cope with the physical demands of the senior inter-county game as his obvious eye for a score.

“I probably took a while to get to the physical stakes. I had injury problems and other things. Obviously, when you get the chance, you have to grasp it because you have so many good players behind you waiting to take your spot.

“I had niggles and I had a knee injury back a couple of years ago that I’ve fully recovered from now. They can be disheartening at the time but it’s important to keep the long-term thinking in process.

“Physically, there is quite a transition from U20 to senior and it’s important to take advantage of the expertise whether it’s the S&C coach or nutritionist to get to the level required.

“You’re coming in at 17 or 18 entering a camp full of supremely conditioned athletes. You have to get your body to the level that you’re able to compete with them first and foremost.” 

Scariff man Rodgers took over free-taking duties from Tony Kelly against Dublin in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final and hasn’t looked back. “I’ve hit them for the club from under-age all the way up along. I still hit them for the club. Yeah, definitely, I always enjoyed hitting them. I’ve never really found them too pressurising. I don’t know for what reason but it doesn’t seem to bother me too much.” 

Between Fitzgibbon Cup and the Munster SHL, tomorrow’s trip to Cork could be his third game in seven days but Rodgers doesn’t mind the load. “At the end of the day I'm very privileged to be able to play in the Fitzgibbon and at inter-county level. It's something that I probably always wanted to do and I'm very grateful for the opportunity."