Revelling in second crown, but Kelly says Clare class of '13 will go again

A second All-Ireland title has given Tony Kelly much more of a sense of accomplishment.

Clare's Tony Kelly celebrates All-Ireland final victory. Pic ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

The older, wiser Tony Kelly has tried to be as present as possible across Clare’s celebrations these past few weeks.

It wasn’t that his teenage version in 2013 didn’t want to soak it all in. He wasn’t able to. At that stage, he hadn’t put behind him over a decade of coming up shy in the Munster and All-Ireland stages.

Beating Cork this time around was a whole lot sweeter for the 30-year-old. A second All-Ireland title has given him much more of a sense of accomplishment.

“Compared to 2013, I suppose the thing that stands out is that you probably take it in more now,” says Kelly, the PwC hurler of the month for July. “Back then, it was like a whirlwind. You were younger and didn’t know really what to expect. This time, probably a bit more appreciative of the win, first of all, and the week that followed.

PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for July in hurling, Tony Kelly of Clare, with his award in Ballyea GAA in Clare. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

“For the last, whatever, 15 years you've been playing inter-county hurling, that second All-Ireland probably just makes the whole inter-county career worthwhile, not only for me but for partners and family.

“It's especially for them because they're the ones who probably put their lives on hold. We're the ones who love playing but they put their lives on hold and give up so much when we're travelling and doing whatever.

“Definitely among the older crew like John (Conlon), Davey Mc(Inerney), SOD (Shane O’Donnell), the lads who were there in 2013, you'd probably be looking back on certain years. Probably 2018 would be one you'd look back at with most regret and those two (All-Ireland semi-final) games we had with Galway.” 

With Munster still the itch to scratch, Kelly reports the class of 2013 will be sticking around for 2025. “I think we had nine over 30, 30 or over, that started the final but yeah, everyone is coming back. It's not as taxing or as hard as it once was.” 

Eleven years divide Kelly’s two All-Ireland senior titles but they were claimed in different seasons of the year too, the 2013 success coming as it did after a replay in late September in contrast to this latest July victory.

For both games against Cork in ’13, Clare had three-week build-ups as opposed to the fortnight they had for the one final match this time around. Bearing in mind the injuries suffered by O’Donnell and Patrick Horgan the weekend before this year’s final along with promotional reasons, Kelly would like a longer gap from the All-Ireland semi-finals.

“I think three (weeks) would be optimum. When it's so close at the minute, if you're looking at even after the semi-final, the build-up to the game even, or covering the game, there's only three days and you're onto the football then because that's coming.

“Like, this year you had the hurling final. By the Wednesday you have to be building up to the football or discussing the football. I just think you're allowing both codes breathing room for a week (with an extra gap). I think that would suit everyone; the players, the media, to have a build-up to it. I think it suits everyone.

“If you're looking at an All-Ireland semi-final, you're on about there with Hoggy and SOD for example, they're coming from 70-plus minutes of an intense game, you probably can't do much that week and then every S&C is going, 'Right, we need to get something into them for the weekend for the following weekend'.

“Yeah, you can just pick up little niggles and if someone was to miss an All-Ireland final having gone through years of preparation, yeah, I think that extra week, three weeks would be optimum between All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.” 

There’s a part of Kelly, a teacher in St Flannan’s College, that would like to see the finals returned toward a date closer to the start of the school year. “Probably coming up to the game is where you would have most noticed it. I think the schools probably had an awful lot of colour coming up to an All-Ireland final (in the past).” 

Kelly returned to the Ballyea training field the Friday after the final. They lost their opening championship game to Clonlara last Saturday and face Clooney-Quin on Friday week.

“We're down a good few boys this year. Gary Brennan has transferred to Ahane and we have a few lads in Australia and America, so we're probably a bit thin on the ground from the last county final win we had a couple of years ago.”