Rodgers desperate for Banner to banish the costly lulls 

Going back over their ill-fated Division 1A was no picnic for the All-Ireland champions but one of their ailments has been diagnosed. It’s not a new phenomenon. 

FACING FORWARD: Mark Rodgers at Croke Park as Centra announced an extension of their sponsorship of the All-Ireland GAA Hurling Senior Championship. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Fade outs. Lulls. Troughs. Call them what you want but Mark Rodgers knows Clare have been suffering too many of them.

Going back over their ill-fated Division 1A was no picnic for the All-Ireland champions but one of their ailments has, at the very least, been diagnosed. It’s not a new phenomenon. 

This month last year, Clare were nine points ahead of Limerick and ended up losing by three. They could have left Limerick for dust in the first half but allowed them back in with goals.

In the final round game against Tipperary last month, they were eight to the good and ended up one point down. It’s a habit of Clare that simply must be cut out, says Rodgers.

“We obviously didn't get the results we wanted in the league. I suppose the most frustrating part from our point of view was not just we were so up and down throughout the league, it was how up and down we were within games.

“I mean, we were putting a great 15 minutes beside a bad 15 minutes, and unfortunately, the repercussions of that were relegated and the repercussions of it in a few weeks' time is if we do that, we're going to be out of the championship. Teams are so good now. You switch off for 15 minutes and you concede a couple of goals.” 

As Cork come to Ennis on Sunday, the affable Scariff man doesn’t need to be reminded of Clare’s last two Munster SHC Round 1 games. Goals were the downfall on both occasions, Limerick last year and Tipperary in 2023.

It's a wrong Clare want to right. 

“Losing the first game obviously puts you in a terrible situation because the Munster championship is so tight. It's definitely a case of the first game is really important and it's important to get off to a win, but if you don't get over the line you don't have long to turn off and get ready for the next game.

“I think this year, especially because we're playing Waterford so shortly afterwards, we really want to do well against Cork and put our best foot forward. Cork are in great form at the moment.” 

In moving on from their league woes, Rodgers speaks glowing of Clare’s leadership group comprising captain Tony Kelly, vice-captain David McInerney, John Conlon and Shane O’Donnell, even if he is unavailable for the moment.

“We've had them for good parts of the league, but now is where we're really going to see the value of those leaders. They've been in the dressing room what 10 years and you can already feel it in training. The buzz is starting to build and we're really looking forward to it.

“They are powerful voices for someone like yourself who's come in to sit and listen to really. They're guys that I would have watched growing up.” 

Rodgers was 12 when the aforementioned quartet were part of the 2013 All-Ireland winning side. Ask him about his favourite memory as a Clare supporter and Conor McGrath’s goal in the ’13 replay against Cork is his reply. 

It’s put to him that his own three-pointer in last year’s final will live long in the memory of Clare children now. 

“I think they might remember Tony's first,” he smiles. “I'd say I've seen his goal, I don't know how many times at this stage, but every time you see it from a new angle, you can see something else, a face and a crowd. It was a crazy goal.

“Typically in championship, it’s hard to score a goal. It's protected at all costs. Again, if you're shipping two, three, four goals, you're putting yourself in an awkward position to even try competing again, let alone win it.” 

Needless to say, Rodgers knows Clare can’t concede half a dozen of them as they did to Cork in last month’s league meeting in Ennis. Giving up five in the Munster opener against Tipperary there two years ago was their undoing.

“Sometimes up in the forwards, you can say, ‘Ah, conceding too many goals.’ But if you watch all them goals, maybe the last mistake is in the full-back line, if it even is a mistake. But the first mistake often happens way further up the field, and it's resulted in a ripple effect.” 

*Mark Rodgers was speaking at the announcement of Centra’s five-year extension as sponsors of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship.