Colin Ryan: Second-tier stint can be the spark for Clare's 'last dance'

BACK FOR MORE: Shane O'Donnell of Clare before the 2024 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Clare and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Colin Ryan reckons Clare can capitalise on a second-tier league campaign to extend the supporting cast for their ‘last dance’ generation.

Shane O’Donnell has previously revealed how he intended 2025 to be his final year of inter-county hurling. Some of his teammates shared that sentiment, but the mood quickly changed after their Munster elimination to give it another shot in 2026.

Ryan, a 2013 All-Ireland winner alongside the likes of O’Donnell, Tony Kelly, John Conlon, and David McInerney, feels his old comrades are ready to embrace a fresh campaign.

After the pre-season Munster Hurling League, which returns from cold storage next month, Clare begin life in Division 1B by hosting Dublin.

Galway and Limerick have previously benefitted from a second-tier stint in All-Ireland-winning years, although the format has been tweaked since then.

In those surroundings, Ryan believes Clare can find some new players to bolster their stalwart core.

“We did miss Shane last year. John wasn't 100%. Tony had a phenomenal campaign for his club, so I'm hoping that there's a kick in them yet,” said Ryan.

“They have been absolutely phenomenal servants to Clare hurling, but you are going to need to find a couple more players. Mark Rodgers and the likes are going to have to step up the gears, and there's going to have to be a couple of new players that come along too.

“When you look at the league campaign and the fact that they're going to be down a division, maybe there's a chance to find a couple of players and give them a bit more game time. But we are definitely going to need to find a few players.

“Getting out of Munster is the hardest part, so if they can get into even a preliminary quarter-final, you just don't know where you're going to get after that.

“There probably is a feel of a last dance. That group of players would be the first to say that they aren't getting any younger. But I think they've embraced it. I think they're ready for it.” 

Limerick are also trying to maximise the yield from their golden generation.

Andrew O’Shaughnessy, a 2007 All-Star, feels that the return of renowned sports psychologist Caroline Currid can sharpen their edge as they chase a sixth Liam MacCarthy Cup.

“They're the same demographic age-wise. Clare and Limerick are ageing teams. You look at Cork and Tipp, they've youth blending in and coming through,” he said.

“You'd be naive to write off Limerick's chances. They're obviously going to be annoyed about the way they went down to Dublin last year. They have a point to prove. They'll be really on point.

“Especially with Caroline Currid coming back in, she'll add an extra dimension. They won their five All-Irelands when she was there with them. She was there with Dublin, Tyrone, and Tipperary, so she has a proven track record.

“But it's a lottery. You could nearly have, for two years in a row, the All-Ireland champions going out in Munster. There's no guarantee that Tipperary will get out of Munster.

“Equally, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, there's no guarantee.” 

Ryan and O’Shaughnessy were speaking at the launch of the Dr Harty Cup history book, which includes their memories among 600 pages of insight and stories from the famous Munster schools competition.