Rouines and Clare grew up on '92 glory but still awaiting a sequel

Cillian and Brendy Rouine's dad, Brendan, was a Clare sub the afternoon of the 1992 Munster final triumph over the green and gold.

Munster senior footballers Cillian Rouine of Clare and Paul Geaney of Kerry in attendance for the Munster GAA Senior Hurling and Football Championship launch 2026 at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Cillian and Brendy Rouine reared themselves on videos of famous Clare football victories. The ‘92 Munster final stunning of Kerry and provincial semi-final win over Cork five years later took day-long turns in the family VHS.

One of the old tapes leapt from the screen and became their lived reality when edging Cork in the 2023 Munster quarter-final. The other old tape remains a fantasy of their childhood.

Cillian and Brendy's dad, Brendan, was a Clare sub the afternoon of the 1992 Munster final triumph over the green and gold. Their uncle, Joe Joe Rouine, was centre-back the same day.

Kerry and Clare have met in championship on 16 occasions since. All 16 went the way of Kerry. 10 of the 16 were double-digit victories. The beatings averaged 11 points per game.

1992 is still awaiting a sequel. The kids are off the couch and no longer glued to past glories. They’re standing centre stage at Cusack Park. Saturday coming is their latest opportunity to deliver that long-awaited second thriller.

“We grew up watching ‘92, to be honest, me and my brother,” Clare captain Cillian began.

“We grew up watching the video tapes of Clare matches in the '90s, and the '92 final was obviously a big one, but 1997 when Clare beat Cork in the Munster semi-final, Martin Daly got a goal, and then that '97 final was versus Kerry as well. We grew up watching them games, so it's been great to have those people to look up to and have them so close.

“Mark McInerney is vice-captain and Francis, his dad, was captain in '92. Dermot Coughlan, as well, his dad played for the '92 team, Dermott Senior. So, yeah, there's a good bit of interlink between the two teams.”

Cillian is the county’s modern-day Martin Daly. It was he, all the way up from corner-back, who fisted the injury-time winner against Cork this month three years ago. It was the first time in 26 years the Banner had bettered Cork in summer fare.

“Probably one of the only ones,” the 25-year-old primary teacher humorously replied when asked if it stands as the most famous white flag he has ever raised for the county.

“Went on a gallop at the end of the game and got in the right place at the right time and thankfully made the right decision. I think there was a man tracking me, but I kind of got caught up in the middle of the pitch then, and he kind of got caught up in that. I continued my run and just got it kicked into me.

“I've got a lot of credit for it since, but I didn't do much, really. That was a great feeling, to be fair. We've had a few great results with Clare in my career. Like, one of my favourite days looking back was the last 16 match versus Roscommon in 2022 in Croke Park. That was a phenomenal feeling winning that.” 

Tony Brosnan of Kerry in action against Cillian Rouine of Clare during the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship final match between Kerry and Clare at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Even allowing for the extensive Kerry injury list at present, recreating that winning feeling against the All-Ireland champions this weekend would appear an almost fanciful notion. And that’s in no way being disrespectful to Paul Madden’s side. That’s simply working off three successive Munster final meetings in 2023, ‘24, and ‘25 where the size of the Kerry victories reached 14, seven, and 11 points respectively.

The glimmer of hope is that the closest of the three played out at this weekend’s venue. It was certainly a feature of the Colm Collins era. In 2014, '17, and '19, Kerry travelled to Ennis for Munster championship ties and left relieved with winning margins of four, six, and six-points again.

“They're phenomenal, like a great tradition. It'll take a massive, massive performance, and probably a bit of luck to cause an upset,” Cillian remarked of Saturday's opponents.

The visit of Kerry will represent only Rouine’s second start of 2026. A broken thumb on their first day of pre-season last November necessitated surgery. His return was the Round 4 League game against Fermanagh in mid-February. He lasted 34 minutes before his hamstring went.

“Very, very frustrating, but it's not the end of the world. You zoom out and look at the bigger picture, there's a lot of worse things that could happen. Back training now fully. I've had four weeks to build up and get myself as ready as possible.”