Séamus Flanagan: Limerick semi feels like a last dance for a lot of the Clare boys

LAST DANCE?: Clare's Shane O'Donnell runs out before the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.

Séamus Flanagan reckons a group of veteran Clare players will be driven by the fact that the All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick could be their 'last dance'.

The Banner team that lined out against Dublin in their quarter-final win contained eight players who are 30 or over.

David McInerney, Tony Kelly and Peter Duggan, who started against the Dubs, are all chasing a third All-Ireland win following the 2013 and 2024 successes.

Brian Lohan also brought on 37-year-old John Conlon, as well as ultra experienced David Reidy, Ian Galvin and David Fitzgerald.

Shane O'Donnell, one of Clare's thirty-something crew, has previously stated that when 'that first person moves (towards retirement), then I think the rest of them will flow pretty quickly'.

Speaking at a preview event for the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor finals, former Limerick forward Flanagan said his sense is that several Clare players may view this as potentially their last game.

"It does feel like a kind of a last dance for a lot of the Clare boys," said Flanagan.

"Tony Kelly, Shane O'Donnell, you know there were rumours flying around that Shane O'Donnell wasn't going to come back this year. Peter Duggan, Conor Cleary, David McInerney, the list goes on of those players that are maybe teetering on the edge of 'Would I or won't I come back after having the success of two years ago?' So that's a dangerous animal to be facing for Limerick."

Flanagan also described inconsistent Clare as an 'unknown entity' and said this makes it difficult for Limerick to plan for.

"It's been a stop-start season (for Clare)," said the former All-Star.

"So in terms of planning for that, like, Clare know exactly what to plan for with Limerick but in terms of Limerick planning for Clare, which Clare are going to turn up?

"Who's going to be starting personnel-wise? Is John Conlon going to be back at six? Diarmuid Stritch I thought was going phenomenal for Clare, he didn't even get a start the last day.

"Shane Meehan took his opportunity, Mark Rodgers the same, Shane O'Donnell seemed to start inside but drift out towards the middle, out towards that number 11 box, and Tony Kelly was playing in midfield and immense from there as well.

"So it's intriguing, it's tough to call from a Limerick perspective what Clare will turn up but, as I said, Clare know what Limerick will bring."

Flanagan's prediction is that Limerick will ultimately advance and that Cork will beat Galway to make it a repeat of the 2021 All-Ireland final.

"I do see that," he nodded. "But I see Limerick and Clare being an absolute cracker of a game. I think they both bring the absolute best out of each other and I think that their round-robin game down in Ennis was a blip.

"I could be wrong in saying this but I think Clare maybe had their eyes on that third place position in Munster and I think that if they had got to that Munster final, and if they'd lost it, it would have been more detrimental for the group than if Clare were to finish in that third place and have that extra game to kind of build that momentum, which they have.

"With the crowd that's going to travel to this game, and the rivalry that's also there, them being neighbours, I think that is going to be a cracker. Limerick bring the best out of Clare and vice versa."

Limerick are fresh off a seventh Munster title success in eighth seasons, one that they celebrated with particular glee.

"That didn't surprise me," said Flanagan of the celebrations. "I think there was such an onus put on that from a Limerick perspective.

"Sometimes you can belittle what Munster means to people but I think that was an outpouring of what a Munster final means to this group, and what Munster hurling means to people and supporters as well."