Michael Cleary: We almost felt we were playing for two All-Irelands

Michael Cleary would nearly put himself and his Tipperary teammates of 1991 in that bracket.
âWeâd beaten Antrim in â89, our first All-Ireland in 18 years. But with all due respect to Antrim, we never got credit for that. Whether we deserved it or not is a matter of opinion. But it was almost as if we were searching for credibility,â Cleary says, in his shop in Nenagh.
âIn the general publicâs eyes, we still hadnât beaten a big power. Ok, Kilkenny werenât the force back then they are now, but they were still a traditional county.
âWe almost felt we were playing for two All-Irelands. And had Kilkenny won that game, Iâm sure history would weigh heavily on our shoulders and not look on us too favourably.â
Tippâs modern history, Kilkennyâs ancient past. Could be that both leaned too strong on a final that slipped quickly from the memories of anyone without allegiance.
âWe were lucky enough on the day, no doubt about it. It was far from a classic All-Ireland. But looking back, I donât think it matters much, when you win.
âThere was a lot of relief about it. To be fair, we had a lot of injuries. Nicky English was injured, he was gone early in the second-half. Cormac Bonner carried an injury into that. They were two big players for us. And we didnât have the benefit of them in that final. Pat Fox was the difference. He pulled us over the line. But that game was there for Kilkenny to win and they didnât win it.â
Fox hit five points and harvested a hurler of the year gong. But in Clearyâs mind, the clay had been loosened by a century of spadework done by men like Paddy Riordan, Johnny Leahy and Donie Nealon in finals against Kilkenny.
âWe hadnât met for so long, there wasnât really a rivalry. Kilkenny had beaten us in a few league matches, so we had no entitlement to be confident.
âBut we were confident. Traditionally, Tipp had a great run against Kilkenny. Up to that, Kilkenny beat Tipp once in an All-Ireland in 70 years.
âThere was a feelgood factor. Tipp beat Kilkenny in All-Irelands. That was the thing at the time. Itâs well and truly gone at this stage. I actually think it worked both ways. It helped us and I think the Kilkenny lads, deep down, Iâve no doubt the âwe have trouble beating Tippâ thing was in the psyche.â
Kilkenny for the hurlers, Tipp for the men. Tipp had plenty of hurlers in â91, but in certain quarters, that old credo, first attributed to Leahy in 1917, still stood.
âThat probably was the way. In the late 60s, Kilkenny had enough of Tipp and decided to âman upâ, for want of a better expression.
âThey obviously recognised it themselves. It was universally accepted Kilkenny had the hurlers and Tipp were different men, I suppose. Thatâs not to say Kilkenny were lesser men but Kilkenny concentrated on the hurling and Tipp added a bit of âmuscleâ to it - I donât know what the correct terminology would be. But now Kilkenny combine both. They always had the hurlers.â
Fateâs role in writing history? Kilkenny might have had the men in 1991 had Clearyâs free, early in the second-half, not slipped into the top corner of Michael Walshâs net. A substantial lodgment in a four-point win.
âI always quote the Archbishop the following night: âHe went for a point and had to be happy with a goal.â I thought that summed it up.
âFor a second there was silence in the ground. I just felt for a split-second I was the only one in the ground who knew. I knew instantly I had mishit it, but I also knew it was gone in, Iâd say, before anyone else did. Freakish!â Meant to be? âAbsolutely.â
It puts him back in Croke Park Sunday, waving to the crowd in the Jubilee presentation. Back at the scene, this time itâs modern history that troubles him. Now, when itâs there for Kilkenny to win, they generally oblige.
âItâs so hard to call. If you sit down with a sheet of paper and try pick the best team out of the two of them youâll wind up eight-seven no matter how many times you go at it.
âIt could go the other way to 1991. Very much so. Iâve no doubt theyâll be very comfortable if this match is tight coming down the stretch. The Kilkenny boys will be very confident, as they showed against Waterford and many times over the last decade, that theyâre happy they can squeeze out a result.
âTheyâve done it enough times.â