Brennan Looking Forward To Banner Battle

Derrick Lynch

As a player or a manager, Eddie Brennan is no stranger to facing Clare, and he still recalls his days trying to get the better of the man he will face on the sideline this weekend.

“Brian tried a few chunks out of me on different days alright” he laughed.

“We had some great battles with Clare over the years and it is something you would look forward to. As players, we loved going to Ennis because at the time we were around, Ennis was the litmus test because it was Clare team who played the game with high intensity and had a real manly style of hurling that we loved challenging. Brian Cody often told us it was a great measure of us to go on the road to places like Ennis and see how we got on. Brian Lohan is a passionate Clare hurling man and that is reflected in the way he wants his team to play and this Saturday will be no different” he noted.

The sides have plenty recent history having met in the National League already in 2020. With a unique winter hurling championship to contend with, Brennan is expecting plenty unexpected twists ahead. With more poor weather conditions in store over the coming days, he is hopeful it won’t be quite as extreme as their meeting earlier this year.

“I don’t think that match will be forgotten for a long time. I remember being on the motorway near Bunratty Castle and seeing the sheets of lightening over Ennis that day. The weather will probably be similar enough again this weekend but hopefully not as severe. We saw the conditions that Tipperary and Limerick had to contend with so hopefully we don’t get something like but we are in very unpredictable wintry conditions so we just have to be ready for that and make sure we prepare as best we can. It will be the same for both teams and I don’t think a wet and windy day suits any team in terms of hurling. You can manage hurling on a wet day but when you have a driving rain down on top of it, it makes things very difficult. We can only focus on what we can control and make sure that those things are right on the day” he stated.

Laois saw their Leinster championship come to an end after Dublin exacted revenge for year’s upset with a comprehensive victory. Brennan admits much of that defeat was down to simple costly errors but says his side know that any repeat of that performance will bring the curtain down on their 2020 season.

“When we reviewed our game, I was very disappointed with our execution of the basics. That really let us down and hurt us. In games like this when you are playing quality opposition, you cannot afford to make basic unforced errors because you will be punished. It is one thing making mistakes when you are put under massive pressure but unforced stuff is a killer. We were facing into a huge challenge no matter who we got then in the draw because there were three savage teams in that bowl. We just have to roll up the sleeves and be ready for it. We saw what Clare did against the juggernaut that is the Limerick senior hurling team at the moment so we are aware of they are capable of doing and their strengths. They are hurting from being knocked out of Munster and this is their last chance to get back on track in the All-Ireland series. It is a long road from here but it would still be that first step. We understand where they coming from but we can only worry about getting our own house in order. We did not do that against Dublin so that is our foremost concern at the moment” he outlined.