David is Reidy to embrace All-Ireland Final stage

When David Reidy was first called into the Clare senior panel at the backend of 2013, he could be forgiven for thinking that his path was destined to be paved with silverware.
After all, following an unprecedented period of success that included back-to-back Munster Minors in 2010 and ’11 and a three-in-a-row of provincial and All-Ireland successes at Under 21 level (2012-14), the Banner’s 2013 All-Ireland senior breakthrough was viewed as potentially the first of many considering their age profile.
However, a decade on and the Éire Óg playmaker is preparing for his first All-Ireland senior decider which understandably he is eager to make the most of considering the sizeable gap from the last one.
“I came onto the panel about five or six weeks after the 2013 All-Ireland Final so it’s probably a long time coming and it’s funny I was only just saying it to a couple of the younger lads that had joined the panel this year not to get too used to this but just embrace it as it is and take every occasion as it comes.
“You just don’t know if or when it may come around again so you have to grasp it with both hands and make sure that this one counts. There’s only one way of doing that and that’s producing a performance. That’s what we tried to do in the semi-final but we only half achieved that aim because the first-half wasn’t next or near a Clare performance but thankfully we turned that around in the second-half as we upped our performance and got into a free-flowing state of hurling and the result took care of itself then.
“So coming into Sunday’s final against Cork, it’s the performance that we’re going after. So you just have to relish these few weeks from the semi-final now and then completely forget about that to tune in to 3.30pm next Sunday.”
Enjoying arguably the more fruitful period of his senior career that commenced at championship level against Limerick in 2015, two factors have worked gloriously in Reidy’s favour.
His versatility and ability to excel in a roaming role allied to a rare injury-free season have been pivotal ingredients in make the Ennis native an integral part of this year’s team backed by eleven points and double the amount of assists.
“Every day you go out and have the privilege of putting on a Clare jersey, you just have to enjoy it because it doesn’t last forever and you have to make the most out of the time you have at inter-county level.
“I have played a number of roles down through the years but in reality if Brian [Lohan] asked me to go into goals I would so it’s about doing what’s best for the team and making sure everyone’s role isn’t the individual but the betterment of the team.
“That’s something that you learn from experience that collectively we are stronger when everyone is singing off the same hymnsheet.
“I think Lucasz [Kirszenstein] coming on board as S&C and the work that was done in the off-season as well has really helped this year. All those elements add up and we’re lucky enough that we’ve gotten players back over the course of the championship that have given the group that bit of extra push and drive too.
“From the start of the year and the Munster League, I got to play most of the games in the National League as well and that quickly led to the Munster Championship. The thing that I’ve enjoyed most this year has been remaining injury-free. I mean in the last couple of years, I’ve been hampered with a couple of niggily injuries like hamstrings and knee and for a while there just when I thought I was ready to go, something else would break down.
“So having a straight run of games this has been brilliant as it allows you to build up confidence, get more game-time and perform more consistently over the season.”
His almost innate understanding with Éire Óg club-mate Shane O’Donnell has also been a key feature of Clare’s rise to Sunday’s All-Ireland decider.
“If I was out the field, I could probably hit the ball with my eyes closed and I know Shane would be on the end of it. I suppose that’s the advantage of playing with him for club and inter-county for the last ten or eleven years. You build up this kind of relationship with players that you know what they like and you know their movement and runs as well.
“Relationships are important as the competition for places has never been higher.
“There’s 41 on the panel and everyone of those wants to get onto the match day panel of 26 first of all, then the next step is trying to get on the field so with five subs that’s only 20 and finally grabbing a starting jersey is fiercely competitive. So that’s hugely positive for not only the current panel but also Clare hurling as a whole.”
So what of Cork and the obstinate hurdle that they provide this Sunday? Have you gotten to see much of them throughout the course of the championship?
“I was in a privileged position of being able to watch that match at home, sitting on a recliner and just able to enjoy it. In fairness it was such a good game that it almost had everything, physicality, pace and it had some savage scores so I enjoyed it as a GAA person and it wasn’t until afterwards that you start to dig down a bit deeper and analyse it.
“Some of the threats that Cork pose is something that we’re really going to have to watch and provide a structure to stop that. But then it’s as important that we are able to play our own game and not over-concentrate on Cork.
“At the end of the day, we were very lucky to be only five points down going in at half-time against Kilkenny so it’s more important than ever that we focus on a performance.
“Realistically if we do something similar to what we did in the first-half against Kilkenny, we’re going to be in big trouble but we will be doing our best to make sure that we get the best out of ourselves from 3.30pm on Sunday.”