Fresh Cork pose big question but Clare can make momentum count

Eoin Brennan previews a massive game for the Clare hurlers

THE main thread to emerge since Monday’s qualifier draw is whether Clare’s superior experience of being their fourth championship tie will be more beneficial than Cork’s freshness, having only played Limerick so far.
On a purely aesthetic level, while a run to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals would mean four consecutive weekends of action, the buoyancy favour should be strong for Clare this weekend, albeit that the scorching conditions in their rousing victory over Wexford last Saturday will have taken its toll on the squad.
Still, Brian Lohan is realistic about the difficult backdoor route ahead as well as the fact that after building up an 11 point cushion in the first 20 minutes last Saturday, his side weren’t going to be able to hold the whip hand for the full 70 minutes.
“It was a very good start by us, we got a couple of points up and we utilised every break and every possession we got. I don’t think we had too many wides either but we dominated.
“There was going to come a time when Wexford were going to dominate and take over. They scored eight in a row and we didn’t want them to dominate as much as that but they’re a good team, with good quality and they did dominate and it made for a ding dong battle all the way up along.
“The bottom line is that teams are too good to be able to dominate them for long periods of time so those periods that you get on top and do well in possession, you really have to put on the scoreboard and when a team gets a run on you, then you have to hang in there and that’s what we did.”
The four time All-Star was also pleased with the entire 20 man contribution which was needed in such draining conditions.
“We mentioned it a couple of times during the week that we probably didn’t get as much of a return from the bench against Tipp as what we would have liked so there was pressure on.
“Jack [Browne] came on and made an impact.
“He’s been frustrated with us for the last while and Gary [Cooney] has also been frustrated with us as they haven’t seen a huge amount of game time but their application, work-rate and efforts have been exceptional, not just last week but in a very long period of time so I’m delighted for them.
“Look overall, we’ve good players and we’ve always had good players all over the field”.
One of the most prominent is Shane O’Donnell, whose absence from Clare’s championship adventure so far has remained a major cause for concern.
“Shane is making progress so we’re just hoping he will be okay regardless of hurling at all.”
The remainder of the squad will be hoping to carry their current propulsion into Saturday’s tie against a new-look Cork.
“The problem is that the competition is so stiff, there is no easy game from here on in with all the panels that are there but we’re really looking forward to the challenge.”
Of course, it’s the first time that Clare under Brian Lohan have faced Cork competitively but Kieran Kingston has mixed emotions of playing the Banner, having been a Rebel selector under Jimmy Barry Murphy for the 2013 All-Ireland Final series before exacting revenge in his first stint as manager in the Munster decider of 2017.
His return to the helm suggests unfinished business but while they did cause Limerick problems in their recent provincial semi-final, it’s been three weeks since that sole championship outing whereas Clare do have clear momentum behind them with two wins from three and a genuine grievance that it should be three from three.