Friendly foes draw battle lines

WHEN Anthony Daly and Ger O’Loughlin first went into team management taking charge of the Clarecastle minors along with Padraic Russell back in 1994, little did they think that 16 years later they would find themselves in opposition in Croke Park.
That’s the position that the close friends who grew up a few doors from each other in Madden’s Terrace in Clarecastle find themselves in this week, putting the final touches to their plans for Saturday’s eagerly awaited qualifier clash when O’Loughlin will lead his native Clare against Daly’s adopted Dublin.
“It’s unusual but it will have no bearing on the game. That’s just the way the toss of the coin went. There was always a chance once we went out of Munster that we would end up with the losers of this Leinster semi-final. We had a fair idea a couple of weeks back. It doesn’t have any bearing other than the hype that goes with it,” O’Loughlin said.
“The two of us met a few weeks ago and we were saying that the best way to avoid each other is for one of us to beat Kilkenny or Waterford. I said if we don’t we would definitely come out of the hat together. We both knew,” said Daly.
“When you are going to somewhere like Dublin you are avoiding the Munster championship but with the new system now, the chance was there and you have to take it on board. Last year I knew we would meet in the league and that was a bit weird with Mike, Ollie and Alan. Alan was with me for the three years I was manager and Ollie and Mike, well that speaks for itself.
“You are conscious it might happen and still hoping it wouldn’t. I would have preferred if Limerick came out of the hat,” admitted Daly, who captained Clare to three Munster and three All-Ireland titles in the ’90s.
For O’Loughlin, it has been a strange summer. “It is unusual what has happened here. It doesn’t happen that often around the country, three managers from the one county,” he said, referring to the fact that when Clare met Waterford in the Munster championship, Davy Fitzgerald, the goalkeeper on the All-Ireland winning teams, which were captained by Daly and had O’Loughlin in the full-forward line, was the Waterford manager.
O’Loughlin, however, isn’t dwelling on the fact that he is up against Daly on Saturday.
“We know what we have to do. We have to go out and play to a high level to beat Dublin in Croke Park in front of a big crowd. It’s a huge challenge but we have worked awful hard so I am hoping we will do the business on the day,” he said.
“There will be no hard feelings and we will get on with it,” says Daly. “If Clare beat us I will have a Clare jersey on me for the rest of the year and that’s the way I will be at the Clare matches. We will shake hands and there won’t be any more about it. It’s hard but it’s the reality of the situation and we must just get on with it,” he added.
O’Loughlin believes that a lot of the positives they took from the performance against Waterford will be undone if they can’t go out and beat Dublin.
“We played at times very well but ultimately we were beaten because we missed too many scoring chances. We have worked hard since then to eliminate that from our game. I know and the hurling public know that 1-15 won’t win too many hurling championship games. We have worked awful hard over the last three weeks to try and come in with scores of 2-20 because that is what will be needed from now on.
“We hopefully have learned from the Waterford game. We were fierce disappointed with that result. We probably should have won that game. We had enough chances to win,” he said.
“Dublin have a lot of work done. The Kilkenny game won’t have any bearing. They were playing the best county in Ireland. Kilkenny are miles ahead. Dublin will bounce back fairly quickly. I know that Anthony and Dublin will see this as a great opportunity to get back on track again. They know that with another game under their belt they will be into the quarter-final.
“The same applies for us. It’s a huge game for both counties and both will take a huge leap forward if they can win it. It’s as important for Dublin as it is for Clare but from my point of view, we can go to Dublin with plenty of confidence. We have to improve, particularly in front of goals but we have to keep down Dublin’s tally, as they have forwards if given room that will skin a team,” the Clare boss said.
Daly readily admits that his charges disappointed in Leinster.
“I know we met a really great team but we were very low after it. Clare are on a bit of a high going into this game. It was different going into the first-round matches when we, having retained Division 1 and the boys (Clare) having failed to get out of Division 2, things were the other way. Clare got a lift against Waterford.
“Leaving the stadium, people from Clare, and there weren’t a huge pile there, were happy with the performance, saying that the young lads took it on board. I know Sparrow was very disappointed after the league final but to go back to Thurles and perform so well was a huge lift.”
The Dublin manager believes there are a huge amount of similarities between the teams.
“We wouldn’t have as many U-21s starting as Clare, maybe we should have after the performance against Kilkenny. Look, last year it could well have been a Clare v Dublin All-Ireland U-21 final. I felt Dublin let that one slip against Kilkenny and Michael Walsh said that last week when we beat them in this year’s Leinster championship.
“Both have talented groups coming through with players like David Treacy, John Conlon, Liam Rushe and Nicky O’Connell but I would say that Darach Honan is a fly in the ointment. He looks to have that bit of extra, extra class. He could do anything on the day. He could beat a team. He very nearly beat Waterford.
“I was of the opinion that if we got him up one better ball he would have got the goal and we could have won out. He seems to have the stuff that would turn a game for you,” he said before lamenting the fact that Dublin will be without the services of David Treacy this week. “Treacy is a massive loss to us as he is the most naturally gifted forward we have.”
He said playing Saturday’s game in Croke Park is a fantastic opportunity for both sets of players.
“They are young teams and this will be brilliant experience for them. We had a bad day last time out but we had two good games there last year, Clare had a fantastic experience the last time they were there in the U-21. What a day for Clare hurling. It was reminiscent of the ’90s to see a Clareman going up for the cup. There was a tear in the eye that day for sure,” Daly admitted.
O’Loughlin is happy to be going to Croke Park.
“The U-21s go there with happy memories. They shouldn’t be apprehensive of going there. If they play to the best of their ability and we have our homework done, I am expecting a tight game but I am hoping that we will come out in front.”
He is concerned about the number of games that many of the players might have to play in the next few weeks. “The system seems crazy when you look at it. Hopefully, we will be playing the next two Saturdays and in between, the ’21s will play. If we are lucky enough to win, it could be five games for some lads in less than five weeks  It’s not fair but they are the fixtures. We have to get on with it.”
Who has the advantage going into this tie?
“There is no advantage. We know each other very well but we would differ on some things. There will be no hidden agendas,” according to Daly.
“This is the way things have fallen and I have to be in the Dublin camp from 4pm to 5.30pm on Saturday. There will be no time for a drink, as whoever will win will have to prepare for the following week and we both have U-21 games next Wednesday. It’s get on with it straight away. Myself and Sparrow can go to the Listowel races and talk about it there,” said Daly with a smile.
And what about that stint in charge of the Clarecastle minors?
“We cut our teeth with the Clarecastle minor team of ’94. We took them on and got to the final against the head. The ’Bridge beat us fairly well but we stuck with it in ’95 and we won the title, beating the ’Bridge in a replay. That’s when we started. We won the minor championship in the same year that we won the All-Ireland with Clare. Imagine getting a couple of inter-county players to take charge of their club minor side now,” said Daly.
Their love of their native club is very evident at all times. In the past two years, Daly has steered Kilmoyley to the Kerry senior title, while in the last three years, O’Loughlin has guided Adare to a hat trick of Limerick senior titles.
Despite the demands on their time, they still managed to help prepare underage club sides for Clarecastle. There appears to be little doubt but that they will team up again in the future to manage a club side, just as they did so successfully back in the mid-90s.
For now, however, the focus is on Saturday’s qualifier clash and the battle to progress to the next stage. Both believe that they have a team capable of winning this one and whatever the end result, Ger O’Loughlin and Anthony Daly will continue to promote the game they love.