“I Love Training And I Love Playing” – Kelly

Derrick Lynch

Tony Kelly will be hoping to carry his outstanding club championship forward into Sunday’s Munster SHC showdown with Limerick as the Banner look to get championship life under Brian Lohan off to the perfect start.

The 2013 Hurler of the Year was in sparkling form for Ballyea as they reached the semi-finals of the Clare club championship, with attentions now turning to another battle with their Shannonside neighbours.

Kelly, a teacher in St Flannan’s College, feels all precautions have been taken to keep the squad safe from Covid-19 and outlined his view that everyone must be on the same sheet to ensure protocols work.

“Obviously there is concerns but from a personal point of view, I’m happy enough to play away. I feel that the times that we’re in, they’re incredibly strange. They’re unprecedented really. No one could have forecast this to come. I think the times that we’re in if some player didn’t want to play or had reservations about playing, I think the nature of what’s going on in this country and around the world, there’d be no, everyone should respect anyone’s decision if they didn’t want to play but from a personal point of view, I do want to play myself. I love going training, I love playing. Obviously there is certain concerns but from my own point of view being in with Clare, the level of detail, the level of professionalism they’ve displayed since we went back in terms of certain protocols, not using dressing-rooms, hand sanitising, distancing, travelling on our own, training in whatever venue we’re going to, it’s been top class. So from my own point of view, I’ve had no reservations about how Brian Lohan and his management team are handling it. Mainly how other players are handling it as well because you must realise management team can do all they can but the players have to buy into it as well” he noted.

With the loser of Sunday’s tie exiting the Munster championship, Kelly knows they will have to be ready for a huge battle.

“Along with Tipperary, they’re probably the standard bearing team in the country, going on previous form, Tipp winning the All-Ireland last year and Limerick the year before. Limerick won Munster last year, we played them last year and got well beaten by them. We didn’t perform to the levels required on the day. We’re under no illusions that we’re probably up against it, in terms of past performances, but every game is different, especially with the championship this year. It’s a shotgun championship with a six or seven week lead-in. We’re focusing on getting ourselves right. Our gameplan is to work hard and play smart and see what happens on Sunday” he said.