Improvement needed to retain title, says Flanagan

Clare U-21 hurlers were pushed to the pin of their collars to achieve a semi-final win over Waterford at Walsh Park last week.

 

That’s the view of team captain Paul Flanagan from Ballyea, who acknowledged after the win, “It’s always an awful hard place to come to and we knew that it was really going to be tough today. They really showed an awful lot of hunger, they came at us and they pushed us to the pin of our collar.”

The University of Limerick student had no difficulty in stressing that a big improvement is required from the team if they are to retain the provincial crown.
“We are under no illusions that we will have to improve for the next day.

“We knew that if we got the goals, we would be there or thereabouts. We started okay and were on top but they pushed their way back into the game. It’s the first day out and frees and small things can go against a team and the opposition can rack up four or five points,” the Clare defender noted.

“Jake Dillon is a very good freetaker and anything within 65 metres he will punish. We have to cut out giving away these frees. Our aim was to come out of here with a result and we have done that”.
Playing conditions were very tough, according to the Clare captain. Between the heat and the very hard ground, it was tough.

“There must be no water down here,” he said with a smile when commenting on the hardness of the playing surface.
He is thrilled to be back in the final. “People will have seen what Tipperary can do in their semi-final win over Cork. They are a serious outfit and they were a serious outfit last year. It is going to be nip and tuck again and it’s something to look forward to.”

Flanagan agrees for Tipperary to have all their games at home is an advantage.
“We had all our games at home last year and yes, it is an advantage. Look at Waterford here this evening and the big support they had. That’s the way it goes.

“We like playing in Thurles and we are certainly looking forward to the final.”

Is he concerned that many of the squad might have too many games over the next few weeks?

“This is where lads want to be in the middle of July, playing championship games.

“That’s what we train for all winter and we look forward to these games,” was the reply.