Long road to Croker

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final
Sports Editor Seamus Hayes previews this weekend’s All-Ireland minor hurling final, as Clare prepare to take on Kilkenny.

LEAVING Walsh Park in Waterford at the end of April under the cloud of an eight-point defeat in the opening round of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship, few would have predicted Clare could contest the All-Ireland final in September.
When the Banner County took the first step to recovery by beating Kerry three days later, there was still no-one making plans to be in Dublin to support the team for a Croker appearance.
Four days on again and just a week after that first-round defeat, views began to change when Clare overcame the challenge of a fancied Tipperary team. It was the first time this group of Clare hurlers had beaten their Premier counterparts.
Confidence grew and was clearly in evidence in the Munster final when the saffron and blue turned in a superb second-half performance to avenge the first-round result and, in the process, dethrone the provincial champions. It was Clare’s first Munster title at this level in 21 years.
There were times in the All-Ireland semi-final clash with Dublin when it looked like Clare would fail in their efforts. The concession of two goals certainly gave the management cause for concern but each time Dublin found the net, Clare raised their game and hit back with some excellent points.
On Sunday, for the third time in this campaign, Clare will wear the underdogs’ tag. Kilkenny’s performance in the semi-final when they hammered Galway has, understandably, installed them as firm favourites for the title but Clare players and mentors don’t appear unduly worried by this.
The side has undergone some restructuring since that opening round in April. Team captain Paul Flanagan, at wing-back that evening, is now at full-back. Enda Boyce didn’t start that evening as he was carrying an injury picked up playing with the county footballers. He was introduced before the end of the third quarter and has been excellent at wing-back ever since.
Sixteen-year-old Jamie Shanahan was called into action for the second half on that occasion and has gone on to secure a regular spot at wing-forward.
The team has a more settled look now and while the starting line-up for the final has yet to be named, it is likely to be unchanged from that which lined out against Dublin.
Players such as Seadna Morey, Stephen O’Halloran, Enda Boyce, Tony Kelly and Colm Galvin have improved with each game. Together with the likes of Kevin Lynch, Niall Arthur and Paul Flannagan, they should make life difficult for Kilkenny in Sunday’s decider.
For a number of the Kilkenny players, it will be their second successive final appearance.
Having missed last year’s final due to injury, Willie Phelan is back in the team and will be at full-back. He helped St Kieran’s to the All-Ireland colleges’ title earlier this year. Luke Harney, Brian Kennedy, Ollie Walsh, John Power (last year’s goalkeeper), Padraig Walsh (younger brother of senior star Tommy), Cillian Buckley (captain) and Ger Aylward, who missed last year’s final due to illness, are all determined to make up for last year’s disappointment.
On the evidence of their semi-final form against a Galway side that had high hopes of retaining the title, it’s difficult to predict anything other than a Kilkenny victory. That said, one has to give tremendous credit to Clare for the way the team has improved with each round in this campaign.
Kilkenny team boss Ritchie Mulrooney wasn’t just being nice to the Banner team when he sang their praises this week but neither did he hide his side’s determination to atone for last year’s defeat.
It will be a close contest but the experience of being in the final last year and the fact that they scored narrow wins over Clare when they met in challenge games earlier in the year suggests that the Noresiders will be crowned champions shortly before 3pm on Sunday.