McGrath puts the miles in for Clare cause

If ever Clare centre-forward Shane McGrath needs time to dwell on life, all he has to do is sit into his car and face west. He gets plenty of opportunity to do just that while driving from the capital for Clare training or matches.
When the ball is thrown in at 2.30pm in Cusack Park on Sunday, the Thomas Davis clubman will start his third game for his adopted county. Although born and reared in Dublin, the Harcourt Terrace-based garda is as much of a Clare man as he is a Dub.
His father John is from Kilmurry McMahon while his mother Mary is a native of Cranny. So when Shane opted for Clare under the parentage rule, it wasn’t as if he needed to consult Google maps for directions.
“All the family are from Clare. I’d say 90% of the aunts, uncles and cousins are from the county. So I have a real affiliation with Clare,” McGrath told The Clare Champion.
He’s enjoying his new football surroundings so far.
“I’m loving it at the moment. There’s a great bunch of lads there. They were very welcoming from the moment I came down. The travelling isn’t so bad. We train a lot in Limerick so that makes it easier. You’d fly down the motorway,” the Clare half-forward laughed.
While he’s enjoying the experience, McGrath says he had to talk to quite a few people before deciding to link up with Clare.
“A lot of thought went into it. Work was the big issue at the time. I had to talk to the sergeant but luckily enough he’s a football man so he told me to work away. I talked to the family and people in the club as well but the work was the main issue. I’m delighted I made the decision and as I said, I’m loving it at the moment,” he reiterated.
Shane’s father John is a former Clare and Shannon Gaels footballer. The younger McGrath says that while his father didn’t pressurise him into making the move, he feels that he’s happy with the decision.
“He left it to myself to make the decision but he’s delighted now. He’s not giving out as much,” Shane joked.
Clare has had a mixed league so far. They played well against Waterford but fell flat against Fermanagh after an excellent first-half display.
“We got off to a great start against Waterford. Fermanagh was a bit disappointing. We felt we let ourselves down in the last 10 or 15 minutes. For the first 35 or 40 minutes we seemed to control the game but we probably should have been further ahead,” he suggested.
Shane predicts that Limerick will be doughty opponents on Sunday, although he has half an eye on a possible Munster semi-final meeting with the same county.
“Limerick have proved throughout the years that they’re a quality team. They’ve put it up to Cork and Kerry in recent years. Limerick is a massive game also because we’ll be playing either them or Waterford in the Munster semi-final,” he said.
Sunday’s game will represent McGrath’s second competitive game in Cusack Park. He is hopeful the journey home to Dublin will feel as short as it did on February 5 when Clare beat Waterford at the same venue.