Not a bad debut for a first-timer

NOT bad for a full debutante! When Cork referee Cathal McAllister blew the opening whistle at 4.30pm, it signalled the start of Cian Dillon’s inter-county hurling career.

Come close to 6pm, Dillon’s U-21 county career was behind him. The fact however, that Ciaran O’Doherty was lifting the trophy under the Hogan Stand, was down to Dillon’s display, as much as any Clare player. The Crusheen man attacked every ball that landed in his vicinity, rendering Kilkenny full-forward John Joe Farrell a virtual bystander.
Injury ruled Dillon out of Clare’s games against Limerick and Waterford, although he was introduced as a first-half substitute against Galway. He was in from the start against Kilkenny and looked very comfortable fronting Donal Tuohy.
“It’s surreal at the moment. Everyone is just wrecked as well. But it’s a great feeling to see the lads out there at the end. The whole of Clare must have been up today. To see them all behind us and to finally get over the line is just amazing,” Dillon said in a heaving post-match dressing room.
Clare’s unity was absolute. If it hadn’t been, they would have been found out.
“There’s a great togetherness about us. We’re all great friends. I’d say most of us have been in it nearly three years. Everyone is just brought into it. We’ve a great time together. Training is always relaxed. There’s a great bunch of lads around the place. It’s just unreal,” the NUIG graduate stated.
As for his own hour of hurling, Dillon was not willing to give himself too much praise.
“It went alright. There was an endless amount of ball and we were all getting out in front. We just worked tirelessly for each other today,” he said.
Two points ahead at the interval, Dillon recalls a calm, focused interval meeting.
“We were up at half time and we just said, ‘listen, there’s no point in being up at half time. We want to be up at the end of the game’. We had to put the same effort in and even more so. We went at it harder and faster again and it finally paid off for us,” the Clare full-back added.
Were it not for Donal Tuohy’s sublime save, nine minutes from full-time, Clare would probably have cast been in the ‘brave loser’ category.
“Unbelievable, at such a vital time of the game. To knock it over was just absolutely amazing. It was the first time he had to be called on for the whole game and he came through. A class act,” was Dillon’s summation of Donal Tuohy’s contribution.