When it comes to the greatest stage in hurling no Clare person is more experienced than Davy Fitzgerald. Having witnessed both sides of the emotional rollercoaster that is All-Ireland final day Davy has won and lost All-Ireland finals as a player (Winner 1995 1997, Runner Up 2002) and as a manager (Waterford 2008 runner up, Clare winners 2013) and knows exactly what it takes to bring Liam McCarthy home. The three time All-Star goalkeeper feels that to win at the highest level you need special players.
“It’s quite simple really. You have to have the players. No amount of hard work or tactical know how will turn a team into All-Ireland champions. You have to have that raw material that is quality players and we definitely possess those players in Clare. This Clare team have been very unlucky not to have won an All-Ireland in the last five or six years and that’s despite the fact that they had to deal with the Limerick juggernaut. They are deservedly back on the biggest stage and that’s, if I’m being honest, without playing at a consistent level. They’ve been playing in patches and although those patches have been brilliant consistency is needed. I’m sure they know that themselves. They haven’t been as consistent as they want to be and will need to deliver a performance like the second half against Kilkenny but deliver it for the full seventy plus minutes. We will also need to be really tight at the back if we want to win. Green flags will have a massive bearing on the outcome so it’s important we limit their goal opportunities and we need to make Cork work extremely hard for every single score. Where we can make inroads is with our attacking top 8, a midfield and forward unit as good as what’s in the country. You need those quality forwards and similarly to 2013 we have players who know where the posts are.”
Despite the Rebels seemingly holding the momentum coming into this final on the back of five straight wins the Sixmilebridge native feels their defensive inside line can be exploited and Clare can make hay by running at the Cork last line of defence.
“Cork have given up alot of scores and I feel their inside line can be got at by running at them. Green flags will probably be needed if we are to win and that’s an area we can exploit. I feel we can get at them in the air too and we have some real quality ball winners. Of course we will have to get the match ups right and make sure their key players such as Hoggy and especially Harnedy who for me has probably been their most dangerous player are marked tightly. As well as that John Conlon will probably sit in the pocket and offer some protection to our full back line and it’s here we really need to be clever. We one hundred percent cannot leave a hole in the middle and with John sitting deep we will have to be wary of leaving space in front of him. Cork are very good at the running game and we have to stop those runs at source.”
Davy also feels that historically Clare have never feared Cork and that’s a huge positive going into the game itself and the man who led the Banner to glory in 2013 is just looking forward to donning his Clare colours and hitting for Croke Park like the rest of the County.
“Traditionally there’s a great rivalry there but we never fear them. We never have and that’s a huge psychological thing. There’s massive respect there between the teams and both sides play free flowing hurling so it should be an absolutely cracking game and I cannot wait for it. I’ve played in three All-Ireland finals for Clare and managed in two. This will be the first time I get to wear my Clare colours and to get to travel with my family to support the County I love. Alot of people think of me as Waterford or Wexford manager and sometimes forget that the bulk of my life has been given to Clare hurling. I’m a proud Clare man and I’ll be roaring these great players on and I’d love nothing more than to see Liam McCarthy return home on Sunday night.”
At this level of the game and at this stage of the season there’s very little separating the teams. Fine margins will probably decide the outcome on Sunday so where would Davy the manager be focusing his attention if he was on the line Sunday?
“Tactically the game has changed so much since 2013. Eleven years ago we were starting to think outside the box but it has completely evolved since then. You really have to be mindful of tactics and to win you have to evolve. In hurling on average there’s 110 deadballs in a match. If you can manage to use them properly you’ll win most matches. It really is massively important and should never be underestimated. Take the goalkeepers for example. They will have roughly forty puck outs each plus there’ll be 20-25 frees and probably five or six sideline balls. That’s over 110 times the ball will be reintroduced into play. If you dominate deadballs you dominate possession. If you dominate possession you’ll create more scoring opportunities. Take those opportunities and you will invariably win. It’s a huge aspect of the modern game and the team that copes best with deadballs tend to emerge victorious”