Cathal Malone: Clare must switch focus from Munster final heartache to Wexford showdown
Clare's Cathal Malone discusses the importance of parking the disappointment of the Munster final defeat, Tony Kelly's remarkable form and how the Banner County's panel is feeding into a successful year so far
Friday 17 June 2022 11:26, UK
After going toe to toe with All-Ireland champions Limerick in the Munster final for over 90 minutes, Clare eventually came away with nothing.
The Banner's wait for a first provincial title since 1998 goes on. Their Munster drought is a peculiar one, considering they have been largely competitive on the national landscape throughout the past 24 years, and took home the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2013.
Indeed since their last Munster title, the other four counties have each won the title on at least four occasions each.
But Brian Lohan's side do not have time to rue another missed opportunity.
"We wanted to win - and we lost one in '17 and '18," said Banner star Cathal Malone.
"We know how hard it is to get to a Munster final; there's a good few lads who've been there for the last few years and it's really hard to get to one. So, we just wanted to give it everything and we felt like we did, but unfortunately, the result wasn't the one we wanted.
"But the round-robin kind of teaches us that once you play one game, you just have to focus for the next game.
"As players, we want to switch our focus immediately. Of course, it was disappointing, but you have to switch your focus, otherwise you're punished the following game.
"If you're not 100 per cent tuned in, you will be punished and you will be knocked out - so we have to switch our focus immediately and there's a big battle coming ahead."
The round-robin teaches us that once you play one game, you just have to focus for the next game.
Wexford sit between Clare and an All-Ireland semi-final berth.
Clare will be hoping to get another big performance out of Tony Kelly to steer them back to Croke Park.
"He's just incredible, he really drives the standard both in training and in matches," Malone said of the Ballyea star.
"He works incredibly hard as well and he's always looking to improve and he's always driving us on to improve. We want to do the same, he sets the standard and we just have to try and keep going.
Kelly stepped up in the dying embers of normal time against Limerick, to secure a draw with a stunning side-line cut. But Malone and Co were not surprised.
"The sidelines, he's been practicing those. You can see him put them over the bar before we train. A lot of players were in no doubt it was going over the bar and the best man to take it was Tony," he said.
Nonetheless, he insists it is far more than just a one-man show.
"Everyone is trying to get better all the time and everyone is trying to perform and everyone wants to perform. We have a panel of 40 players and everyone is driving it at training and it's important that we keep driving it. You can see it in how Ryan Taylor, David Fitzgerald and Rory [Hayes] are all playing," Malone said.
"You can see that everyone is going the same way but as a squad of players everyone is together and I think that helps then as well. The whole group, the management, are pushing each other, are ambitious and we're a really tight group and really enjoying our hurling at the minute and maybe the Clare support sees that."
