CORK POP
Clare ace Conor Cleary primed to torch the Rebels in Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park
The Banner star is primed to cause the Liam MacCarthy Cup hopes of the Rebels go up in flames again
CLARE’S most recent clash with Cork in an All-Ireland SHC final ignited a burning desire in Conor Cleary to hurl for his county at the highest level.
And now the Banner ace is primed to cause the Liam MacCarthy Cup hopes of the Rebels go up in flames again.
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Cleary was a spectator in the Hogan Stand when fellow St Flannan’s College graduates such as Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly starred in the 2013 triumph.
A famous hat-trick from O’Donnell in the replay inspired Cleary, 30, to accelerate his own graduation to the senior ranks.
He recalled: "I was up in the top of the Hogan that day. I was 19, just out of minor. I would have been the same age as Shane O’Donnell.
“My main memory was after the game being absolutely delighted because I would have been on development squads with him at 14, 15, 16.
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"And if that was to happen to anyone you could meet, it couldn’t happen to a more grounded, humble fella.
“I was delighted for everybody. I would have been in secondary school with Tony and those lads as well. It did light a fire under a lot of lads to push to get onto the panel and come through to play hurling."
Coupled with continuing success in the underage grades, the injection of youth that ferried Clare to the summit 11 years ago hinted that a period of dominance was afoot.
Five members of the team who toppled Cork also won All-Ireland Under-21 medals a fortnight earlier.
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With Cleary at centre-back, that title was retained in 2014. Still, senior Championship honours have eluded Clare ever since.
However, after an absence of more than a decade, they are finally back on the game’s biggest stage again. And this time, Cleary will be on the edge of the square instead of the edge of his seat.
What will be the same though is the identity of the opposition.
After Clare banished their Kilkenny hoodoo in the semi-finals, Cork ended Limerick’s quest for an unprecedented five-in-a-row by beating the All-Ireland champions for the second time in 2024.
Cleary said: "It was nice to be in a situation where we were qualified for the final and to be able to watch a game like that. It was a great game, a very high standard.
“We know how good a team Limerick are, so for Cork to beat them not once, but twice, in the one year just shows the quality team they are too.”
For Clare, last season mirrored its predecessor as Limerick derailed another bid for a first Munster title since 1998. But it was against Kilkenny that the wheels came off again.
And at the midway point of their most recent showdown with the Cats, Brian Lohan’s side looked set for a third straight All-Ireland semi-final defeat at the hands of the same opponent.
Having bounced back from a third consecutive provincial final loss to Limerick by overcoming Wexford, Clare failed to fire in the first half of their meeting with Kilkenny ten days ago.
LEARNING CURVE
Cleary admitted: "We went up to Croke Park in 2022 and '23 and were beaten by a better team.
"The first year they destroyed us really and the second year, even though we played a bit better, we still didn't get over the line.
“If we had dwelled on those defeats it probably would have been a different story, but the management were very good in the sense that, ‘Right, the last day is done.’
“That was especially the case after this year's Munster final.
"We had a huge amount to learn from it and I think we brought that into the last two games. 2022 and '23 haven’t really been mentioned at all this year.
"It’s about the '24 performances and trying to build on them."
Five points adrift at the change of ends, Clare blew Kilkenny away thereafter to eke out a two-point win that sealed their place in this Sunday’s final.
Asked to explain Clare’s second-half surge, Cleary said: “In fairness to the lads at half-time and the way things are now with analysis and stats, it was clear to see that our use of the ball wasn’t good in the first half.
“With the six forwards and two midfielders that we have, the quality of ball we were getting to them wasn’t good and there’s no better team in Ireland than Kilkenny if there's poor ball going in.
"They’ll just eat it up and play it out the field.
“That was a big focus going into the second half. Our use of the ball in the first half was poor and we felt it was costing us."
UPPER HAND
Clare have had the upper hand in their most recent Championship meetings with Cork, whose cause was hindered by the dismissal of captain Seán O’Donoghue when the teams collided in April.
Cleary and his team-mates ran out 3-26 to 3-24 winners of a thrilling tussle at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
But the Kilmaley defender insisted: "We’re under no illusions about that game because they had a man sent off in the second half and we really got a foothold in the game from then on.
"If they had 15 men on the field, it could have been different.
“That game feels like an awful long time ago now. Both Clare and Cork have come on in different ways since then.
"It’s really hard to know until you actually play the team to see how far you’ve come and how far they’ve come."