Shane Stapleton previews the final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, as Cork and Clare face off at Croke Park.
No matter what’s going on in the world right now, it will be parked for 70 minutes this Sunday.
For those lucky enough to nose out a ticket for Cork v Clare in the All-Ireland final, all that will exist is the 30 men at war in front of them.
It takes something extraordinary to break the trance our phones have put us under, but enthralling sport like this can do just that, and this is the greatest show on earth.
When last these Munster rivals met on this stage, we were served up two all-time classics, with Tony Kelly’s Hurler of the Year performances enough to steer The Banner to paradise in 2013
A number of stars remain: Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, John Conlon, David McInerney and Seadna Morey on one side, while the Rebels retain Patrick Horgan and Conor Lehane.
The lattermost duo played every minute of those finals 11 years ago, while Lehane was dropped totally from the panel in 2021 when Cork were humiliated by Limerick in their most recent decider.
Horgan will go down as one of Cork’s finest players, but something is missing: a Celtic Cross. He knows time is running out, and perhaps this seeped into his mindset during the titanic All-Ireland semi-final win over Limerick.
The idea of passing the 700-point mark in championship hurling, of over-taking TJ Reid — perhaps forever — after Kilkenny had been eliminated by Clare, and the feeling that another false dawn may not give way to another new day in that famous red jersey.
At age 36, the Glen Rovers man knows it’s now or never, and a semi-final performance lacking his usual levels of composure spoke of a man feeling pressure to deliver. It wasn’t perfect, and yet he did enough.
When he came down awkwardly for a ball in the second half, there was a brief moment when the crowd feared a bad injury for their icon. Lady Luck smiled upon him.
As we remember, Horgan has in fact struck an incredible All-Ireland final winner before, so the pressure of the big day is something he can certainly overcome. That moment was a silken touch to collect a sideline cut and fire over the ball deep into injury time.
That score should have been the death knell for Clare in the 2013 game, but then Cork won a sideline and, instead of trapping the ball up the line, they cut it wide and from that came the equaliser. And the replay defeat.
Fine margins, and ones that Pat Ryan’s charges have learned from. Late in the Munster win over Limerick, Horgan stood over a 100-yard free and, instead of having a pop, he went shorter to Brian Hayes to work a score that put an exclamation point on a brilliant win.
This Cork team have been on a knife edge all season, certainly since their defeat to The Banner at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in round two of Munster. After that, they had to be perfect against Limerick and Tipp, while hoping that results went in their favour.
Yet the loss to Clare gave indicators of what’s to come on Sunday. There were 84 scoring attempts that day, 56 scores, of which six were majors, amid a flurry of 13 goal chances overall. Throw in a red card to Sean O’Donoghue for two cautionable offences, and what we saw was mayhem — like lightning striking an exploding volcano.
We don’t know for sure what will happen in this final, other than fireworks. A refereeing decision from Johnny Murphy could alter the flow, a big call from the sidelines might cause an unexpected ripple, while a moment of magic may trump all.
Of those 13 goal chances between the teams earlier this year, nine went to Cork — and therein lay the difference on the day. Clare pilfered 75% of their four openings, while a 33% return foiled the hosts.
For The Banner, they must remember that it is Cork they are facing in this game. For a number of years, everyone’s focus has been on beating Limerick who, for Clare, are the old nemesis. Imagine the conversations within the four walls of their dressing-room going back to last winter: all of their plans would have revolved around beating the Treaty.
The Rebels took out the reigning champions and so refocusing in the two weeks since the semi-finals will be a tricky task. To spend so long with one team in your crosshairs, and then to mentally wrap your heads around a new challenge.
For The Rebels, they have twice beaten John Kiely’s crew, and so they will hope their final has not already been played. That they have done the hard work, only for someone else to reap the spoils.
One need not worry about Cork coming in with an inferiority complex. The innate confidence of the Leesiders has lain dormant for well over a decade, but the manner of their Munster comeback win over Limerick reawakened the beast.
Their supporters are at fever pitch and, if us outsiders are to be totally honest, seeing that sea of red wash over the sport once more has been spectacular. They’re not here to take part, they’re here to take over.
We have them as slight favourites to prevail, and winning by 1-3 points is an enticing price at 7/2. It’s 11/8 for them to lead at both half and full time, and again there’s merit in this.
Consider the recent history of Clare at Croke Park in the era since lifting the All-Ireland title in 2013.Â
First half against Galway in the semi-final of 2018, they were poor and fell well behind. In 2022, they lost to Kilkenny because of a poor start, and ditto again — albeit to a smaller degree — a year after. Even two weeks ago, Lohan’s men were all at sea before swimming to shore.
Everything suggests that the reds will explode into this final, and Clare will play catch-up for the afternoon.
Horgan (7/4), Hayes (9/4) and Shane Barrett (3/1) are all worth considering as anytime goalscorers, but let us not forget Shane O’Donnell (7/4), David Fitzgerlad (9/2) and Mark Rodgers (4/1) either.
The tone and tenor of the above commentary suggests a vote of confidence for the Rebels, which they will hardly need heading into the game. The underage games scheduled in the county for Monday have already been called off due to the homecoming, and no that’s not a joke.
They feel this is their time, and of course getting carried away is a potential pitfall here. It won’t be easy. It’ll certainly not be by much, but Cork should just about eke out the win.
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