More than one Last Dance in the Clare-Limerick rivalry to square off
Declan Bogue
WHOEVER WAS THE mole in the Clare hurlers’ WhatsApp group, they gave us one of the juiciest morsels of the spring when Michael Duignan fed a line into the global hurling talking shop.
“I kind of have Clare in the back of my head as outsiders for the All-Ireland,” he said on an RTÉ podcast back in April before they met Dublin in the Division 1B league final.
He had caveats, multiples of them.
“I think it is the one last shot for them, not for Clare but this team, this group. And I know for a fact that a text message went out on the night of the All-Ireland final last year to the players’ group, that there was no-one retiring. ‘We’re going to give this one more go.’
“And we saw with John Conlon, what he went through with his finger injury, it was horrific. He’s the heartbeat of the team but he’s 37 now.
“Conor Cleary at 32, warrior as well but has had a lot of injuries. There’s your 3 and 6 and they’re such vital cogs in any team as we know,” he continued, almost talking himself out of his initial proclamation.
Then he pointed to their strength from midfield up: “Ryan Taylor, David McInerney, Peter Duggan, Tony Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, Mark Rodgers, Shane Meehan – they’re as good if not better than anyone else and they have threats everywhere.”
How they got on since has been the issue. A three-point win over Dublin in that league final didn’t have the feel of any messages being sent out.
Their opening round six-point win over Waterford at Ennis was followed by a 15-point ransacking by Limerick in the same venue a fortnight later.
Going down to All-Ireland champions Tipperary in Thurles was a daunting assignment that they passed by 11 points, but Cork stripped whatever confidence they gained with a 16-point trouncing in the final round. Being guaranteed third place and their ticket to the All-Ireland series was Clare’s consolation but they still left the Páirc in shock.
Jyst 1-7 from play over the afternoon? And 1-1 coming in time added on with Cork pulling up and having withdrawn key men? Had they become an old team overnight? Had Brian Lohan been too loyal to the men who did it for him before?
This was something Duignan was hinting at, with the spine of the defence a particular worry. Conor Cleary is 32. John Conlon is 37.
But elsewhere, you have others well into their 30s, including Cathal Malone and David McInerney who are 34, David Reidy (33), and Peter Duggan, Shane O’Donnell, Éibhear Quilligan and Tony Kelly who are all 32.
Any suspicion that this is The Last Dance was confirmed midweek when O’Donnell confirmed that should they lose, he’s retiring. Out the gap.
If this was a different era, the age profile to the line-up might be a concern. Yet advancements made in strength and conditioning over the past two decades have added longevity to the careers of those that have sufficient appetite.
This generation of intercounty footballer and hurlers are the first to benefit from strength training that is structured and led by professionals, in many cases from their introduction to development squads.
At senior level, Limerick have benefitted from a succession of highly-qualified experts such as Joe O’Connor, Dr Mikey Kiely, Cairbre Ó Caireallain and Adrian O’Brien.
The core of players who were present for their 2018 All-Ireland breakthrough remain nine seasons later. They were a young side then, and it’s interesting to go through the ages now of their side. Goalkeeper Nickie Quaid is 37.
Dan Morrissey and David Reidy are 33. Diarmuid Byrnes is a year younger. Darragh O’Donovan, William O’Donoghue and Gearóid Hegarty are the 31-year-olds in the squad while Seán Finn, Mike Casey, Tom Morrissey and even – gulp – Cian Lynch are 30.
The origin story for the bulk of this team are the U21 All-Ireland winning teams of 2015 and 2017.
It says a lot about the appeal of being a Limerick hurler that so many players have stayed the course.
And too, of manager John Kiely and his coach Paul Kinnerk.
Not everyone can be kept. Cutting Séamus Flanagan from the panel for the start of this season was a huge statement.
Talk of the culture around the squad puzzles those who felt management came up short when retaining Kyle Hayes after his convictions for violent disorder and dangerous driving.
Bringing psychologist Caroline Currid back in gives them every possible edge on the mental side. Currid has been with this Limerick team every time they have won an All-Ireland.
The last time Limerick played in Croke Park they were caught by Dublin in the 2025 quarter-final.
Complacency won’t be an issue, which is just as well, as Clare have not inflicted any major damage on them. Over the past ten meetings since Limerick became All-Ireland champions, they have seven wins.
Clare’s two wins came in last year’s dead rubber game and the round-robin game in 2023, later avenged by Limerick in the Munster final.
For Clare to do this, they have to pull off something unseen to date. And Limerick are entering this game in the better frame of mind.
Come Sunday evening, there could be a lot of seasoned veterans taking a long, last, wistful look around Croke Park. There’s more than one Last Dance on the way.
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