*Paul Rodgers celebrates with Ronan Kilroy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
AN EMPHASIS on tackling, turnovers and workrate helped to lead Clare’s U20 to the promised land of an All-Ireland title, star forward Paul Rodgers has said.
Scariff’s Rodgers household now lays claim to senior and U20 All-Ireland championship medals with Paul following in the footsteps of older brother Mark to play a pivotal role in Clare’s success on the biggest of days.
In what was his strongest performance of the season for Clare’s U20s, Paul struck four points over the to help the county win a fifth All-Ireland at the grade. Not for the first time, he struck a beauty of a sideline cut between the posts on the sod of Semple Stadium, this arriving at the beginning of the second half.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, the eighteen year old stressed that it was a strong collective showing which got them over the line in their 4-20 2-16 victory. “It was unbelievable, from the backs up to number fifteen and the five subs that came on, we’ve thirty eight lads on the panel and they push the standard at every training session and every game we play, it’s been unbelievable”.
With fifty three minutes on the clock, the tenacity and hunger of Paul saw him win a turnover to put Clare back in possession, the offload resulting in a Ronan Kilroy point which lifted the entire stand. Bringing a high level of workrate was focused on prior to Sunday’s All-Ireland final, he explained, “It was something we went after early in the week and in all our games really, I think we got a good few turnovers today which really paid off”.
Another assist from Paul saw him kick the sliotar in the direction of Thomas O’Connor for Clare’s first goal on four minutes. However, he was quick to stress his skill with his feet won’t lead to any soccer comeback, he had impressed under the tutelage of soccer guru Conor Breen in Scariff Community College. ““I don’t know, I don’t think so, I’d say we’ll stick with the hurling now,” he quipped of a potential return to the beautiful game.
A leading light in Clare’s minor side that reached the All-Ireland final last season, Rodgers admitted there has been a sizeable jump going from U17 to U20 at inter-county level. “There is a big step up, there is a lot of physicality but when you’re in with some of them lads it is just unbelievable, they are so welcoming, they are just class”.
He continued, “we’ve been working hard from November and December, the thirty eight on the panel have pushed us on at every single training session, nobody’s spot is safe, everyone is pushing on the next man and we’ve seen that throughout the year”.
Clare competing in three of the last four Munster finals before making the breakthrough added a determination to follow up their provincial success with the All-Ireland, the student said, “We’ve been knocking on the door for a while so it is nice to have won the Munster final and to have won here again is class”.
