*Clare U20s squad celebrate. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE “have often been gallant losers” but demonstrated remarkable character once again to win a fifth Munster U20 championship.
Coverage in association with McKeoghs Hardware, Ballina-Killaloe
Terence Fahy’s side lifted the entire county with their heart and resilience, producing a fine display to boot against a talented Tipperary outfit to claim provincial glory and set up an All-Ireland final showdown against either Galway or Kilkenny.
Across their six games in the Munster championship, Clare demonstrated character, guts and guile with no shortage of skill but they needed to have silverware to show for this, it arrived on Wednesday when Eoghan Gunning accepted the U20 trophy from Munster GAA Chairman Tim Murphy.
Having lost two of the previous three finals, it was Clare’s time to succeed at the grade, manager Fahy stressed. “That is the thing, we’ve often had fine performances before and have often been gallant losers before, you get sick of that too, there is a time to move and there is a time to put something on the table, they knew that and they wanted that themselves, they are a very experienced group and they are a brilliant group, they drove that”.
Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds has proven to be the location for Fahy’s highpoints in management, the U20 success following the fairytale Dr Harty Cup glory for St Joseph’s Tulla in 2022. “Very special occasions, it was a very special day in 2022 for the Harty and a hugely special night here tonight, I’m so proud of the lads, they refused to give it, we absorbed our setbacks, it is great the way they represented the county tonight”.
Penalty takers, Fred Hegarty, James Hegarty, Mark Sheedy, Seán Arthur and Ronan Kilroy epitomised the character of the squad by their willingness to step forward in the pressure cooker of the shootout in the Munster final, he said. “It takes tremendous guts to go out there with the country watching and any man who steps up there, fair play to the lads it just takes guts and guts, we’re so proud of the five of them to go up and take the penalties, then to go and take the next set, Fred taking the next set and it is fitting I think the last play of the match fell to our number one and he made an extraordinary save, that is the measure of him”.
Whitegate native Terence said Clare had prepared for penalties in advance of the decider. “We were ready for that and we were ready for them last year, we have penalty takers and a goalie, it was great, Fred scored three penalties which is extraordinary”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, the secondary school teacher lauded the efforts of his troops in a “thunderous game”. “It was a relentless battle, Tipperary are such champions, they play such hurling, they were going to give it everything as we know, it takes an awful lot to get over them, they have won the last two Munster championships and have won the All-Ireland, it was a thunderous game, thunderously physical and we had lads jacked at sixty minutes but they said no I’m not coming off, they had the option to come off but they found more, they got their breather, they got their break, they got hydrated and they went again, our panel got us again and we’ve said that all along, we have a panel and it will take a panel”.
