*Clare’s David McInerney catches the sliotar above Adrian Mullen. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
MAN of the match, David McInerney said there was a strong determination within the panel to right the wrongs of successive semi-final losses to Kilkenny as Clare booked their place in the All-Ireland decider.
Clare overcame Kilkenny by two points winning out on a score of 0-24 2-16 in Croke Park on Saturay evening. It followed defeats to Derek Lyng’s at the penultimate stage in 2022 and 2023 but a very resilient display from Clare saw them come out on top in the 2024 meeting.
At wing back, David McInerney delivered an excellent performance from start to finish as he won his individual battle with Adrian Mullen but also made vital turnovers throughout the game including one where he also provided the assist for Clare’s seventh point of the day which was scored by David Fitzgerald.
Speaking following Saturday’s win, the Tulla man pointed out, “We were in the same position last year, SOD scored in the sixty sixth minute, we didn’t kick on in the end but I just felt there was a different sense around the team this time, we were all driving it on and it was just that belief to get over the line”.
Full-back on the last Clare team to win the All-Ireland title, David’s return from injury has strengthened the county’s cause.
Trailing by five points at half-time, he said honest assessments were given in the dressing rooms as Clare began to plot their comeback. “At half time we reassessed we weren’t really happy with where we were at, we sat down, we chatted it out, we said we needed to believe in ourselves and trust in the process and thankfully it got us over the line”.
There was a sense of pride among everyone involved at reaching an All-Ireland final for the first time in eleven years following heartbreaking semi-final defeats in 2018, 2022 and 2023, he explained. “I’m incredibly proud, I know only twenty six played today but it is a panel of forty, they are all working extremely hard and we are very proud”.
