EITHER Leinster kingpins Kilkenny or Munster runners-up Clare will be first into the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final as the sides clash in the opening semi-final of the weekend at Croke Park on Saturday (3pm).
Similar to Limerick, the Cats haven’t been involved since their routine disposal of Dublin the Leinster Final a month ago.
Clare have since beaten Wexford, an outing in which Shane O’Donnell was sensational for Brian Lohan’s side.
In a powerful performance, O’Donnell hit 1-4.
Current League champions Clare have lost to Kilkenny in the last couple of semi-finals.
Last year, a jaw-dropping save by Eoin Murphy from Peter Duggan denied Clare a coveted place in the showdown.
On 2022, O’Donnell commented: “We probably made the mistake two years ago thinking the carrot was Limerick when the carrot was getting to Croke Park against Kilkenny. This year, we will be completely zeroed in on the game, that’s all we will be focused on.”
He noted that Kilkenny “are an extremely good team. That’s the bottom line.”
“There isn’t much else to it, they play very tough hurling, they play man-to-man for the most part but they’re not missing on that tactical nuance as well so they are kind of the full-package and you have to focus and do everthing you can.”
O’Donnell, Conor Cleary, David Fitzgerald, Mark Rodgers, Duggan, and possibly Tony Kelly are again the pick of the current Clare crop.
The Leinster winners are boosted this season by the return of David Blanchfield, who along with the usual suspects Huw Lawlor, Richie Reid, Paddy Deegan, Eoin Cody and, of course, TJ Reid will spearhead the Kilkenny cause.
Derek Lyng’s team deservedly enter the fixture as favourites to advance a stage further in pursuit of title number 37 and a first since 2015.
