This article is from page 69 of the 2011-05-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 69 JPG
DÓNAL O’Grady has form. You could call in the Kevin Heffernan of the hurling world – and it’s in more ways than managing inter-county teams that is.
You see Heffo was chairman of the Labour Court in his day and maybe O’Grady has those industrial relations skills to make him confident enough to come into management set-ups with teams that have been racked with controversy and strikes before his arrival.
He became manager of Cork in 2002 – earlier that year they had gone on strike. Within two years he’d won an All-Ireland.
Last last year he became Limerick manager, after their own strike prob lems – within a few short months he’s won an national title, albeit it’s still a long way from All-Irelands.
However, this victory was a start, because as O’Grady said afterwards “when you’re in a final you want to win it”.
“Although some of these lads have been there for years, there’s a new generation of hurlers in Limerick,” added O’Grady.
“Downes got a great goal. I don’t know how he squeezed it in there and straight away after that came the big point. In a tight game, two big scores one after the other breaks the heart of the opposition.
“Once we got that goal it put fierce pressure on Clare, they had to try things up front that wouldn’t normally try and that played into the hands of our defence. We dominated from then on.
“I feel a bit sorry for Clare, and now they will spend their third year in Division Two but when you sit back to look at this match on the DVD there was nothing between the teams.
“If were were to meet again in a few days it could turn out differently. They had chances, but maybe the pressure of playing at home, maybe the pressure of looking into the chasm of Division Two again got them to tense up a bit.
“We’re pleased, from now on anything is a bonus,” said O’Grady. Coming into this I never mentioned Division Two or Division One. But everyone was aware of the Munster Championship in the background. The challenge ahead is huge. It’s like trying to climb Mount Everest when you’ve been practicing on Carrauntoohil.”
From the McGillycuddy’s Reeks to Nepal then for Limerick, but they’re are Division One hurling team as they go.
Clare must make the same journey when they face either Cork or Tipperary in the first round of the Munster Senior Championship in seven weeks time.
Mount Everest it is, the challenge is huge, but they’ll be up for it when the day arrives.