Clare selector Tommy Corbett and Shane O'Donnell following the All-Ireland SHC Semi-Final win over Kilkenny at Croke Park. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
Selector Tommy Corbett is encouraged about Clare's potential ahead of Sunday's intriguing All-Ireland SHC Final against Cork at Croke Park.
Throughout the Allianz Hurling League Brian Lohan and his management team afforded emerging Clare players opportunities to shine.
Clare triumphed in that competition and are now busy preparing for the upcoming decider. "It takes that two or three years of development," Corbett says.
"You have to be patient and Brian brought that to Clare in that we saw a good few lads get a good bit of game time in the League this year and a bit of championship time this year that hadn't featured previously.
"And that's mainly being patient with them and developing them, making sure that they're ready for it when the chance comes."
Now a demanding assignment awaits at the weekend with Cork's formidable inside line featuring Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, and Brian Hayes. "They bring huge physicality and aerial threat and on top of that, they have massive athleticism and speed as well as obviously the undoubted hurling that they have," Corbett says.
"The first thing we do is try to limit the supply of ball and you try to ensure that the supply of ball going into them isn't the one that they want."
Players should relish being in involved in these types of occasions according to Corbett. "Firstly, when an All-Ireland comes around you have to embrace it, you can't shy away and hide in the corner without getting caught up in it as well," he says.
"There's a fine balance. The weight of expectation and that type of thing, I'm not sure, it's a different All-Ireland this year in that there's two new teams in it this year.
"I know we met 11 years ago, but apart from Kilkenny, Galway, Tipp and Limerick, obviously, we're two new teams. We've both had a bit of a famine so this will bring something different, but we're going to approach it like any other game.
"It's four white lines and two goalposts, it's still a grass pitch at the end of the day."
