Family rows and sitting room meetings helped turned Clare into champions
Back in 2013, double All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald was in his second season with Clare seniors after a three-and-a-half year spell with Waterford.
Current star forward Shane O’Donnell hit a sensational replay hat-trick inside 19 minutes, at the tender age of just 19 years. I probably paused for a few minutes and said, ‘Is he right?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t think he is,’ and I went up and watched the DVD of the game again. Wexford went to extra-time, but we should have had that game dusted, and from the Galway game onwards we were on fire, playing a plus one - and off we went.
Seanie came out about five minutes later and said, ‘Don’t you ever bring me into a meeting like that with yourself and your oul lad again.’ Then two crucial things happened. One, Domnhall O’Donovan took off out of corner back and ran to one side of the field. I didn’t tell him to do it. Very smart fella, he probably decided time is up, I’m getting up the field.
I have to give a shout out to Darach Honan. I said to him the week before the game, ‘You are not going to be playing. I need you to let on that you are playing, in order to take the pressure off Shane.’
Davy Fitzgerald All-Ireland Hurling Championship Waterford GAA Cork GAA
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