Tony KellyTony Kelly Tony Kelly is a Gaelic footballer and hurler who plays for the Clare senior teams. He has won three All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships (2013, 2018, 2022), six Munster Senior Hurling Championships (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022), four National Hurling Leagues (2013, 2016, 2019, 2022) and two All-Stars Awards (2013, 2018). With 0-210 scored for Clare as of the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Kelly is Clare’s all-time top scorer in the Championship. Kelly is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of all time. He is known for his scoring ability, athleticism, and skill. He has been described as “a once-in-a-generation talent” and “the best hurler of his generation”. Kelly began his inter-county career with Clare at minor level in 2009. He was part of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship in 2010. Kelly made his senior debut for Clare in the 2012 National Hurling League. He was part of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 2013. Kelly was named Hurler of the Year in 2013. Kelly was part of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship again in 2018. He was named Man of the Match in the final. Kelly was part of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship again in 2022. He scored 0-11 in the final. Kelly is a member of the Ballyea club. He has won five Clare Senior Hurling Championships (2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) and four Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships (2012, 2016, 2018, 2020) with the club.
Reports from Croke Park
1. Joy for Clare
FOR THE FIRST time in 11 years, Clare have been crowned All-Ireland senior hurling champions. Success will be sweet after the wait, but also because of the succession of setbacks and defeats this team has suffered. Clare have lost five Munster finals and three All-Ireland semi-finals since 2017.
That is a lot of pain to take in, but the resilience and character of the senior Clare crew involved in that run to keep going is admirable. They showed those qualities in this game too, recovering from an early seven-point deficit to go into the game.
Here they received the ultimate reward for their perseverance: they won the prize they so desired and the region’s hurling community celebrated wildly.
2. Cork suffers from heartache
Cork’s barren spell will continue into a second decade. There was a great desire among their playing group, management and fans to win the Liam MacCarthy Cup again, but they missed out by a razor-thin margin after an absorbing encounter. The nature of this defeat will hurt immensely.
In the 2013 replay, Cork were in chasing mode for much of the game. In 2021, they were trounced by Limerick and had little to complain about. This felt different.
In a match that swung back and forth, there were several moments of regret – goalscoring chances not taken, points not won, defensive actions that failed to shut Clare down. After fighting back heroically to force extra time, to come up a point short will be hugely painful for Cork.
3. Tony Kelly Magic Moments
It’s been a frustrating 2024 for Tony Kelly in terms of game time, with injuries slowing his participation at the start of the season. There was a sense that he was still trying to find his best game as the season progressed, but after being a peripheral figure in the first half against Kilkenny, he exploded into life in timely fashion in the second half.
And then the Ballyea maestro carried his form into this match. His goal in the Davin End was a work of art, weaving through the Cork defence and finishing in style. He turned to score what looked like a match-winner in regulation time, then emerged with two crucial points in the opening period of extra time to inject energy into Clare’s challenge.
And again in the second half of extra time he scored a fantastic goal in the 87th minute to give Clare the lead at a crucial moment.
When Clare needed it, their talisman inspired them with key moments that decided the match.
4. Referee calls
Cork manager Pat Ryan showed himself dignified afterwards and chose not to criticise the refereeing. However, Cork privately feel they have reason to be annoyed by some of the decisions made by referee Johnny Murphy at crucial moments.
A tug on Robbie O’Flynn’s shirt as he took a last-second shot that went wide – should play have been restarted for a placed ball? An earlier swipe past Darragh Fitzgibbon as he tried to claim possession?
Then there was the earlier decision to award a free kick instead of a penalty after a foul on O’Flynn, when it looked like a scoring opportunity. And a ’65 was wrongly disallowed after a Seamus Harnedy shot went wide.
Cork played a game of their own making which led to many mistakes: their attack was not as strong as before, they were largely slowed down by long puck-outs and the three-goal conceded cost them dearly.
But those referee decisions will hurt.
