FOR THE SECOND successive year Clare’s hurling championship road has ended in July and Davy Fitzgerald was forced to reflect on another painful defeat after Saturday night’s loss to Cork.
“It’s disappointing, it’s hurting us all,” remarked the Clare boss.
“Cork won the game and fair play to them, they took their opportunities at the end.
“We don’t want to miss out because we know we have a talented bunch. Myself and my management want Clare to be in quarter-finals and semi-finals and finals and it hurts big time not to be there.”
Fitzgerald will take time before deciding on his own future in the Clare hotseat.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s what. Myself personally I will sit down and talk to the board. We’ll chat.
“I don’t know what’s left of my term, I don’t really mind. I’ll have a chat. The day I feel I’m not up to it there’ll be no fear, I’m not here to last in Clare for the next ten years.
“As long as I feel I have something to offer and give it then I am more than delighted to do that. I can’t really talk about it now because it’s not really the time.”
But the 2013 All-Ireland winning manager remains confident that better days lie ahead for this Clare team.
“You’ll find this hard to imagine, but the only solace I can take is I know we are on the way back.
“Our determination and our fight, we were doing it in patches last year but I just knew we weren’t right. We hadn’t had that same desire and grit to grind it out.
“You have to take into account, most of these players won three 21′s and a senior.
“Clare came from a place where we won only one U21, no senior, for years and that is what we have done in the last few years.
“I think there would be no fear of Clare over the next few years. That would be my honest view.”
