FORMER CLARE HURLER Jamesie O’Connor says that Anthony Daly will have learned a lot from his experience if he returns to succeed Davy Fitzgerald as Banner boss.
Daly, along with a backroom team of Tommy Dunne and Brian Lohan, are rumoured to be nominees for the job. The Clare U21 management team of Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor are the other joint ticket linked with the position.
Daly previously managed the Clare senior hurlers between 2003 and 2oo6, guiding his native county to two All-Ireland semi-final appearances in that time. According to O’Connor, who won All-Irelands alongside Daly in 1995 and 1997, his former teammate can utilise his experience from that period with Clare if re-appointed.
“He’s a wiser man and a more mature man from that experience. Is he a good fit for Clare? Yeah.
“If you experience those days in Thurles and in Croke Park, the drug is there. There’s only one place you want to be and if Anthony gets the opportunity, I think he’ll grasp it with both hands.”
O’Connor however, stressed that Moloney and O’Connor also have the necessary credentials for the role.
“There will be a cohort of people in Clare who will be happy if Dalo gets it but Gerry O’Connor and Donal Moloney are serious operators and deserve their chance as well. I think we’ll be lucky in Clare irrespective of who gets the job.”
Reflecting on Fitzgerald’s five-year term in charge, O’Connor said that the time is right for Clare to bring in “a fresh voice and a fresh approach.” He also likened it to the conclusion of Ger Loughnane’s tenure when changes in the backroom team were not enough to stop staleness from setting in.
The crowning moment of Fitzgerald’s time as Clare boss was undoubtedly their All-Ireland success in 2013. Reflecting on that victory, O’Connor said:
“In a way, maybe we over-achieved in 2013. That All-Ireland had to be won and it’s just disappointing that we didn’t kick on. But those players will always have that All-Ireland medal in their pocket.”
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