YouTube serves as a virtual marketplace for the internet, abound with vintage items that one didn’t realise they desired. Patrick Kelly noted that it has recorded videos of the 2016 quarter-final league between Tipperary and Clare, featuring a chaotic eight-minute showdown, underscored by the majestic chords of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 in D minor, a tune recognised by Shazam.
However, there’s a missing piece Kelly wished was included in the video. He was the goalkeeper for Clare at the time and David Fitzgerald, a young player from his club, was rushed onto the field as a make-shift wing back. Despite being initially trialled as a forward in his rookie season, he found himself crucial to defence that day, scaling up from their group of alternate players.
Kelly recounts, “David joined the play at the 63rd minute and managed to intercept four puck-outs within the initial 10 minutes of his entry; we clinched victory by a solitary point. David held his position during the semi-final against Kilkenny; I distinctly remember our manager [Davy Fitzgerald] warning him against trying to intercept puck-outs over Walsh [Walter]. But to our surprise, he caught the first puck-out thrown by Eoin Murphy from Kilkenny – that’s just how David is.”
Nowadays, it’s practically impossible to come across a highlights reel of Clare that doesn’t feature Fitzgerald. He’s recognised as the most exceptional player in the league by general consensus. The statistics all point towards his excellence: scores of three points in a single game, five against Wexford, five against Kilkenny, and 1-3 against Tipperary; all from the field. His goal in the league semi-final, taken left-handed on the move, was reminiscent of a scene from a Hot Shot Hamish comic, complete with a trail of vapour and a bewildered goalkeeper.
Fitzgerald’s form has remained undeterred by seasonal fluctuations for over two years, covering three spring and two summer seasons. He was featured in The Sunday Game team for the years 2022 and 2023; he was the recipient of an All Star award one of those years. Despite these accolades typically favouring those from All-Ireland finals, and Clare falling short of this benchmark in both years, Fitzgerald’s performances were exceptional enough to overcome these tendencies.
In contemporary sports, every high-ranking team is in search of a player mirroring the abilities of Caelan Doris; athletic, skilful, powerful, and perfectly co-ordinated. Gearoid Hegarty has been the model, while Fitzgerald represents the evolution.
Seanie McMahon, a previous Clare centre back who worked alongside Fitzgerald with the Clare U-21s for two years, remarks, “If you’re creating a player for the contemporary game, he’s your blueprint. He’s a large man, but is greatly athletic. He’s quick off the mark, a force in the air, an exquisite striker – able on both left and right foot. He effortlessly sends the ball across the bar from 60 or 70 yards.”
However, Fitzgerald’s journey to success wasn’t straightforward. When his local team, Inagh-Kilnamona, made it to the county final in 2021, Fitzgerald confessed in an interview that his Clare career had not developed as anticipated. At 25, he discovered himself out of professional favour.
In the 2020 championships, he lost his starting position and was later substituted halfway through an All-Ireland quarter-final match against Waterford, only to be replaced again 20 minutes on. The following spring saw Fitzgerald restricted to the peripheral role of a reserve player and he was not even part of the squad during the qualifier match opposite Wexford nor when Cork toppled Clare’s season. Consequently, his inter-county career was at a standstill.
“He became a touch disenchanted,” Patrick Kelly recalls. “I can remember chatting with him after the 2020 season — he wasn’t too sure about making a return with Clare. His motivation was completely sapped.
“He had to regain his confidence, and then reassess himself, questioning if he were performing at his full potential. In such times, it’s easy to point fingers at management and others. But Fitzgerald recognized the need to reflect on his performance.
“I’m of the belief that he put in more effort. Living near the club pitch, I’ve observed him training alone, running drills, and practicing shots. I know he committed to a rigorous gym schedule in Lahinch. His hard work bore fruit when he had an exceptional run with our club in 2021, which was a big confidence booster for him.”
Discovering the most suitable position for Fitzgerald proved to be an elongated endeavour. Due to his dexterity, his position was shuffled around the team. He served the Clare under-21s as the last defensive player; broke into the Clare squad in a wing-back role; received his All-Star accolade while playing the midfield; and was a forward in his younger years, the position in which he currently thrives, wreaking havoc from the sides.
Patrick Kelly describes him as a unique player. Historically, Clare’s backline was filled with towering men, whereas the forwards lacked such physical prowess. However, the present style of the game, focussing on keeping and carrying the ball while consistently moving, is fitting for Fitzgerald. His ability to move around, connect plays, and pierce through the line is commendable.
The evolution of the sport opened up avenues for more versatile players, and Fitzgerald turned out to be one of them with an expansive skill set. When he led Inagh-Kilnamona to the 2021 county finals, he was relocated from the forwards to a wing-back, but this wasn’t seen as a defensive act.
During the first round, he grabbed a ball under his goalpost, effortlessly carried it to the centre and sent it over the bar, reminiscent of a scene from a junior-level game. His athletic ability made the field look as though it was a computer game screen.
Tomas Kelly, the club manager, notes that Fitzgerald was a marked man when he was a forward, with rivals attempting to trigger him. Shifting him to wing-back seemed to revamp his enthusiasm, and he started scoring three to four goals per game from the new position. Kelly highlights Fitzgerald’s unseen striking ability, describing it as astounding and imagining it like having a seventh forward on their side. This transition was the genesis of his superior performance for the club.
Is it clear that his ascent to the top was inevitable? According to McMahon, it was evident that his ambition was out of the ordinary. In 2018, when the University of Limerick captured the Fitzgibbon Cup, their team comprised of seven All-Stars and eight All-Ireland champions. But Fitzgerald, who was crowned man of the match in the cup final, was on a whole other level. However, consistency was the only hindering factor in his performance.
“Now, at his age, he displays a level of consistency that he lacked when he was 23 or 24,” remarks Tomas Kelly. “In his youthful days, it was common to question, ‘Which Fitzy will show up today?’. Those uncertainties no longer exist. He might not stand out in a Clare match for a considerable time – 10 or 15 minutes, perhaps – but then he’d make a remarkable scoring play. He has abilities in his arsenal that differentiate him from other players.”
Today, it’s clear to everyone.