There exist matches where only wizardry can tip the balance. At times, the match-up is so evenly poised that every offensive tactic meets an equal defensive one, and nothing mundane can tip the balance. On such occasions, you must be able to tap into an inexplicable force beyond the realms of the ordinary.
The inhabitants of Clare will find it difficult to articulate the experience of having Tony Kelly in their hurling team, even years later. The biggest struggle, however, would be to express the joy of witnessing his performance in the All-Ireland final of 2024. Despite appearing subdued, his performance did not diminish in any way.
By the end of the match, Kelly had accrued 1-4 against his name, becoming the leading scorer of the game. But quantifying his contribution just by statistics would be grossly unfair. Instead, let’s give Shane O’Donnell the floor.
“All we could do is keep feeding him the ball, and at times, just not obstruct him,” O’Donnell recalled after the game, sitting next to Kelly during the press conference. “He has this ability to pull off the impossible. One can only stand back and marvel at him.”
Kelly cast the necessary spell for Clare, at a time when nothing less could have made the grade.
“Particularly during the last quarter of an hour, Conor Cleary and I found ourselves on the bench, silently hoping that every ball would find its way to Tony. This isn’t the first time this has happened. He’s an extraordinary player and it’s an honour to share the field with him.”
Kelly shot five goals during the match. Each time he got the ball, Clare were either at par with the opposition or trailing by a single point. With every goal, the atmosphere at Croke Park became more intense and irrespective of the complex path to the Hogan Stand, they yearned for him to create brilliance out of mediocrity, and they yearned for it immediately.
Kelly remained scoreless for the initial 50 minutes. However, once David Fitzgerald managed to seize a high catch, he swiftly passed the ball to Kelly who was cornered at the edge of the D. Quick to react, Kelly skilfully bypassed Seán O’Donoghue and evaded Patrick Collins to net the ball.
Reflecting on his performance, Kelly said he caught sight of a few red-clad opponents and had to navigate his way around them. Instead of fixating on a goal, he decided to play on the defense. He explained that often, in football, goals are the defenders’ doing rather than the one taking the shot. He purely reacted to what appeared before him on the pitch.
When he saw a defender approach, he decided to avoid being blocked and moved smartly around him, before another defender posed a challenge. But once he was past them, taking a shot at the goal was the next best option, and luckily, his shot found the back of the net. However, later during the extra time, he wasn’t as fortuitous when Collins successfully saved a goal.
Clare was leading with three goals when the impressive strike happened, but that didn’t put Cork out of the game. At the tail end of the regular time, during stoppage time, the teams were at a draw when Patrick Horgan managed to level the score. However, Kelly seized a chance when he picked up a loose ball in Cork’s half and despite being pushed away from the goal, he spectacularly threw a successful point.
This was his debut point of the game. His second point happened during the extra time, cleverly delivered underneath the shadows of the Cusack Stand. His third point followed just four minutes later, a masterly move from the midfield after intercepting a sideline cut from Mark Coleman. Yet, the game’s decisive moment had yet to unveil.
With 88 minutes on the clock and both teams equally spent, it seemed as though a standstill was imminent. Often in such scenarios, a blunder ends the game, but Kelly had other plans.
Ethan Twomey was in possession of the ball when it was swept out of his grasp by Kelly. It was quickly retrieved by Coleman, only for Kelly to intervene once again, pushing it beyond the reach of Ger Mellerick. In the blink of an eye, he picked it up, tossing it pass Luke Meade, and collected it, striking it to chalk the point that gave Clare their final lead of the game. Only Kelly could have done it and only Kelly would have dared to try it.
When queried about how it felt to take home the Liam MacCarthy, he responded, “Looking at it from a personal perspective, it’s likely the finest accomplishment of my hurling career. There’s admittedly a dollop of fortune involved in being selected as team captain and having a side potent enough to capture an All-Ireland. Personally, it’s the crowning glory of my GAA career.”
Good on him – undeniably the pride must be overwhelming. But, it’s fair to allow the rest of us to politely differ. Likely, this wasn’t his standout performance in a Clare jersey and perhaps, in our view, John Conlon was more deserving of the man of the match award.
However, when it was of utmost importance, Kelly of conjured the needed magic to steer Clare to victory. “Nobody can match Tony when he’s in flow,” commented Shane O’Donnell.
We can heartily agree with that sentiment.