I NEED TO MEDAL IN MY BUSINESS
Banner ace Reidy is more than ready to start building up a proper collection of silverware
WHEN David Reidy first came into the Clare panel in 2014, they were arguably never better equipped for success at senior level.
They had just won an All-ireland much sooner than might have been anticipated and had picked up two under-21 titles in succession to go with another one in 2009.
The defence of the senior All-ireland didn’t go so well in his debut season but they completed the three-in-a-row at under21 with Reidy at cornerforward.
But, now in his 11th season, the only senior medal he has to show for his efforts is from the League title won in 2016, with Clare having suffered four defeats in Munster finals across that time and another three in All-ireland semi-finals.
Reidy has his latest chance to double his medal haul tomorrow evening as Clare meet Kilkenny in the Allianz League final.
“That’s the reason I go year in, year out, it’s to try to be successful and to try to claim some medals,” he says. “Any medal that we do have, we’ll cherish.”
Now 30, his career will feel underwhelming if he doesn’t gather more silverware before it finishes.
“Yeah, definitely. You play at the highest level you can to try to win. And if you don’t win you kind of have to look back and ask yourself did you do everything to get you to the pinnacle.
“In a team aspect, did you do everything to try to get us there? If we can answer yes then we can’t have any regrets really. We just have to take it on the chin.”
Clare’s Munster Championship opener against Limerick in just over two weeks’ time casts something of a
shadow over this
League final but Reidy insists that he is satisfied with the scheduling.
“We had a two-week break between the semifinal. I’m not sure if it might be media or outside forces who want a longer lead-in to the Championship. But as players we just want to play games week in, week out.
“If you’re not playing games you’re going to be training. And you’ll be training as hard, if not harder, to try and replicate a game situation.
“As players, we’re definitely happy to be playing as good as a Championship game and then to have a two-week lead-in to the next game. We’re prioritising Saturday evening at the moment and that’s the way we’re going about it.”
Clare beat Kilkenny in Ennis last month en route to the final but have lost to them in the last two Allireland semi-finals. Reidy played down the relevance of those Croke Park showdowns ahead of this clash.
“We’ll definitely take learnings from the two previous Championship defeats against Kilkenny. But they’re parked now.
“I wouldn’t consider as a score to settle.”