As Clare ended their 11-year wait for an All-Ireland, one player who was key to both Liam McCarthy wins was captain Tony Kelly.
A young player in 2013, Kelly showed all his quality and experience in an incredible performance as Clare defeated Cork in a classic All-Ireland hurling final.
In those years, Clare, and indeed Kelly, went through tough times. Between 2013 and 2018, Clare did not play a game in Croke Park, while close defeats in All-Ireland semi-finals to Kilkenny in recent seasons had to have been tough to swallow.
While Munster rivals Limerick got all the attention as they dominated hurling, Clare must have wondered when their time would come.
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