Adam Hogan and Clare hoping to stay at top of the mountain in 2025

2024 was a magical year for Clare, who won the All-Ireland hurling title for just the fifth time, after claiming the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 crown in the spring.

While they fell short again in Munster, it was the first time the Banner had ever done the double of both national titles in one season.

That was all the more impressive given the disappointment they had endured over the previous seasons.

In the truncated Covid campaign of 2021, Brian Lohan's men failed to get out of the qualifiers after losing the Munster semi-final.

They looked to be Limerick's biggest challengers the following year, drawing with the champions in the provincial round-robin, before taking them to extra-time in the Munster final.

But Kilkenny were waiting in the All-Ireland semi-final, completely outclassing Clare in Croke Park.

2023 followed a similar pattern, although they went one better, beating John Kiely's history makers in the Munster round-robin before losing an epic against them in the provincial decider.

When the Cats (narrowly) once more put paid to their Liam MacCarthy hopes in the last four, and Limerick beat them in a third consecutive Munster final the following June, there was a sense of Clare being nearly men.

They had shown potential with their league title in between those two games, but the sense was that they just couldn't get over the line in the red heat of championship.

It was a different Clare outfit that arrived in the All-Ireland championship however, finally overcoming Kilkenny in the last four, before getting the better of Cork in a modern classic of an All-Ireland final.

For Adam Hogan, finally seeing off the Cats was the making of their historic success.

"It shows the defiance in the team, getting over that Munster