Brian Lohan paid a brilliant tribute to Tony Kelly at the Clare banquet at the Intercontinental Hotel on Sunday night.
Kelly was sensational, scoring 1-4 from play as he captained Clare to their first All-Ireland title in eleven years, and was later named as the All-Ireland final man-of-the-match.
Clare looked destined for glory thanks to a late score from Kelly in normal time but Patrick Horgan levelled it up for Cork with a late free, sending the game to extra-time.
Cork started well in extra-time but inspired by the likes of Aidan McCarthy and David McInerney, Clare pushed on to win by two, on a final scoreline of 3-29 to 1-34.
Kelly was the main man, and his manager Lohan hailed him as they spoke with Joanne Cantwell at the team hotel.
"It's just brilliant for Tony. It's brilliant for him. The biggest day and we needed a guy to produce it. He produces it all the time in training, we all see what he's like," said Lohan.
With a few hours gone by, Tony Kelly and Brian Lohan reflect on Clare's All-Ireland hurling final success.
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Lohan, who won two All-Irelands himself as a player, said that the display 'removes all of those doubts that there sometimes can be about great players."
"Just brilliant for him," continued the manager.
"And we're so proud of him to be up there collecting that Liam MacCarthy cup in the Hogan Stand today."
Kelly himself said that Clare's victory was a 'growing up moment' for the team having lost three successive Munster finals to Limerick and two All-Ireland semi-finals to Kilkenny in '22 and '23.
"Every day you go out, you want to perform and you want to win. When you don't get over the line, you ship a bit of criticism, and that's the nature of sport. Today was a growing up moment for this moment since Brian came in," he said.
"We always say you don't deserve anything in sport, you have to go and work for it."
21 July 2024; Tony Kelly of Clare in action against Cork players, from right, Tim O'Mahony, Ciarán Joyce and Seán O'Donoghue during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final between Clare and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile
The Ballyea man also had some good news for Clare, insisting with a smile that their centre back John Conlon (35) 'will do a couple more years as well."
"Every panel member to a man has really worked hard, not only this year, three, four years. John Conlon has done it twenty years...and he's doing a couple of more as well."
On a night of high-profile exits, John Conlon and Shane O'Donnell tell the Clare people what they want to hear regarding 2025.
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The day gets even better for Clare, with Shane O'Donnell and John Conlon both saying they'll be back again next year.
