Galacticos has been a term used to describe UL's Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup team, but all Conor Cleary sees is driven individuals.
The university's lineup sparkles with stars. There's Cleary's fellow Clare men Tony Kelly, Ian Galvin and David Fitzgerald, Limerick's Barry Murphy and Tipp duo Jason Forde and John McGrath.
"One thing I've noticed, and it's my first year there, is that there is a lot of motivated characters in the dressing-room," Cleary told Balls at the GAA's National Games Development Centre on Wednesday.
"I suppose when you have that more so than... you can have big names all you want, but everyone has to decide they really want to win. That's the big thing, aside from the big names, it's just that lot of the lads are very motivated characters.
"It's not just one or two lads driving it on, it's really a collective thing."
I didn't really know many of the lads outside of the Clare lads when I came into the UL dressing-room, but just to see the amount of leaders that are there and the real will to win that there is there with the other inter-county lads and that kind of drives everyone on.
Teammates on weeknights have been opponents on the weekend. In Clare's opening league game of the season against Tipperary, Cleary faced Forde and McGrath.
Clare emerged on top. Though, Cleary was wary of giving the Tipp sharpshooters any stick. "That could come back to bite you on the arse! You don't really say much about it."
Forde, in particular, has been in stellar form for his county this season. In a Man of the Match performance against Wexford last weekend, he scored 2-9.
Facing him in training has given Cleary's confidence a boost. Forde's county form has also gives cause for UL to be extra optimistic going into this weekend's Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup final against DCU.
"I suppose in fairness to him if he gets a sniff of it he'll put it away. It's great to be up against him because he's a real top inter-county forward. If you can deal with him you can deal with a lot of lads.
"I even saw the Wexford game last Saturday and he can nearly make the ball talk. Some things can do are unbelievable, and the two goals he got were real killer instinct. He's flying it, hopefully he can bring that into Saturday's game as well."
The third-level environment can be a hotbed for team bonding. Players spend more time together than they normally would with club and inter-county teammates. It also helps that many of the UL players, including Cleary and Tony Kelly, are enrolled in the same course - PME Business.
Like any other team or college, we’ve a WhatsApp group and there’d be lads meeting up for lunch and stuff like that.
I know Darach Honan remarked about the amount of Clare lads doing the business course in UL. There is a lot of lads doing the same course, and lads know each other very well. A lot of them have been together for the last three years so we do get on very well together.
Prior to being a UL student, Cleary was at NUIG. It's his sixth year in college. Along with Tony Kelly, who is playing his fourth Fitzgibbon season, Cleary often gets stick from teammates over his extended time in third-level education.
"I can't slag him [Tony Kelly] either because I'm there six years as well. We do get a bit of a slagging alright but we have to take that on the chin and give as good as you can get."
Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup finalist, Conor Cleary of University of Limerick, pictured, will take on Paudie Foley of Dublin City University on Saturday, 24th February in Mallow. The unique quality of the Electric Ireland Higher Education Championships will see players putting their intercounty and club rivalries aside to strive to achieve Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup glory. Electric Ireland has been shining a light on these First Class Rivals as proud sponsor of the college level competitions for the next four years. GAA National Games Development Centre, National Sports Campus, in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
