This is John Conlon. This is the biggest powerhouse in hurling right now.
May’s Hurler of the month kicked off June with the same explosiveness he came into it with.
On the second weekend of the sixth month, Tipperary’s 2018 championship was brought to a shuddering halt. Peter Duggan hit the Tipperary tank hard, so did Podge Collins but by the time the last ball was pucked in Semple Stadium on a defining summer Sunday, and with the Premier County lying face flat on the Thurles turf and defeated, it was John Conlon who stood over them banging his chest. It was John Conlon who had consistently delivered the blows that eventually knocked them over.
But it took a long time before John Conlon was even given the chance to stride over his opponents.
Going into this game, the home side’s last line of defence was their biggest concern. A rookie full back Seamus Kennedy was flanked by Donagh Maher, who had been rusty up to this game while Sean O’Brien is only in his first season at this level.
Clare’s pre-match tactics were clear as John Conlon was pushed in in from centre to full forward; bombard the big Clonlara bear with ball.
And with all the saffron and blue garden ducks in a row, Clare joint-manager Gerry O’Connor gave an unusually confident and passionate interview just before throw-in.
“I think, in the evolution of every team, we believe there comes a time where everything is aligned. Mentally, physically, tactically and emotionally – we feel as a group of men that we’re perfectly aligned at the minute and we feel we’re going to give a performance today that reflects how we feel and how the people of Clare feel,” said O’Connor to Claire McNamara of RTÉ.
Tipperary lead by 4 at the break. Check out the best of the 1st half action here. pic.twitter.com/s92P0vzkRM
— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 10, 2018
But at half-time, Clare folk must have been wondering where it all went wrong because how the Banner went into the dressing room only trailing by four points was a scandal in itself. A scandal that they can thank Tipperary for because where O’Connor’s offering was assured and definite, his side’s first half performance was the complete opposite and were it not for Tipperary’s failure to take advantage of their own dominance, the away side would have been gone beyond recall.
They got off to a disastrous start in the home of hurling. Tony Kelly hit three wides as shocking as they were uncharacteristic. Colm Galvin was fumbling balls, Shane O’Donnell’s first touch was letting him down and Conor McGrath had been called ashore before the break.
Back-boning all of these problems was the fact that John Conlon hadn’t even been given a chance. He had only seen one ball, from which he conjured a score, but the vulnerable Tipperary full back line hadn’t even been tested. The Banner boys were surely on the receiving end of some similarly passionate, but contrastingly aggressive O’Connor words at half-time.
And thankfully for Clare supporters, these words registered. Galvin began to mop up, Podge Collins roared into it off the bench, Jack Browne was going route one, they were all going route one.
Route one into John Conlon and that was the winning of this game. The Clare men hit ball in on top of Conlon, all kinds of balls and the ones he didn’t win he broke onto his teammates into the space that his bulldozing had created for them.
There is no better man to contest a ball in hurling. Seamus Kennedy found that out fairly quickly as Conlon horsed him out of it on countless occasions.
Tipp’s house-minder had no option but to foul him, and with Peter Duggan lethal, it was costing them.
With Kennedy struggling, Michael Ryan had no option but to cater for Conlon. Paudie Maher was moved back to try and break the Clare bronco. The Tipperary captain had been the most effective player on the pitch up to that point. He was bossing the game from the half back line but Tipperary simply had to act.
As the clock ticked and Clare began to wear Tipp down, Maher’s influence out the field was clearly missed, and even he struggled to get to grips with Conlon.
Then, with Clare closing in down the home straight, Conlon pointed this cracker from right on the sideline.
He was the winning of that game.
