The latest episode of the ‘GAA Minor Moments’ podcast features Clare Hurling legend Anthony Daly.
A member of the Clare Hurling team for 13 seasons, Anthony won two All-Ireland medals, two National League medals, three Munster titles and three All-Star awards during his illustrious intercounty career.
In this episode, Daly looks back on his hurling career and reflects on the nostalgia and connections he has from his playing days, especially with the Clare Minor team where he started his intercounty career in the late 1980s.
He moved through the ranks to the Under-21 team and made his debut with the Clare Senior Hurling team in 1989. Following only a few seasons with the Senior team, Daly was then appointed as captain and held this position until 2000.
Daly speaks about the current Clare Minor team, and how many of the panel are relatives of players that he played with on successful Clare Senior teams of the 1990s. Clare Minors, who haven’t lifted the title since 1997, will feature in the upcoming All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final on June 4th. Giving advice to the current Clare Minor team, Daly simply says “to go all the way now.”
On his most memorable moment as a Minor, Anthony described how a helper with the Clare Minor team, Patrick “Duggy” Duggan called him out for attempting to covertly balance both hurling and soccer. Daly remembers Duggy objecting to the boys playing for their local soccer team during the active months for the Clare Minor team.
Reflecting on his earlier days in the Clare intercounty setup, Anthony explains how he constructed his own dumbbells as a teenager to work on his fitness in secret, and the stark difference between the role of strength and conditioning then and now. The Clarecastle clubman also discussed his time as a pundit with RTÉ, explaining that he preferred the role of radio commentator so he could fully appreciate the match with no cameras watching him.
Electric Ireland’s ‘GAA Minor Moments’ Podcast airs every Tuesday as well-known Irish stars share memories from their early sporting careers, reflecting on the defining moments from playing Minor and how it shaped them, both on and off the pitch.
For all the episodes and more information on the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championships go to https://www.electricireland.ie/gaa-minor-championships.
