Clare's Taylor and Kelly kept each other going during bleak winter months

Taylor was introduced 49 minutes in against Kilkenny. In the corresponding fixture a year earlier, he ruptured his cruciate half an hour in. He hadn’t played a single minute of competitive hurling in the intervening 365 days.

Clare trailed by five when he made his return. His first two involvements were to assist for two white flags. It was Taylor storming down the Hogan Stand side when the final whistle went.

Brian Lohan wanted that same second-half impact. And so management held him in reserve. Hindsight tells us it was the correct call.

Within a minute of joining the fray, he was over on the far Cusack Stand sideline forcing possession from Ethan Twomey to win a Clare sideline. He struck a point three minutes later.

In the 82nd minute, his work-rate continued to lift. He hooked Tim O’Mahony over on that same Cusack Stand sideline, the turnover ending with a converted Clare free.

“I felt like I had a decent impact against Kilkenny and then it comes into your mind about maybe getting a starting position. But I suppose it's still only a two-week turnaround and maybe the boys were thinking, 'Listen, we need some fresh legs off the bench'. I was genuinely happy to do any role I could, as long as we got the business done,” said Taylor.

That they did owed much to their bench contribution. Ian Galvin pointed and was fouled for another. Shane Meehan was the third sub to split the posts. Darragh Lohan was another to positively contribute when sprung.

“The bench had a real impact against Kilkenny and that was a big focus again on Sunday, especially with extra-time. You saw lads going down, and Cork were the same. But I think the impact of our bench has really stood to us as the season has gone on.

“This is what we dream of. We got over the line and I suppose

for me personally to get back and play some part in it is unbelievable, absolutely unreal.

“I believed we could [get there]. I believed we had the potential, that we could always do this. I wouldn't say it was an unbelievable thing but until you get there, you just never know. There are no guarantees you'll ever get there but I believed we had the stuff to do it.

“Just to get over the line, it's a little bit surreal. It hasn't really sunk in. Hopefully that will happen in the next few days but yeah, it's special.” 

Taylor’s 55th minute introduction coincided with Tony Kelly moving his impact from a subtle sweeping role across the half-back line to an out-of-this-world scoring role further up. The pair endured a bleak enough winter. Surgery. Rehab. No set finish line. The goalposts were always moving on their return date. That they had each other kept them going more so than if it had been a lone fight in the dark.

“The injuries had a similar timeframe,” Taylor continued. “It was kind of nice to have someone to do the donkey work below in the corner with. We could bounce off each other. It was nice to have someone else that was kind of on that same journey.

“You're with the physio in the corner training for many, many months, looking on at the boys in training and playing games. It's a long road. But in fairness we have some backroom team, the physios are top class. I don't think Tony would have gotten back either without their work; Kathryn Fahy and Shane Malone.” 

It’s three weeks until the serious club activity in Clare throws-in. While his teammates might squeeze every last drop out of that break to soak in this final win and recoup the body for local endeavour, Taylor is ravenous. His year is only starting.

“I actually can't wait to get going with the club.”