Ger O'Connell: Early setbacks have been the making of Clare
O'Connell's Clare will face Waterford in a first ever national final between the counties on Saturday in Thurles (5.15pm).
Both teams have bounced back with huge performances in the All-Ireland series following significant defeats in Munster.
Clare lost to Cork and Waterford in the Munster round robin, forcing them down the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final route.
But huge wins over Dublin, Galway and then Munster champions Cork propelled Clare, who previously won the All-Ireland in 2023, through to another national decider.
"We took massive learnings from the two losses against Cork and Waterford," said O'Connell.
"I think the Cork defeat really exposed some of the areas we needed to work on, especially the second-half of that game.
"It forced us to really narrow things down as a management team and to help the players and to go after certain things and scenarios within the game.
"I remember saying it to the lads when Munster was over, that we were putting our cards on the table, we said to them, 'Munster is gone and it's a completely new tournament now'. We made four changes to the starting team and we made seven changes to the matchday panel for the Dublin game in the All-Ireland series. I just felt the intensity and the competition in training really went up."
Waterford lost twice to Cork in the Munster championship, including in the final.
But they took out Limerick at the Electric Ireland All-Ireland quarter-final stage and then beat Leinster champions Kilkenny to reach the final.
"I think both teams have come on an awful lot since we played eachother in Dungarvan," said O'Connell, referencing Waterford's six-point win over Clare in early May.
"We're bouncing at the moment, confidence is sky high and I'm sure Waterford are the same."
Paul Rodgers has been terrific for Clare, blasting 2-60 in total. He's the younger brother of reigning All-Star Mark Rodgers, an All-Ireland senior medallist with the Banner in 2024.
"Paul is a fantastic young player, very level-headed, cool, nothing really fazes him," said O'Connell. "He's a brilliant stick man, can win hard ball, high or low, it doesn't matter. He just has all the tools and the temperament as well.
"The thing with the minors is, this is just a stepping stone. The plan is to get as many of these lads through, win or lose, to play U-20s and ultimately senior for Clare. That's the whole point of this.
"And when you're looking at Paul, he is one of those who has all the attributes to be a top-class player."
O'Connell took the Clare minor reins for 2025 having previously been involved with many of the players in younger age grades.
The former Clare senior camogie boss isn't surprised that it has come down to Clare and Waterford now in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor final.
"We knew Waterford were very strong coming into the minor grade this year," said the Clonlara man.
"They're a physically big team. The thing that has stood out is their attitude, their never-say-die attitude.
"They would have been down in a number of games, teams would have got a run on them, and they've always bounced back. When we played them, we went three or four up in the second-half and they dragged it back and finished really strongly and beat us."
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