Tony Kelly scored five points this afternoon to inspire Ballyea to a first ever Munster senior hurling club championship crown and says that the freedom with which the team are playing has led to their success.
The Clare champions overcame Glen Rovers this afternoon and Kelly was asked whether he was revitalized playing in midfield rather than farther up the pitch.
"If you're playing midfield there's no set position that you have to cover," he told Newstalk Sport's Oisin Langan.
"You just have to play it as you see it. We knew if we could get ball into Gary [Brennan] or [Niall] Deasy... A lot is made of the county lads we have, but Niall Deasy is probably the best scorer we have.
"We're playing with a lot of freedom at the moment, this kind of off the cuff hurling and I think it's suiting us.
"I suppose the more you're winning the more you're enjoying the hurling as well, it kind of comes easier to you. Once you get on a run and a bit of momentum yourself, the performance goes to the team. If you win with the team, you seem to kind of flow yourself. Maybe that's what it is.
"In Clare, before this year, we were seen as a good club as well. We were seen as a dangerous club. We can catch anyone on our day. I suppose this year we brought a level of consistency as well and there's a lot of experience there whether it be in hurling or lads in county football panels.
"Gary Brennan there is a fantastic hurler, as good as a footballer, same as Damien Burke. So we have the talent there but it was just about putting it all together and it did today."
Of this afternoon's performance and result in Semple Stadium today he said: "Yeah unbelievable. I suppose what we did today was just another step, we weren't really thinking about winning it all week. For a lot of the lads it was just a buzz to come down and play in Thurles.
"I thought we expressed ourselves in the first half, I thought we gave a very good display in the first half. They came back into it with two goals, but I think we showed a lot of composure to see it out and it's just absolutely brilliant to be champions of Munster with Ballyea."
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