Tony Brosnan is tackled by Stephen Ryan and Ronan Lanigan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE’S SENIOR FOOTBALLERS first outing in a Munster final in eleven years ended in disappointment as they were comprehensively beaten by All-Ireland champions Kerry.
Kerry 5-14
Clare 0-15
Venue: TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
To cause what would have been considered as big a sporting upset if not bigger than the 1992 Munster Final when the John Maughan managed Clare defeated Kerry in the provincial decider in what was Jack Ó Sé’s last outing for the Kingdom, the challengers needed to be at their best and keep mistakes to a minimum, regrettably this was far from the reality which transpired.
Instead, Clare gifted Kerry space and they ravaged them for it. Loose and slack defending saw Kerry pummel through for two goals in the opening eighteen minutes. Having set the target of keeping a clean sheet up until the half-time whistle, the concession of three green flags by the interval served as a huge blow to Colm Collins’ men.
Before the game, Kerry expected a tougher test than they received from Tipperary in the semi-final where they had a twenty point win. The margin was less in this instance but the extent of the challenge they endured was insufficient to make them sweat.
That Clare didn’t do themselves is justice is arguably the most disappointing reflection the players in saffron and blue will take from the occasion. In front of an attendance of 12,499 they didn’t play to the levels they are capable of and demonstrated uncharacteristic mistakes which a team of Kerry’s calibre will always profit from.
Dylan Casey making his first championship start for Kerry was the first to register a score with just over two minutes played. They had a three point advantage when Dara Moynihan and David Clifford split the posts.
It was the least likely of suspects to get Clare off the mark, goalkeeper Stephen Ryan converting a near-range free with seven minutes played. It would be another nine minutes before another Clare score followed, the next one from Emmet McMahon, also from a free.
By then, Kerry had added 1-01. The crucial green flag coming from Tony Brosnan on fifteen minutes when the Kingdom were beginning to show how damaging they would be if space was presented to them.
Five minutes after Brosnan goaled, Dara Moynihan had the umpires reaching for the green flag as the Kerry crusade was beginning to build up steam. Brosnan delivered a cross-field ball to Paul Geaney who passed to Moynihan and he dinked past the Banner defence to slot home on the eighteenth minute mark.
Keelan Sexton had Clare’s first point from play on twenty two minutes but Kerry struck for another goal soon after, David Clifford catching the ball above Stephen Ryan and having nothing put an empty net to stick the ball into, as is well known the Fossa man is capable of scoring past an army of bodies let alone such a scenario and he duly obliged.
Ryan and Emmet McMahon who produced a double dummy along the way kicked the final two points of the half to leave the scoreline reading 3-08 0-07 in Kerry’s favour as the sides retreated to the dressing rooms.
Such a deficit left Clare playing for pride rather than provincial honours and Ciaran Russell stood tallest in taking the game to their opponents in the second half. Colm Collins and his management introduced Ronan Lanigan and championship debutant Brian McNamara at the break, the duo adding a freshness and some badly needed bite.
But the bark was worse than the bite and instead Kerry had two more goals inside the first fifteen minutes of the restart. The Clifford brothers who sadly lost their mother Ellen a day previous after a long battle with illness, struck for the goals. Tom O’Sullivan tore up the field before setting up David while Sean O’Shea was the man who paved the way for Paudie and he had an impressive finish to collect their fifth goal.
Supporters began to make their way for the exits at the sixty two minute mark, the truth being that the game had ended long before this stage. Clare outscored Kerry 0-03 0-02 in the final ten minutes and even though they had more white flags than their opponents that couldn’t put a shiny gloss on the occasion.
An eighty fourth provincial title is the reward for Kerry after convincingly casting aside the Clare challenge. They benefitted from their opponents’ poor mistakes and from the get-go had the utmost confidence that by the end of the game they would be crowned Munster champions.
Jack O’Connor and his management may head into the All-Ireland series somewhat cold given the lack of a test that has come their way in their two provincial outings. On this day, Dara Moynihan, Tony Brosnan, Gavin White and the exemplary Clifford brothers were prominent for the winners.
A video analysis session of this game will not be pretty for Clare. They made basic errorsn and took the wrong option on far too many instances especially at the start of the game when they needed to be laying down a marker. Some optimism can be taken in the fact that already this season Clare bounced back from the disappointment of league relegation to put together back to back wins in Munster and all energies must now be exerted on recording a home win over Donegal in two weeks as they aim to make a preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final.
Far too many of the Clare players had below-par displays which for an underdog is always going to leave them short in a David versus Goliath affair. Ciaran Russell was by far Clare’s best player while Keelan Sexton and Emmet McMahon caused problems.
Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford (2-6, 0-4 frees); D Moynihan, T Brosnan (1-1 each); P Clifford (1-0); S O’Shea (0-2, 0-1 ‘45); D Casey, G White, P Geaney, K Spillane (0-1 each).
Scorers for Clare: E Cleary (0-6, 0-4 frees); E McMahon (0-4, 0-2 frees); S Ryan (0-2 frees), K Sexton (0-2 each); C Russell (0-1).
Kerry:
1. Shane Ryan (Rathmore)
2. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)
4. Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
5. Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses)
6. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe)
7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)
8. Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil)
9. Jack Barry (Na Gaeil)
10. Dara Moynihan (Spa)
11. Seán O’Shea (Kenmare Shamrocks)
12. Paudie Clifford (Fossa)
13. Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes)
14. David Clifford (Fossa)
15. Paul Geaney (Dingle)
Subs:
21. Killian Spillane (Templenoe) for Geaney (50)
17. Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht) for T O’Sullivan (50)
24. Stephen O’Brien (Kenmare Shamrocks) for Moynihan (50)
19. Barry Dan O’Sullivan (Dingle) for Barry (59)
23. Mike Breen (Beaufort) for G O’Sullivan (59)
Clare:
1: Stephen Ryan. Kilrush
4: Cillian Rouine. Ennistymon
3: Cillian Brennan. Clondegad
2: Manus Doherty. Éire Óg, Inis
5: Ciaran Russell. Éire Óg, Inis.
6: Jamie Malone. Corofin
7: Daniel Walsh. Kilmurry Ibrickane.
8: Cathal O’Connor. Coolmeen
9: Darren O’Neill. Éire Óg, Inis.
12: Dermot Coughlan Kilmurry Ibrickane
10: Pearse Lillis. Cooraclare
11: Emmett McMahon. Kildysart.
13: Eoin Cleary (C) Miltown St Joseph’s.
14: Keelan Sexton. Kilmurry Ibrickane.
15: Padraic Collins. Cratloe
Subs:
20: Ronan Lanigan. Éire Óg, Inis for Doherty (HT) (inj)
21: Brian McNamara. Cooraclare for O’Connor (HT) (inj)
17: Gavin Cooney. G Ó Cuana. Éire Óg, Inis for Coughlan (47)
26: Ikem Ugwueru. Éire Óg, Inis for O’Neill (56)
24: Cian O’Dea. Kilfenora for Collins (56)
Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo)
