*Peter Duggan is tackled by James Hegarty. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLOONEY/QUIN claimed the spoils in the game of the second round to overcome Inagh/Kilnamona.
Clooney/Quin 1-27
Inagh/Kilnamona 2-23
Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg
The Clare Echo’s online coverage of the Clare SHC is with thanks to The Temple Gate Hotel.
Clooney/Quin’s stamina definitely cannot be questioned after producing another late show to preserve their perfect start to this year’s championship.
Two weeks earlier, they managed to outlast a gamey Broadford who had set the pace for the majority in Shannon before surpassing that feat in an inch-tight Group 2 wrestle for supremacy with Inagh-Kilnamona.
Trailing by the minimum entering the final of three minutes of additional time, a Peter Duggan free levelled the contest for the eighth and final time before outstanding newcomer Jerry O’Connor sealed his man-of-the-match nod to arrow over the winner from 65 metres.
While a draw arguably might have been the most satisfactory outcome, Fergal Lynch’s side were the ones leading the way for the majority once they recovered from the early set-back of a brace of Aidan McCarthy goals inside four minutes of the throw-in along with a six point unanswered rally that powered Inagh-Kilnamona seven clear by the end of the opening quarter.
Callum Hassett had raided for a much-needed goal in response to McCartthy’s brace but Jerry O’Connor would be denied by Eamonn Foudy in the 17th minute.
Instead, Clooney/Quin concentrated on obtaining points, a fruitful exercise that saw them outscore a surprisingly lacklustre Inagh/Kilnamona by 0-11 to 0-3 for the remainder of the half. Five from the stick of Peter Duggan to actually inch 1-15 to 2-11 clear by the break.
Despite having the wind to come, Inagh-Kilnamona did recover but never stamped their authority on the tie again as Gearoid Barry flashed a shot across the face of goal and wide in the opening minutes. David Fitzgerald did inch his side in front by the 35th minute but would be outflanked by a resolute Clooney-Quin who through Duggan, Ryan Taylor and the relentless would never trail again for the rest of the hour.
Inagh/Kilnamona did flex their muscles in injury-time when Aidan McCarthy, James Hegarty and substitute Kealan Guyler nudged Tomas Kelly’s side in front at 2-23 to 1-25.
However, a composed Clooney/Quin never reached for the panic button and following a foul on Taylor, Peter Duggan regained full parity before the electric O’Connor fittingly provided the killer blow.
All that after Inagh-Kilnamona threatened to run riot in the opening minutes when Aidan McCarthy twice sliced through Clooney-Quin’s defence all too easily to billow the net at 2-1 to 0-1 by the fourth minute.
Clooney/Quin admirably weren’t shellshocked though as in the next passage of play Dannan Fox fed Callum Hassett to fire to the left corner of Eamonn Foudy’s net.
Indeed, they also added three of the next four points through attacking triumvirate Jack O’Neill, Jerry O’Connor and Peter Duggan to slash the arrears to just the minimum at 2-2 to 1-4 by only the eighth minute.
Inagh/Kilnamona defied the conditions to wrestle back control as Aidan McCarthy (2), Sean Rynne (2), David Mescall and Darren Cullinan rattled off six points without reply to soar to a double scores 2-8 to 1-4 cushion entering the second quarter.
With Foudy bravely denying O’Connor a goal, Tomas Kelly’s side looked set to take a handsome advantage into the break but they simply failed to sustain that level of intensity, a fault-line that incrementally provided renewed hope for Clooney/Quin.
The fightback started with a superb Darragh Keogh point from his own ’65 and after another in the 26th minute, it was inevitably Peter Duggan that levelled the tie in the 27th minute at 2-10 to 1-13.
David Mescall inched Inagh/Kilnamona back in front but with the bit between their teeth, Clooney-Quin managed to take the whip hand into the break after late scores from county senior duo Peter Duggan and Jack O’Neill.
The sides would be locked together three more times in the third quarter before Duggan and Ryan Taylor handed Clooney-Quin the initiative heading into the final quarter at 1-22 to 2-17.
Peter Duggan was unlucky to see a goal chance come off the helmet of Conor Rynne while up the other end it had to take a brace of Aidan McCarthy placed balls to regain full parity by the 58th minute.
The lead would change hands there more times but while Inagh-Kilnamona would have expected to have had the greater experience, it was Clooney-Quin’s unquenchable thirst that once more shone through to secure back-to-back group victories for the first time in three seasons.
It was result that cements their passage to the quarter-finals, knocks Corofin out of the race and perfectly sets up a winner-takes-all final round showdown between Inagh/Kilnamona and Broadford for a last eight spot for the second consecutive year.
Scorers for Clooney/Quin: Peter Duggan 0-11 (7f, 1’65); Jerry O’Connor 0-6; Callum Hassett 1-1; Ryan Taylor 0-3; Darragh Keogh 0-2; Jack O’Neill 0-2; Jimmy Corry 0-1, Trevor Lee 0-1
Scorers for Inagh/Kilnamona: Aidan McCarthy 2-9 (4f, 1’65); Sean Rynne 0-4; David Mescall 0-2, James Hegarty 0-2, Kealan Guyler 0-2; Darren Cullinan 0-1, Seamus Foudy 0-1, David Fitzgerald 0-1, Keith White 0-1
Clooney/Quin
16: Cillian Duggan
2: Sean McNamara
3: Conor Grogan
4: Evan Maxted
6: Darragh Keogh
19: John Conneally
7: John Cahill
8: Ryan Taylor
9: Jimmy Corry
21: Jerry O’Connor
12: Jack O’Neill
11: Peter Duggan
13: Dannan Fox
14: Callum Hassett
22: Patrick Finneran
Subs
17: Bryan McInerney for Cahill (36-42, BS)
27: Darragh McNamara for Fox (42)
29: Trevor Lee for Finneran (47)
23: Martin Duggan for Hassett (56)
Inagh/Kilnamona
1: Eamonn Foudy
4: Conor Rynne
31: Shane Woods
3: Keith White
5: James Hegarty
6: Jason McCarthy
7: David Fitzgerald
13: Niall Mullins
18: Seamus Foudy
17: Darren Cullinan
12: Sean Rynne
10: Fred Hegarty
15: David Mescall
11: Aidan McCarthy
25: Gearoid Barry
Substitutes
8: Josh Guyler for Mullins (38)
23: Evan McNamara for F. Hegarty (42)
21: Kealan Guyler for S. Foudy (45)
14: Tom Barry for Mescall (51)
19: Brian Foudy for Cullinan (57)
Referee: Niall Malone (Éire Óg)
