*Kilmurry Ibrickane’s Daryn Callinan is tackled by Aaron Brennan of Wolfe Tones. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CONTRASTING fortunes unsurprisingly didn’t change for the final stanza of Group 3 as Kilmurry Ibrickane maintained their perfect start to this year’s championship with a fifteen-point win over Wolfe Tones.
Kilmurry Ibrickane 4-19
Wolfe Tones 1-13
Venue: Páire na Muintire in Lissycasey
The Clare Echo’s online coverage of the Clare SFC is with thanks to The Shannon Springs Hotel.
Four goals in the first twenty minutes through Dermot Coughlan Shane Hickey Daniel Walsh and Daryn Callinan effectively put this tie to bed as last year’s finalists moved through the gears superbly while also giving some much-needed senior game-time to their newer stars.
Having fallen 18 points in arrears by only the third mark Wolfe Tones could have wallowed in self-pity but crucially did dig deep to lessen the damage to eleven as the second half progressed. Guaranteed a place in the relegation series before a ball was kicked on Sunday Kieran Ryan’s side weren’t at full strength but played with pride too in a much more evenly-matched second period with the aid of the conditions.
However the detrimental damage had already been inflicted in the opening half when Kilmurry Ibrickane used their superior physicality around the centre to swallow up Wolfe Tones’ kick-outs and lay siege in their opponents’ half.
After Dermot Coughlan and Tan Greene had traded early goals the ‘Bricks upped the ante to unleash a 3-8 unanswered blitz in just 13 minutes with the tireless duo of Caoilfhionn O’Dea and Daniel Walsh having a hand in all three goals for Hickey Callinan and finally Walsh himself at 4-9 to 1-0.
Wolfe Tones did finally break out of jail late on to finish with four of the last five points three from the boot of Colin Riordan at 4-10 to 1-04. And with time to regroup the Shannon side continued to chip away at the arrears on the turnover as Eoghan Gough arrowed over a brace of two-point frees while Colin Riordan was unlucky to see a shot just clear the crossbar.
More than that a remarkable return for goalkeeper Ian McInerney was well timed as he prevented Tadhg Fitzgerald from grabbing a goal entering the final ten minutes at 4-14 to 1-12.
A two-point free from Dermot Coughlan did stop the rot though for the outstanding Caoilfhionn O’Dea and Daniel Walsh to fittingly flesh out the final margin to 15 as Kilmurry Ibrickane became only the second side outside of Éire Óg to finish the group with a flawless record.
Intermediate champions Wolfe Tones meanwhile will await their fate in the demotion play-offs alongside Kildysart and Kilmihil.
All photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers for Kilmurry Ibrickane: Dermot Coughlan 1-4 (2tpf) Caoilfhionn O’Dea 0-5 Daniel Walsh 1-2 Cathal Talty 0-4 (1tpf, 1f) Daryn Callinan 1-1 Shane Hickey 1-0 Evan Cahill Cillian Darcy 0-1 Jason Cushen 0-1
Scorers for Wolfe Tones: Eoghan Gough 0-5 (2tpf, 1’45) Colin Riordan 0-4 (3f) Tan Greene 1-0 Tadhg Fitzgerald 0-2 Niall Fitzgerald 0-1 Aaron Kelly 0-1
Kilmurry Ibrickane
1: David Sexton
4: Maurice Donnellan
17: Diarmuid Comber
2: Conor Kearney
7: Darragh Sexton
6: Dermot Coughlan
23: Daniel Walsh
8: Evan Cahill
9: Diarmuid King
19: Cillian Darcy
11: Caoilfhionn O’Dea
12: Colin Considine
15: Shane Hickey
14: Cathal Darcy
28: Daryn Callinan
Substitutions
16: Ian McInerney for David Sexton (HT)
24: Jason Cushen for Hickey (HT)
10: Kevin Tubridy for Considine (43)
18: Shay Gleeson for Coughlan (57, inj)
Wolfe Tones
1: Fionn McInerney
17: Aaron Brennan
28: Eoghan Casey
2: Shane Nihill
3: Aaron Kelly
6: Conor Carrig
4: Tan Greene
8: Liam Divilley
12: Joe McGauley
10: Brian Murphy
14: Colin Riordan
13: Dean Devanney
9: Cody Waller
25: Eoghan Gough
21: Tadhg Fitzgerald
Substitutions
5: Niall Fitzgerald for Casey (20, inj)
18: Jack Ryan for Devanney (39)
Referee: Barry Keating (Lissycasey)
