*Ikem Ugwueru shields the ball from David Clifford. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE’S senior footballers will line out in the Tailteann Cup for the first time after losing the Munster semi-final to Kerry.
Kerry 2-19
Clare 1-14
Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis
Coverage of the Clare senior footballers is with thanks to Martin Daly Autos on the Quin Rd Business Park in Ennis.
Two scores separated the sides for much of Saturday’s semi-final but two second half goals for Kerry managed to flesh out the scoreline. The majors arrived within the space of eighteen minutes.
For the underdog to succeed everything must go their way and against All-Ireland champions Kerry this didn’t happen, Clare lost their most experienced player Eoin Cleary to a hamstring injury before half-time and didn’t get the rub of the green on refereeing decisions with obstructions on Ikem Ugwueru helping Kerry score 1-1.
Manager Paul Madden speaking after the game said management calculated that 1-6 of Kerry’s scores came after Clare players were screened. Such moments didn’t define the game or decide the result but Clare needed every rub of the green and they didn’t get it.
As always, the Clare footballers showed their battling qualities and commitment to the county jersey. It didn’t look like they were going to cause the biggest sporting shock of 2026 but it was a much tighter encounter than many pundits would have predicted.
Paudie and David Clifford both kicked two pointers in the first quarter to give Kerry an early advantage, Clare with points from Aaron Griffin and Brian McNamara received a major shot in the arm when Alan Sweeney raided for goal on sixteen minutes, McNamara kicking a ball across goal which the Doolin man palmed to the net.
Connor Meaney brought it back to a one point game on twenty two minutes before Kerry kicked an unanswered five points including a second David Clifford two pointer.
Mark McInerney produced Clare’s first two pointer of the afternoon on thirty one minutes and Fionn Kelleher had a goal chance before the hooter but the danger was averted leaving a four point gap at the interval.
Aaron Griffin who asked plenty of questions of the Kerry defence kicked the first score on the restart but then the Kingdom kicked 1-2 without reply. Paudie Clifford raided for the first goal after his brother David’s shot dropped short and Clare were caught in limbo.
McInerney with his second two pointer and Meaney’s second point of the day sandwiched between Diarmuid O’Connor’s third point brought the gap back to six points with fifty minutes on the clock.
Heading into the final ten minutes, this remained the difference until David Clifford had Kerry’s second goal, miscommunication after he struck in the Banner defence mixed with a screened foul on Ugwueru led to the raising of the green flag and this was effectively game over.
Clifford received a black card shortly after while Griffin and McInerney landed further scores for Clare but the outcome wasn’t in doubt and Kerry remain on course for an eighty seventh provincial crown.
Ikem Ugwueru was handed a tricky task in trying to curb David Clifford and the Ennis man is to be commended for his man marking job. Aaron Griffin was a constant threat over the course of seventy minutes, Brian McNamara in patches showed he is one of the best footballers in the country while Brendy Rouine and Fionn Kelleher worked tirelessly.
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry were the superior side, there are aspects that they will want to improve on and will need to if they are to be back climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in the summer. Diarmuid O’Connor, Paul Geaney, Dylan Casey and Paudie Clifford caught the eye for the winners.
Attention now turns to the Tailteann Cup for Clare when they will be in action in two weeks time. After three seasons in the redesigned All-Ireland SFC for the past three seasons, it is a setback to be in the second tier but it was disappointing league losses to Westmeath, Wexford and Sligo that proved as factors in this more so than this more positive showing against Kerry.
All photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers Kerry: D Clifford (1-7 2TPf), P Clifford (1-3 1TPf), D O’Connor (0-3), M Burns (0-2), K Spillane (0-2), K Evans (0-1), D Casey (0-1)
Scorers Clare: M McInerney (0-6 2TP 1f), A Griffin (0-4), A Sweeney (1-0), C Meaney (0-2), B McNamara (0-1), C Murray (0-1).
Kerry:
1: Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes)
2: Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
3: Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)
4: Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
5: Tadhg Morley (Templenoe)
6: Mike Breen (Beaufort)
7: Armin Heinrich (Austin Stacks)
8: Mark O’Shea (Dr Crokes)
9: Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil)
10: Micheál Burns (Dr Crokes)
11: Paudie Clifford (Fossa)
12: Cillian Trant (St Senan’s)
13: David Clifford (Fossa)
14: Paul Geaney (Dingle)
15: Keith Evans (Cill)
Subs:
19: Seán O’Brien (Beaufort) for Trant (HT)
17: Evan Looney (Dr Crokes) for O’Sullivan (38) (inj)
20: Killian Spillane (Templenoe) for Geaney (50)
18: Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes) for Clifford (50)
22: Gavin White (Dr Crokes) for Heinrich (54)
Clare:
1: Tristan O’Callaghan (St Breckans)
4: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
3: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
11: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg)
2: Alan Sweeney (St Breckans)
6: Cillian Rouine (Ennistymon)
5: Brendy Rouine (Ennistymon)
8: Brian McNamara (Cooraclare)
9: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
10: Connor Meaney (Lissycasey)
12: Gavin Murray (Éire Óg)
7: Fionn Kelleher (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
13: Mark McInerney (Éire Óg)
14: Eoin Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown)
15: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
Subs:
17: Cormac Murray (St Joseph’s Miltown) for Cleary (33)
18: Jamie Stack (St Breckans) for Sweeney (44)
19: Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane) for Meaney (50)
23: Josh Vaughan (Ennistymon) for G Murray (52)
22: Darragh Bohannon (Shannon Gaels) for Doherty (66) (inj)
Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway)
