*Peter Duggan is fouled by Nickie Quaid. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE came agonisingly close to returning to an All-Ireland final but despite a tremendous opening half their quest came undone in the second half by a powerful Limerick side.
Limerick 1-21
Clare 1-19
Venue: Croke Park
In what was an intense battle, Limerick just about shaded it, Clare brought fight in abundance but crucially failed to keep the scoreboard ticking in the second half. John Kiely’s men survive the fright of their lives as Brian Lohan’s saffron and blue soldiers fall on their shields.
Nickie Quaid committed a foul on Peter Duggan which led to Tony Kelly scoring a penalty on fifty six minutes, this turned out to be Clare’s last score of the game but custodian Quaid somehow managed to evade either a black or red card. Referee Thomas Walsh did a very solid job overall but made a major blunder with this call.
Equated to Cape Verde vs Argentina by two-time All-Ireland winning captain, Anthony Daly in advance, Clare dominated the opening half of the semi-final and were capable of fulfilling the weekend of hurling upsets. Instead, the scores dried up and the Green Machine came to life outscoring their neighbours 1-10 1-3 in the second half.
It was a weekend of second half collapses in Croker, though Clare will feel their loss was not as shattering as Cork’s crumbling, the outcome is still the same and both counties were the dominant sides when they retreated to the dressing rooms.
Limerick received a supreme kick off their bench, Mike Casey was able to nullify Peter Duggan’s strong influence while captain Cian Lynch brought his usual energy and flair to the middle third. Clare on the other hand did not receive as much of a lift from their five substitutes.
(Gallery of photographs by Ruth Griffin)
Ironically Clare’s puckout retention was higher in the second than first half but the opening half saw the Banner dominate in their own half-back line, this waned as the game progressed with Aidan O’Connor, Gearoid Hegarty and Cathal O’Neill having more of an involvement as the tie progressed.
Appetite and commitment of Clare’s hurlers cannot be questioned but regrettably the bus pulls out of Jones Rd and the county goes another year without championship silverware but this time it has the feeling of the end of an era for several Clare greats, Shane O’Donnell so far is the only one to confirm his exit but more will follow the Éire Óg icon out the departures gate.
Match-ups were spot on from Clare as proceedings commenced, Conor Cleary was able for Gearoid Hegarty, David McInerney did the job on Aaron Gillane, John Conlon’s addition to midfield allowed him sit deep and Ryan Taylor clean up breaks while Tony Kelly at the edge of the square caused havoc. That was the opening half but the second went flat and the return of just a single point from play was damning.
All the while, Limerick were slowly chipping away at the deficit. Tony Kelly’s penalty on fifty six minutes made it a six point game, no Clare score would materialise from here to death while the Munster champions popped up with an unanswered 1-5, all placed balls except for Aidan O’Connor’s major on seventy minutes, Adam English playing a precision cross-delivery ball to the Ballybrown man. This game Kiely’s side the lead and there was to be no stopping them.
Scores from play for Clare were created by an incessant appetite to get on the ball. Their first four scores arose from turnovers, Ryan Taylor winning back possession for Tony Kelly’s opener, Niall O’Farrell with two turnovers led to the points from Taylor and Kelly while a Diarmuid Ryan interception kick started the move for Peter Duggan to put Brian Lohan’s side in front for the first time on ten minutes. The work-rate was the platform for the first half showing and it put them in a commanding position.
Heading into additional time in the first half, Clare were 0-16 0-9 in front but Limerick hit the last two points via Adam English and Cathal O’Neill to make it a five point game, Clare having struck four in a row before the late Treaty County efforts.
Having done so well, it came as a great shock that Clare followed Cork’s example and fell into their shell on the restart. It would take until the forty sixth minute for Clare’s first score of the second half, Mark Rodgers converting a free, prior to this Limerick had landed four points with O’Neill and Diarmaid Byrnes on target, Aidan O’Connor adding a brace also. It was a two point gap before Tony Kelly and Peter Casey traded scores, another Rodgers free was followed by Kelly’s penalty and suddenly Clare were six clear with fifteen minutes of normal time remaining.
After Kelly rattled the net, nobody in the crowd of 56,981 would have predicted that Clare would not score again in this year’s championship. Instead Limerick raided for their 1-5 on the bounce to advance to an All-Ireland final with Galway and Clare exit at the penultimate stage for the third time in five seasons.
Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers Limerick: A O’Connor (1-9 9f), D Byrnes (0-3 2f), P Casey (0-2), C O’Neill (0-2), S O’Brien (0-1), A Gillane (0-1), K Hayes (0-1), B Nash (0-1), A English (0-1).
Scorers Clare: T Kelly (1-5 1’Pen), M Rodgers (0-7 6f), P Duggan (0-3), R Taylor (0-2), C Malone (0-1), S O’Donnell (0-1).
Limerick:
1: Nickie Quaid (Effin)
4: Barry Nash (South Liberties)
3: Dan Morrissey (Ahane)
2: Séan Finn (Bruff)
5: Diarmaid Byrnes (Patrickswell)
6: William O’Donoghue (Na Piarsaigh)
7: Kyle Hayes (Killdimo-Pallaskenry)
18: Adam English (Doon)
9: Darragh O’Donovan (Doon)
10: Gearoid Hegarty (St Patrick’s)
11: Aidan O’Connor (Ballybrown)
12: Cathal O’Neill (Crecora)
14: Shane O’Brien (Kilmallock)
13: Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell)
15: Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh)
Subs:
26: David Reidy (Dromin-Athlacca) for
23: Tom Morrissey (Ahane) for Gillane (51)
8: Cian Lynch (Patrickswell) for O’Neill (56)
17: Mike Casey (Na Piarsaigh) for D Morrissey (61)
20: Fintan Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s) for P Casey (73)
Clare:
1: Eibhear Quilligan (Feakle)
2: Adam Hogan (Feakle)
6: David McInerney (Tulla)
4: Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones)
7: Niall O’Farrell (Broadford)
5: Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe)
3: Conor Cleary (Kilmaley)
17: John Conlon (Clonlara)
9: Ryan Taylor (Clooney/Quin)
10: Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge)
14: Peter Duggan (Clooney/Quin)
12: Seán Rynne (Inagh/Kilnamona)
11: Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
8: Tony Kelly (Ballyea)
15: Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
Subs:
20: Cian Galvin (Clarecastle) for Cleary (45)
21: Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara) for Conlon (47)
19: Ian Galvin (Clonlara) for Rodgers (61)
18: David Fitzgerald (Inagh/Kilnamona) for Rynne (62)
22: David Reidy (Éire Óg) for Stritch (68)
Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford
