*Max Sheehan on the attack for Clare. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE’S minor hurlers came out the wrong side of a seven goal thriller to start their championship bid with a four point defeat to Tipperary.
Tipperary 4-20
Clare 3-19
Venue: FBD Semple Stadium, Thurles
A frenetic Munster Minor opener more suited to the Energizer Bunny than the Easter version eventually saw hosts Tipperary prevail thanks to a final quarter flourish in FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles.
Overall, it was a result that Tipperary fully merited having led for the final 50 minutes of the contest and remarkably carving out ten glorious goal chances over the hour. A combination of heroic defending and indeed goalkeeping through Conor Keogh who made three outstanding stops, frustrated the Premier County for the majority.
However, just when it seemed as if Clare were ready to snatch the whip hand by the three quarters mark, Tipperary upped the ante sufficiently with three final quarter goals through Zach O’Keeffe, KJ Dunne and chief marksman Chris Dunne to finally shake off an obstinate Banner.
In the end, James Woodlock and his side will be completely relived to have gotten over this difficult first hurdle as despite leading by six points on four separate occasions, a never-say-die Clare proved relentless in pursuit throughout.
Ben Talty, Seanie Connellan, Isaac Hassett and James O’Donnell tirelessly led the resistance while the loss of joint-captain Ian O’Brien to injury entering the final ten minutes was certainly a big dent to their recovery hopes.
As outlandish as it sounds, Clare’s rearguard did extremely well to limit their hosts to 4-14 from play as a lethal full-forward unit of Conall Morrisson (0-5), Zach O’Keeffe (2-0) and the electric KJ Dunne (1-1) alone combined for 3-6, not to mention Dunne’s 1-8 total, 1-2 of which stemmed from play.
Clare ultimately didn’t possess the same firepower as while Ben Talty was lethal with 2-9 including 1-2 from play, the same amount as James O’Donnell chalked up, no other forward scored more than a solitary point.
What an advertisement for hurling though as minor is still the purest and most exciting grade packed full of goals, guts and plenty of glitches too.
It didn’t take long for the drama to kick in either as only three minutes in Max Sheehan was held for a penalty that Ben Talty powered to the net via a strong hurley from home goalkeeper Eoin Connolly at 1-0 to 0-3. Sheehan himself followed up with an immediate point to put the visitors three clear despite facing into a stern breeze.
Tipperary incrementally settled into the contest but their powers of retribution in terms of green flags would be repeatedly thwarted. Eight minutes had elapsed when KJ Dunne demonstrated his lightning pace to cut in from the left corner, only to see his one handed pull excellently denied by goalkeeper Keogh.
Zach O’Keeffe teed up Chris Dunne to go for the jugular in the next passage of play but his bullet to the net would be correctly ruled out for overcarrying.
Points through Dunne, Morrisson and Eanna Tucker did regain full parity by the eleventh minute but Conor Keogh would amazingly defy Tipp’s momentum with an even better stop to deny Morrisson at the back post.
A determined run by Zach O’Keeffe saw joint-captain Colm Daly implement a perfectly timed dispossession just as the full-forward was about to pull the trigger.
However, after establishing a clear lead following successive points through Dunne (2) and the towering Oisin Kennedy, Tipperary’s breakthrough would come in freakish circumstances in the 16th minute. It stemmed from a Shane Ryan shot for a point that caught the wind and with the blinding sun causing consternation, goalkeeper Keogh prevented it only for Zach O’Keeffe to bundle the ball over the line to power his side 1-7 to 1-1 clear.
Without a score in almost 15 minutes, Ger O’Connell’s side appeared in trouble but they received a major lifeline in the 23rd minute when Ben Talty’s excellent catch and instinctive finish to the net proved transformational for the visitors.
With Tipp’s goalscoring woes continuing as Cian Maxted somehow blocked a Zach O’Keeffe point blank shot, injury-time points for James O’Donnell and Conor Coffey would lessen the damage to just three by the break at 1-11 to 2-05 with the wind to come.
It wouldn’t be as straight-forward as that as a defiant home side resumed with the first three points through Dunne (2) and Morrison while also prevented from scoring another goal as Keogh brilliantly stopped a KJ Dunne attempt at 1-14 to 2-05.
That save would be magnified when Clare moved through the gears with seven of the next nine points, highlighted by three in a row for midfielder Isaac Hassett to actually slash the gap to just the minimum by the turn of the final quarter.
The Banner even had the chance to level matters but didn’t avail of that opportunity and they would be royally punished as Tipperary raided for two goals in as many minutes to completely flip the script.
James Finn’s delivery saw KJ Dunne take on Clare’s last line before unselfishly passing inside for Zach O’Keeffe to double his bounty while Harty Cup winner Dunne would be rewarded with a merited goal of his own to power the home side six clear at 3-16 to 2-13.
Game over? Not even close as Clare simply refused to yield, hitting the next four points, three from Talty frees to lower the arrears to two.
Tipperary responded with the next three only to be brilliantly pegged back once more when James O’Donnell pulled a rebound to the net after substitute Kris O’Callaghan’s initial effort had be saved by Connolly in the 57th minute at 3-19 to 3-17.
Supporters had barely time to shuffle in their seats when Tipperary answered in clinical fashion as again the elusive KJ Dunne broke the line before offloading to Chris Dunne to finally cement the opening points.
Clare won’t be too downhearted as they more than played their part in a compelling seven goal thriller but with Limerick losing to Waterford, the Banner’s home tie against their Shannonside neighbours on Saturday week (April 11th at 2pm) in Ennis effectively becomes a winner-take-all in the provincial race.
All photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers for Tipperary: Chris Dunne 1-8 (5f, 1’65); Zach O’Keeffe 2-0; Conall Morrisson 0-5; KJ Dunne 1-1; Eanna Tucker 0-2; Oisin Kennedy 0-1, Shane Ryan 0-1, Colm Ryan 0-1, Hugo Healy 0-1
Scorers for Clare: Ben Talty 2-9 (1-0 Pen, 7f); James O’Donnell 1-2; Isaac Hassett 0-3; Max Sheehan 0-1, Conor Coffey 0-1, Ian O’Brien 0-1, Sean Connellan 0-1, Gearoid Madden 0-1
Tipperary
1: Eoin Connolly (Carrick Swan)
4: Conor Collins (Galtee Rovers/St Pecaun’s)
3: Daniel Groome (Borris-Ileigh)
2: Colm Ryan (Newport)
5: Oisin Kennedy (Newport)
6: James Finn (Golden Kilfeacle)
7: Travis McLoughlin (Cahir)
8: Shane Ryan (Borris-Ileigh)
9: Hugo Healy (Kilruane MacDonagh’s)
10: Conor Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore)
14: Chris Dunne (Gortnahoe Glengoole)
12: Éanna Tucker (Nenagh Éire Óg)
11: Conall Morrisson (Moyle Rovers)
13: Zach O’Keeffe (Holycross Ballycahill)
15: KJ Dunne (Toomevara)
Subs
20: Rian McGrath (Kiladangan) for C. Kennedy (45)
19: Ciaran Gantley (Cappawhite) for Healy (48)
22: Ciaran O’Mahony (Thurles Sarsfields) for Groome (51)
21: Josh Moroney (Ballina) for Tucker (55)
Clare
1: Conor Keogh (Sixmilebridge)
2: Marcus Fitzpatrick (Clooney-Quin)
3: Cian Maxted (Clooney-Quin)
4: Odhran Perill (Crusheen)
5: Fionn Plunkett (Clarecastle)
6: Colm Daly (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) (Joint-Captain)
7: Oran Duignan (Banner)
8: Isaac Hassett (Clooney-Quin)
9: Seanie Connellan (Kilmaley)
12: Conor Coffey (Banner)
11: Ian O’Brien (Cratloe) (Joint-Captain)
10: Gearoid Madden (Scariff)
13: Ben Talty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
14: James O’Donnell (Broadford)
15: Max Sheehan (Ruan)
Subs:
21: Donnacha McKenna (Scariff) for Talty (6-9, BS)
19: Ryan Mahony (Éire Óg) for Coffey (38)
18: Darragh Clancy (Killanena) for Perrill (40)
17: Podge Murphy (Corofin) for Duignan (42)
21: McKenna for Sheehan (49)
23: Kris O’Callaghan (Ballyea) for O’Brien (52, inj)
Referee: Niall Fahy (Cork)
