*Seán Rynne and Cathal Malone win back possession for Clare. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
CLARE have exited the Munster senior hurling championship with a sobering sixteen point trouncing at the hands of Cork.
Cork 1-30
Clare 1-14
Venue: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
An All-Ireland quarter-final awaits Clare in four weeks time but there is an amount of work that has to be done in the meantime by all involved with the senior hurling set-up.
It is Clare’s second hammering of this year’s Munster championship loss and is even a bigger margin than the fifteen point defeat to Limerick. Cork and Limerick are two of the leading contenders to lift the Liam MacCarthy, the gap between them and Clare at the moment is considerable to say the least.
With fifty minutes on the clock, Clare supporters among the attendance of 42,269 were leaving in their droves. They had travelled down optimistic that a four point victory would see them qualify for a Munstert final, instead they left in despair at another woeful performance littered with mistakes and shooting inefficiency mixed in with a lack of intensity and energy, a cocktail that was always going to leave a sour taste.
Adding a further sting to the tail is the fact that is Clare’s biggest lost to Cork in the senior championship in a generation. Not since Semple Stadium in 1988 when Cork won 3-22 2-9 has the margin between the sides been so big.
(Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill)
Unquestionably all is not lost for Clare’s hurlers in 2026 and they are still standing in the All-Ireland SHC but their bouts with Limerick and Cork paint the picture of a boxer leaning on the ropes as opposed to one landing all the punches and knockout blows. The month window is sufficient enough for all involved to produce a winning display against either Galway or Dublin, whoever loses out in the Leinster final but it remains to be seen if Clare are fortunate enough to return to Croke Park if they can match Cork and Limerick in even bigger days.
From the off, missed chances were far too frequent from Clare. Eleven opportunities were spurned in the opening half including four chances for majors with Ian Galvin denied by Patrick Collins and the post while his full forward line colleagues Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan also had opportunities to rattle the net. This similar to the Limerick game was a stage when momentum could have been created but it wasn’t. In total, there was eighteen missed chances from Clare.
Though Cork were not a shining example on how to be clinical, they were much more efficient than Clare and built up a nine point advantage by the sounding of the half time whistle.
Without Mark Rodgers and Ryan Taylor following injuries picked up in the Tipperary game, Darragh Lohan made his way to the treatment table. The Shannon defender appeared to twinge something when he was caught and turned over by William Buckley for Cork’s fifth point which gave a three point lead, which was up to then their biggest lead of the day.
An unanswered 1-2 run saw Cork carve this out to a nine point gap by half time. Brian Hayes pounced for goal after Buckley was aided by a slip by Rory Hayes but also a wide open defence after a sideline cut from a lost Eibhear Quilligan puckout ended up with the Feakle netminder picking the sliotar from the net.
Again just like the Limerick game, there was no fire from Clare on the restart and like an exact replica only one score from a placed ball was registered in the first ten minutes of the new half.
Quilligan was on alert to deny Eoin Downey a goal, his chance arising directly after Shane Meehan scored to mark his arrival on forty seven minutes. Cork replied to Meehan’s white flag with four points in succession, Diarmuid Ryan who at wing back was Clare’s top scorer from play hit over his third point before the Rebels again responded four points in a row.
Substitute Shane Kingston fired over three scores as the Rebels continued to extend their advantage, a late consolation goal from Meehan following a Tony Kelly run gave the Clare contingent that did stay on something to cheer quietly for before the final whistle sounded.
On the subject of substitutes, it raises eyebrows that Jack O’Neill was the first substitute introduced against Limerick but has yet to see game-time since, Conor Cleary similarly since he was harshly dropped was sprung in the half-forward line last weekend but yet Jack Kirwan is parachuted into the matchday twenty six and is brought on before the duo.
Merits on bringing in players based on training form is to be applauded but such decisions seem to suggest logic is lacking, similarly with David Fitzgerald and David Reidy being the players used as first-choice blood subs over the last two weeks but yet were bypassed by other players to come in their respective lines of the field.
When it comes to on the field, that Shane O’Donnell was the only starting Clare forward to score is very concerning. At the other end of the field, there was far too much space afforded to Cork’s forwards and insufficient support given to Clare’s backs.
While reflecting and resetting, Clare will need to identify the recurring mistakes, rectify them and then drive on to prolong their season.
(Gallery of photographs by Ruth Griffin).
Scorers Cork: A Connolly (0-11 8f), S Barrett (0-5), B Hayes (1-2), W Buckley (0-4), S Kingston (0-3), B Walsh (0-2), E Downey (0-1), T O’Mahony (0-1 1f), D Healy (0-1).
Scorers Clare: T Kelly 0-8 (6f, 1’65), S Meehan (1-1), D Ryan (0-3), S O’Donnell (0-1), C Galvin, (0-1).
Cork:
1: Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig)
2: Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons)
3: Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s)
4: Seán O’Donoghue (Inniscarra)
5: Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers)
6: Robert Downey (Glen Rovers)
7: Mark Coleman (Blarney)
8: Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum)
9: Tommy O’Connell (Midleton)
10: Barry Walsh (Killeagh)
11: Shane Barrett (Blarney)
12: Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold)
13: Alan Connolly (Blackrock)
14: Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s)
15: William Buckley (St Finbarr’s).
Subs:
24: Shane Kingston (Douglas) for Hayes (45)
17: Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neill’s) for Cahalane (54)
19: Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum) for R Downey (56)
21: Hugh O’Connor (Newmarket) for O’Mahony (57)
23: Pádraig Power (Blarney) for Walsh (57)
Clare:
1: Eibhear Quilligan (Feakle)
4: Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones)
2: David McInerney (Tulla)
3: Adam Hogan (Feakle)
5: Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe)
6: John Conlon (Clonlara)
7: Niall O’Farrell (Broadford)
8: Tony Kelly (Ballyea)
10: Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge)
12: David Fitzgerald (Inagh/Kilnamona)
11: Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara)
9: Seán Rynne (Inagh/Kilnamona)
14: Peter Duggan (Clooney/Quin)
13: Ian Galvin (Clonlara)
15: Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
Subs:
19: Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones) for Lohan (12) (inj)
20: Cian Galvin (Clarecastle) for Conlon (41)
26: Jack Kirwan (Parteen/Meelick) for Fitzgerald (44)
18: Shane Meehan (Banner) for I Galvin (46)
22: David Reidy (Éire Óg) for Malone (58)
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
