*A disappointed Liam Casey in Semple Stadium. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
DEFEAT in the Daryl Darcy Cup final left Clare’s minor footballers and their manager Joe Hayes “gutted”.
An extra time defeat saw Clare miss out on retaining the Daryl Darcy Cup with Tipperary prevailing on a score of 1-16 1-14 on Bank Holiday Monday.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Clare manager Joe Hayes pointed to a poor first half showing from Clare where they only kicked four points but praised the manner in which his side fought back. “I’m gutted for the boys. I don’t know what to say, I thought it was our worst 30 minutes of football all year in the first half and we were awful lucky to be only two points down. I thought we did okay in the sec-ond half but listen you have to give credit to Tipp. Two weeks in a row now and they just fight and fight and fight, that’s a good sign of a group of young lads.
“I can’t say anything bad about our lads either as they fought and fought as well but it’s heartbreaking for them,” he added.
Conor Burke again finished as Clare’s top scorer with 1-9 to his credit including the goal of the championship. “It was a great goal by Conor [Burke] at the start of extra-time. He’s had a tough few days after burying his grandfather yesterday. So it was an unbelievable goal but things just didn’t go right for us and we had too many turnovers but listen they’re young, that’s football and this is all a learning experience for them. We just have to try and pick them up now because we’re playing again in seven days time and I’ll be honest, I don’t know how we’re going to pick them up but we have to try”.
Having produced a smash and grab to overcome Clare in Templetuohy the previous Monday, Tip-perary repeated the feat but this time in the setting of Semple Stadium. “Tipperary had momentum from last week too. I mean they were out of Munster with five seconds to go but they made the most of their second chance. We, meanwhile, just couldn’t win a break from a kick-out. We tried going left, we tried going right, we tried going short but it just wasn’t working for us at all, you have them days don’t you”.
Páirc Naomh Mhuire in Quilty hosts Monday’s semi-final as Clare welcome Kerry to West Clare. “It’s a short turnaround now to the semi-final, especially off the back of two defeats but we’ll regroup and go at it again. Overall I’m just gutted for these young lads. They’re a good bunch.
“Minor is about developing young lads and they’re after getting three group games and 80 minutes in Semple Stadium in a Daryl Darcy Final. They’ve a Munster Semi-Final to come next week and then an All-Ireland tie as well so they’re being really exposed to a lot of stuff. Would it have been nice to win the cup? Of course it would, Clare football isn’t in a position to be able to pass up any trophy but what’s more important is that they’re experiencing good days and bad days, obstacles and harsh lessons and we’ve definitely experienced all those in the last five weeks,” the former Clare goal-keeper concluded.
