*Kilmaley’s Conor Cleary. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
THERE MAY have been confusion over the actual score at half-time when the sides were level but the scoreboard suggested otherwise and there were no such queries by the final whistle as Kilmaley romped to a twelve point victory over Cratloe with a powerful second half display.
Kilmaley 5-17
Cratloe 0-20
Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Ciosóg, Ennis
The Clare Echo’s online coverage of the Clare SHC is with thanks to The Temple Gate Hotel.
Exacting full revenge certainly wasn’t an issue as Kilmaley blitzed Cratloe with four second half goals to seize full control of the ‘Group of Death’.
Despite also winning the opening two matches of last year’s group stage, Kilmaley found themselves being unceremoniously dumped out of the championship after a last gasp Conor McGrath wonderscore from the sideline saw Cratloe overtake them by a solitary point on score difference.
Twelve months on and Brian Culbert’s side definitely weren’t as generous and in truth were the better side throughout the hour as they managed to negate the conditions in the opening period to ensure a half-time stalemate before soaring to new heights with a momentum-fuelled goal blitz on the turnover.
For the second game in succession, Conor Cleary proved a major thorn in the opposition’s side, with his aerial threat ensuring that the county star would go through three markers over the hour and even earning a penalty that Mikey O’Malley emphatically dispatched.
Tom O’Rourke wasn’t far behind him though as he scored a goal in the first and third quarters to really ignite Kilmaley’s challenge and for a finish their superior balance was evidenced by the fact that twelve different scorers would combine for a handsome 5-17 total.
On the flip side, despite a rousing opening victory over Scariff two weeks ago, the vast miles on the clock did begin to show in terms of energy and intensity. For most, this was a fourth successive weekend of senior championship action in both codes and they appeared quite war weary from an early stage, perhaps masked by having the aid of the strong wind at their backs in the first half.
Indeed, the sides were level twice before Kilmaley struck for their first decisive blow when Tom O’Rourke expertly kept in an Eoin Enright delivery at the back post to fire to an empty net in the eleventh minute at 1-2 to 0-2.
Cratloe’s response would be heartening as they fired five of the next six points to edge back in front as frees from Rian Considine and Diarmuid Ryan were bettered by great solo points for Jamie Moylan and Daire Neville at 0-7 to 1-3 entering the second quarter.
Eoin Enright had a tame shot stopped by goalkeeper Eoin Deegan but the sides would be deadlocked for the sixth time by the break after injury-time points from Sean O’Loughlin and Mikey O’Malley were matched by Rian Considine and Cathal Lohan at 0-10 to 1-07.
It would be the final time that the sides were level as once Conor Cleary picked out Tom O’Rourke to raid for his second goal six minutes into the new half, there would be effectively only one outcome.
A third major followed six minutes later when Cleary was held by Diarmuid Ryan as he attempted to field an Aidan McGuane delivery. Mikey O”Malley’s top corner finish powering Kilmaley 3-10 to 0-11 clear. The damage could have been much worse in the third quarter only for Tom O’Rourke to be denied his hat-trick by two initial Riain McNamara blocks before Deegan stopped his third attempt and James Fitzpatrick pulled the rebound wide.
There would be a mini Cratloe revival when Rian Considine (2) and Daire Neville picked off three in a row to lower the arrears to five entering the final quarter. However, it only seemed to anger Kilmaley who duly slammed the door of opportunity shut with two additional goals in the next ten minutes.
Conor Cleary again doing the spadework for substitute James Fitzpatrick to fire through a crowded goalmouth to the net before Mikey O’Neill’s hopeful delivery from halfway managed to deceive everyone on its way to the net in the 57th minute.
It summed up such contrasting fortune as Kilmaley soared to a fully merited twelve point victory at the helm of Group 4 whereas there will be a fortnight of introspection inevitable in Cratloe before they embark on a winner-takes-all final round showdown with Ballyea.
Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers for Kilmaley: Mikey O’Malley 1-5 (1-0 Pen, 4f); Tom O’Rourke 2-0; Mikey O’Neill 1-1; James Fitzpatrick 1-0; Sean O’Loughlin 0-2, Conor Cleary 0-2, Colm Killeen 0-2; Aidan McGuane 0-1, Tommy Barry 0-1, Sean Kennedy 0-1, Daire Keane 0-1, Joe Carmody 0-1
Scorers for Cratloe: Rian Considine 0-7 (7f); Daire Neville 0-3, Diarmuid Ryan (2f) 0-3; Jamie Moylan 0-2; Podge Collins 0-1, Conor McGrath 0-1, Cathal Lohan 0-1, Marc O’Brien 0-1, Eoin Carey 0-1
Kilmaley
1: Bryan O’Loughlin
4: Joe Casey
3: Colin McGuane
2: Martin O’Connor
5: Aidan McGuane
6: Daire Keane
7: Eanna McMahon
8: Tommy Barry
9: Sean Kennedy
10: Sean O’Loughlin
18: Eoin Enright
12: Mikey O’Neill
11: Mikey O’Malley
14: Conor Cleary
13: Tom O’Rourke
Subs
26: James Fitzpatrick for Enright (39)
19: Colin Carmody for O’Connor (51)
2: O’Connor for C. McGuane (51-51, BS)
17: Joe Carmody for Kennedy (52, inj)
15: Colm Killeen for Keane (58)
29: Cathal Darcy for Barry (61)
Cratloe
1: Eoin Deegan
2: Riain McNamara
4: David Collins
17: Enda Boyce
5: Jamie Moylan
6: Diarmuid Ryan
3: John Flanagan
9: Daithi Collins
11: Conor McGrath
19: Conor Ryan
7: Cathal Lohan
12: Tadhg Lohan
13: Podge Collins
10: Daire Neville
14: Rian Considine
Sub
22: Liam Markham for Flanagan (30+1-30+4, BS)
22: Markham for C. Ryan (32, inj)
24: Marc O’Brien for T. Lohan (50)
18: Sean Collins for C. Lohan (51)
25: Eoin Carey for Daithi Collins (58)
Referee: Joe Mullins (Clonlara)
