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INAGH/KILNAMONA have realised the dream, winning the Clare SHC for the first time by overcoming neighbours and rivals Kilmaley.
Inagh/Kilnamona 2-18
Kilmaley 1-14
Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis
Eighteen years of near-misses and heartbreak since the amalgamation of Inagh and Kilnamona, came to an end on Sunday when Eugene Cullinan’s men stood tallest to claim the Canon Hamilton.
Plenty of promise and potential has always whirled around the parishes but this, their second county final appearance saw them land the ultimate prize in one of the country’s most competitive championships.
For so long it looked like a replay was going to be the outcome with the sides level on six occasions but the defining stage of the tie proved to be around the three quarters mark when Inagh/Kilnamona’s big players shone. Among them David Fitzgerald, Aidan McCarthy, Fred Hegarty in attack with James Hegarty excelling in defence while Keith White did a tremendous job in keeping tabs on Kilmaley’s danger man Conor Cleary plus the midfield duo of Seán Rynne and Mark Callinan were constant work forces.
Captain Aidan McCarthy encapsulated the passion and hunger from within their circle when he accepted the Canon Hamilon from Clare GAA Chairman Kieran Keating. He also landed the MD MyClubShop.ie / The Clare Echo top scorer while speaking about their desire to knock the door down and their fatigue at hearing they were the nearly men.
Destiny arrived through their greater scoring threat, their ability to restrict Kilmaley’s one-dimensional approach in lumping long ball into Cleary and their collective superiority.
With forty minutes played, Inamona took the lead for the first time via Fred Hegarty but they packed their biggest punch in the last quarter when outscoring Kilmaley 1-8 0-3. The big players stepped up with aplomb, Hegarty’s major sealing the win with three points from Fitzgerald in the final quarter as they took control.
Nerves were evident with the cagey start to proceedings, it took twelve minutes for the first score from play while the wide count remained high, Inagh/Kilnamona missed their first four chances before an Aidan McCarthy free opened their account on seven minutes.
Either side of McCarthy’s free were Mikey O’Malley’s long-distance free and a Conor Cleary sideline cut which gave Kilmaley the lead.
Seán O’Loughlin hit the first score from play, Colin Carmody dispossessing a Seán Rynne delivery at the other end of the field and the clearance was caught and laid off by Conor Cleary.
O’Loughlin struck for a more significant score on fourteen minutes. Tom O’Rourke rose the sliotar into the hand of the former Clare minor following Aidan McGuane’s delivery was broken off Cleary.
To help settle Inagh/Kilnamona was their run of 1-1 in succession, Aidan McCarthy demonstrating his footballing skills when catching an Éamonn Foudy free that dropped into the square as he kicked to the back of the net.
Points from Mikey O’Neill and Tom O’Rourke in response to McCarthy’s major saw Kilmaley move three ahead but there would only be a single point in it by half time with David Mescall bringing the half to a close with a white flag.
Daire Keane and Aidan McCarthy traded scores on the restart before Hegarty hit two points on the bounce giving Inamona the lead for the first time.
Kilmaley had three of the next four scores to lead by the minimum on forty seven minutes. Then came the almighty push to claim the biggest of prizes.
All photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scorers Inagh/Kilnamona: A McCarthy (1-5 3f), F Hegarty (1-4), D Fitzgerald (0-5), D Mescall (0-1), N Mullins (0-1), S Rynne (0-1).
Scorers Kilmaley: S O’Loughlin (1-3 1f), M O’Malley (0-2 2f), M O’Neill (0-2), C Killeen (0-2), C Cleary (0-1 1SC), T O’Rourke (0-1), T Barry (0-1), D Keane (0-1), B McNamara (0-1).
Inagh/Kilnamona:
1: Éamonn Foudy
4: Conor Rynne
2: Keith White
3: Shane Woods
5: Kevin Hehir
6: James Hegarty
7: Darren Cullinan
9: Seán Rynne
8: Mark Callinan
10: David Fitzgerald
11: Keelan Guyler
14: Aidan McCarthy
12: Fred Hegarty
13: David Mescall
19: Josh Guyler
Subs:
20: Gearoid Barry for J Guyler (38)
21: Niall Mullins for Mescall (43)
17: Jason McCarthy for Cullinan (53)
19: Jack Mescall for Callinan (56)
21: Brian Foudy for White (61)
Kilmaley:
1: Bryan O’Loughlin
3: Colin McGuane
2: Joe Casey
4: Colin Carmody
5: Aidan McGuane
6: Mikey O’Malley
7: Daire Keane
8: Tommy Barry
9: Seán Kennedy
12: Brian McNamara
11: Mikey O’Neill
10: Cian Moloney
15: Seán O’Loughlin
14: Conor Cleary
13: Tom O’Rourke
Subs:
26: Evan Cahill for Kennedy (43)
18: Colm Killeen for O’Rourke (43)
23: Eoin Enright for O’Neill (53)
21: James Fitzpatrick for Moloney (57)
Referee: Niall Malone (Éire Óg)
