Everything you could want from December hurling

This is what the Co-Op Superstores Munster Senior Hurling League is really about.

Before the start of the second half, one of the Clare defenders asked a couple of local kids if he could join in their puckaround and, after a brief group consultation, he was allowed in.

Clare’s one-point win will take the headlines, but as a distillation of the often dubious attractions of inter-county hurling in December, that vignette explained everything: the cold, the closeness to the action, even some unexpected excitement.

Clare probably just about deserved the win yesterday, though for much of the game they were forced to admire Jason Forde’s one-man show for Tipperary. The All-Ireland champions didn’t field many of the men who won Liam MacCarthy, but Forde’s smooth striking illuminated a gloomy evening in Nenagh. He began by cutting a sideline straight over the bar and improved from there.

Still, Clare were there to battle. They were three down when Ian Galvin read the break and got behind the Tipp cover for a goal on 13 minutes, and Podge Collins’ clever pass put Seadna Morey through for another goal four minutes after that. The Banner led 2-6 to 0-10 at the break.

On the resumption, Forde deployed that elegant swing to keep Tipperary in front, and a good Tom Fox goal looked like jump-starting their performance.

Credit Collins and Niall Deasy, then, for keeping Clare in touch. They were still three down as the game entered its final stages, but Deasy (two), Cathal McInerney, and Aidan McCarthy hit the last four scores to win the game.

Winning manager Brian Lohan, in his first competitive outing with Clare, was understandably happy: “You want a bit of endeavour, a bit of spirit, and we got that.

“It’s good, it’s good — those kinds of games can go either way, and we’re just happy with how it went.

We were a little bit late starting, so the training regime is a little bit ... stuff that should have been done in September, October we’re doing the moment. But we’ll make up the ground. Most teams are in a similar situation.

His opposite number also referred to training schedule, while he acknowledged that his side had maybe come up a little short late on.

“The likes of Jason Forde and Ronan Maher, who were essential to 2019, were as good as ever, as strong as ever today,” said Liam Sheedy.

“We probably ran out of legs — I don’t think we scored in the last 10 minutes of the first half or the second half, so probably, the lack of work that we’ve done — we’re only back the last two weeks or so — means we’re maybe a little bit behind the curve.

“The attitude, the energy, the effort was really what I’m looking for. It’s a long journey. It’s great to get two matches in December because, for us, it’s about getting new guys on the pitch.

“The reality is we’ll need new faces to feature in 2020 and I’ve seen some really encouraging signs in terms of some of the guys who put their hands up today.”

Lohan confirmed that Diarmuid Ryan, who limped off injured, wasn’t seriously hurt (“a knee in the back”) while Sheedy said long-term injury doubt Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher is due back around February (“But isahead of target, which you won’t be surprised to hear”).

The post-election analysis across the water posed is leaning heavily on an interesting thought experiment reducible to ‘we won the argument, but lost the contest’. Applicable yesterday? Possibly, though ‘argument’ would be a fairly elevated term for this contest.

For Brian Lohan, the attitude of his players in digging out a late, late win against the All-Ireland champions, no matter how understrength they were, is a plus.

Yesterday was about trying some of those All-Ireland-winning U20s in the big show — or the show that comes a level or three below the big show.

The aim was pretty similar for the 830 hardy souls at games like yesterday’s. There is the tantalising prospect of discovery, of seeing the first tentative steps in a new and dazzling career. The relentless spotlight that fixes on promising youngsters makes that a dimmer and dimmer possibility, but other consolations can always be found.

Ask the kids who allowed a Clare defender to puck around with them. Or anyone who got to see Jason Forde’s striking.

Scorers for Tipperary: J. Forde (0-14, 2 sidelines, 7 frees); P. Flynn (0-3); T. Fox (1-0); W. Connors, M. Breen (0-1).

Scorers for Clare: N. Deasy (0-7, 5 frees); I. Galvin (1-2); S. Morey (1-0); P. Collins (0-3); D. Ryan (0-2); A. McCarthy, C. McInerney, A. Fahey (free)(0-1).

TIPPERARY: P. Maher, J. O’Dwyer, J. Moloney, C. Morgan, A. Flynn, R. Maher, R. Byrne, M. Breen, P. Cadell, M. Kehoe, T. Fox, J. Cahill, W. Connors, J. Forde (c), P. Flynn.

Subs: C. Darcy for Fox (53); M. McCarthy for Cahill (61); P. Maher for O’Dwyer (63); B. Heffernan for Moloney (68)

CLARE: A. Fahy, J. McCarthy, J. Browne (c), E. Quirke, C. Malone, K. Hehir, D. Fitzgerald, D. Ryan, D. Reidy, I. Galvin, N. Deasy, S. Morey, M. O’Neill, C. Guilfoyle, P. Collins.

Subs: A. McCarthy for D. Ryan (inj, 22); R. Taylor for Galvin (45); A. Shanagher for Morey (50); C. McInerney for O’Neill (55); D. McMahon for Guilfoyle (59)

Referee: C. Lyons (Cork).

You can rewatch the Irish Examiner's live coverage of the match at the below link: