Cork composure and commitment catches Clare cold

In the lead-up to the game, I believed the first 20 minutes would prove crucial and that if one team got a grip it would be hard to seize the initiative back from them.

Ultimately it was two great goals from the stick of Patrick Horgan that decided this contest.

The first was an audacious strike three minutes before half-time, from a 22 metre free struck to the net with aplomb with the Clare rearguard caught cold, expecting him to shoot for a point.