McMahon point tips the scales Clare's way

Clare 1-12 Offaly 1-11

Offaly were champions and Clare were on a roll, having broken their decades-old Munster hoodoo.

Amid unforgettable scenes, Clare, captained by wing-back Anthony Daly, eventually got the better of an outrageously-talented Offaly side and were crowned champions.

Ten years on, at O'Moore Park in Portlaoise, before a crowd of less than 5,000, both are in a battle for their hurling lives.

At stake: for the winner, a place in the last eight of the All-Ireland championship. For the loser? A relegation battle, the dreaded drop out of the MacCarthy Cup and into the Christy Ring Cup. A crucial game then, and in fairness to the hurlers of both Clare and Offaly, they responded to the occasion, the latter especially.

Coming into this game, the Faithful County had suffered two massive defeats, by 11 points against Waterford last time out and an embarrassing 31 points to Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final.

They were major underdogs for this one, yet their fans turned up in numbers and the team turned up to play.

Playing with a wind, its strength reflected in the fact that 'keeper Brian Mullins had a puck-out go wide and a long-range free from his own 44 go over the bar, Offaly led at the break by six points, 1-10 to 0-7.

The second half was all rearguard action and the last 20 minutes truly heroic, with Clare having reduced the deficit to just two points, their goal coming early on from Tony Griffin.

Playing into that gale, under constant pressure, Offaly didn't concede another point for 18 minutes and it wasn't until the last couple of minutes that Clare finally managed to tie it up, then steal ahead with, typically, a long-range Seanie McMahon free.

A one-point margin then, the margin most cruel; Clare march on, Offaly face into the unknown.

Anthony Daly is now the manager of Clare, the glory days long behind. One element hasn't changed, however, his hurling intelligence, and Daly is under no illusions.

"I suppose it came across as two teams trying to dog it out, get to the quarter-final. If there are nine recognised hurling counties - and I say that with due respect to Laois, Dublin and Antrim - ourselves and Offaly are probably vying for that eighth spot, and that was the battle out there tonight.

"Thank God we came out on the right side; I said to the boys, a point (win), I'd be thrilled with it."

Of greatest concern is the fact that even with the gale at their backs, Clare, so often criticised in the past for their poor forward play, struggled for scores, and were it not for the magnificent Niall Gilligan, again, they would now be where Offaly sit.

Gillie was immense, in the first half especially, with six superb points into the gale.

"In fairness to him, he has the broad shoulders to go and do it," agreed Daly, before addressing the panic that seemed to grasp his side with the game there for the taking.

"There's a tendency for that to happen; everyone wants to get two goals in the first five minutes, with the wind behind them, get it over with.

"I've been involved in so many matches, even at club level over the years, where the breeze is supposed to win it for you in the second half.

"Next thing there's 10 minutes gone and the Offaly crowd are going 'Offaly, Offaly,' and you're wondering, 'Jaysus, are we going to get caught here?'

"They brought an extra man back into defence, as we might have done if we were six ahead at half time.

"We're still trying to keep our shape, keep our half-forward line out, but then there's a loose man flying around the place. You're trying to tell the lads, points, points, points, the goal will come. It took until nearly the very end, but we got there, thank God."

Offaly manager John McIntyre was also in prayer mood, but in the opposite sense. "Just write this," he pleaded, "Mac wants a break. God, I must have killed 10 black cats. We're not getting a break in the world."

There was a moment, seconds after the re-start, when Offaly almost got that break. Fifteen seconds after the throw-in, Aidan Hanrahan found himself free, about 25m out, slightly right of the posts; his shot for a point dipped, Davy Fitz was beaten, but Offaly were denied by the post.

"It would have been a very fortuitous goal, but we'll take anything. The only breaks we're getting are bad breaks," the manager continued.

"If it had gone in, it would possibly have been game over, it would have given us a fierce lift. I just thought Brendan Murphy, the free that was given against him for over-carrying, in the context of what some Clare players got away with, it was a strange call. "But I don't want to hammer into Ger Harrington (referee), he's doing his best, we're all trying to do our best, these calls are marginal, spur of the moment things.

"The match is over, we've lost, we must lift ourselves now, once more. I'm happier than I was after the last couple of games. We deserved to win, we've been to hell and back over the last six weeks.

"We're all amateurs to a degree, but the flak we've taken, the snide comments, the patronising, the pious platitudes. Okay, there was genuine sorrow and pity as well, but we don't want that, we're here to win.

"Clare, fair dues to them, were in a bit of a hole at half time. They've taken home the plaudits, but they're going to have to improve if they're to win an All-Ireland quarter-final."

And Offaly? "This relegation trap-door is bigger than I thought it was."

Scorers: Clare: N Gilligan 0-7 (0-5 frees); T Griffin 1-0; S McMahon 0-2 (free, 65); C Lynch, A Markham, D Hoey, 0-1 each. Offaly: B Carroll 0-5 (0-4 frees); D Hayden 1-0; A Hanrahan 0-2; S Browne, B Murphy, G Hanniffy, B Mullins (free from 114 yds), 0-1 each.

CLARE: D Fitzgerald; G O'Grady, B Lohan, F Lohan; C Forde, S McMahon, G Quinn; B O'Connell, C Lynch; D McMahon, B Nugent, A Markham; T Carmody, N Gilligan, T Griffin. Subs: D Forde (Nugent inj 25); D Hoey (Quinn 56); A Quinn (D McMahon 62); D O'Connell (D Forde 61); D O'Rourke (Griffin 72).

OFFALY: B Mullins; K Brady, G Oakley, P Cleary; Brian Whelehan, R Hanniffy, B Teehan (c); M Cordial, G Hanniffy; B Murphy, M O'Hara, S Browne; B Carroll, A Hanrahan, D Hayden. Subs: D Murray (Hayden 58); J Brady (O'Hara 60).

Referee: G Harrington (Cork).