Banner steam into semis

A FUNNY day in Jones Road, dull and cold for All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals, with the ribs of the stadium showing through gaps in the crowd.

There was a certain amount of gloom about: with Clare and Waterford, there was a sense that defeat at the hands of Wexford and Cork would provoke some career obituaries, some farewells to the Hill. As it panned out, Clare strangled the yellow bellies, 1-20 to 0-12, while Waterford were five adrift of the All-Ireland champions, 1-18 to 1-13, at the final whistle. Half a funeral, then.

Anyone with a Clare epitaph in their pocket yesterday could have been forgiven for being taken in by the elements. The stage seemed set for the end of an era - swirling wind, threatening rain - but weeping skies are a cliché for bad poets. Clare took an early punch or two from Wexford, then shook their heads and began to box. The trouble was Wexford looked out of their weight division.

In the first half, Clare’s physical strength in the middle third of the field wasn’t noticeable, it was unavoidable, and Wexford were the ones who couldn’t avoid it. Clare won the ball, they won frees, they broke tackles; in a word, they dominated. All the physics of bodies in motion were reduced to an old proverb beloved of Moycarkey and Boherlahan: a good big one always beats a good little one.

It wasn’t just bullying and biceps. Clare used the wind well and their shot selection was invariably correct: they traded points with Wexford until the turning point, 23 minutes in. Declan Ruth pulled up with a hamstring injury, and Wexford wavered; you could tell they were treading water when even Damien Fitzhenry dropped a ball. Colin Lynch leaped and pointed from midfield, before the game turned irrevocably; Alan Markham, who worked like a dog all through, steamed through the middle to goal from close range. Sean McMahon chipped in from distance, giving Clare a seven- point cushion for the second half.

And that was more or less that. Long before the end Clare were able to turn their thoughts to the second game, which would decide their semi-final opponents.

Cork and Waterford contained trace elements of the opener at headquarters. Neither side flew out of the traps, as though registering disapproval of the draw, and facing the breeze, Cork were probably happier with the opening.

Clinton Hennessy, joining the increasingly inclusive club of Waterford keepers debuting in huge games in Croke Park, took a high ball early on and settled.

Which was more than could be said for everyone else.

Perhaps the stuttering start could be put down to the wind, and that wasn’t a good sign for the Deise in particular, as they needed to acclimatise quickly to avail of the advantage. The sides swapped points until the 17th minute, when circumstances threw up the situation with which little children in Cork are threatened when they misbehave: Paul Flynn standing over a free 20 yards from goal.

As it happened, Flynn’s shot was saved, but Dan Shanahan pounced on the rebound. The big man had winked at someone in the crowd during the parade, and he kept that cool head to steer the ball home.

Waterford couldn’t press home their advantage, however. They conceded frees that Cork converted to stay in touch, including a John Gardiner monster from somewhere down by the Gresham. Cork’s faith in their running game was also crucial: Prendergast surged through to point with ten minutes to half-time, but when Jerry O’Connor replied two minutes later, it was notable that he was giving the ball off and motoring for the return pass. Waterford were scoring but through individuals rather than teamwork.

The tit for tat scoring continued in the second half, but the bad news for Waterford was that Eoin Kelly and John Mullane weren’t involved; Brian Murphy was notably sharper than in the Munster final, and Sean Óg Ó hAilpín was his usual irrepressible self, erupting down the left flank time and again. The lionhearted Prendergast couldn’t be everywhere, and with the game becoming looser, the O’Connors and Tom Kenny started to run with the ball.

Still, as late as the 55th minute Waterford were still a point up. Flynn’s free-taking was dangerous as ever and Mullane had finally escaped Murphy for a point.

Then the Cork captain took a hand. Ó hAilpín found himself within shooting range and unlike the Munster final, when he laid off some chances to score, this time he took the responsibility and levelled the game.

Sometimes the man with the armband must do more than take the toss, and when Cork needed him yesterday the big man from Na Piarsaigh answered the call.

Prendergast levelled - who else? - but it was a finger in the dyke. A ball dropped into the Cork full-forward line and Brian Corcoran won it close to goal; the Erin’s Own man showed his experience, delaying for the merest millisecond to engineer a drop-shot off his left, and he steered the ball into the corner. It was probably Cork’s only clear sight of goal, and they wouldn’t have wanted any other man looking through the telescope.

John Allen has some work ahead - the Cork puckout strategy is beginning to resemble a game of volleyball, with everyone changing after a score - but the rust is falling from some players’ games, while Kieran Murphy and Neil Ronan showed depth in the squad. Another day down and another to come. Justin McCarthy was bullish yesterday after the game and Waterford still have quality throughout their team.

Unfortunately for them, yesterday showed they don’t have quite enough.