Clare put media interviews on hold for replay

THE word from the Clare dressingroom to the waiting media was that players would not be available to talk until the match was finished - next week.

There were no such problems in the champions’ dressingroom where Henry Shefflin conceded it was one of the toughest championship matches he had ever played.

“With so much at stake now, no team is going to be easily beaten. As we expected Clare were fully fired up and all credit to them for coming so close to winning,” Shefflin said. “Clare proved they were a very good team and their defeat by Waterford was not a true reflection of their capabilities. It was a game that could have gone either way in the end, and I’m just relieved we are still in the championship.

“The one consolation we can take is that we showed tremendous character in battling back. It looked as if the game had slipped away from us, but then we are the defending champions and you can always expect that from Kilkenny. We are not out of this championship yet.

“Fortunately for us we had a couple of scores on the board before we lost Tommy Walsh and that allowed us to defend our lead while we got used to being down to 14 players.

“It may not have been the prettiest game of hurling but, for sheer intensity and excitement, games don’t come any better.

“In the end I’m relieved and so are the rest of the lads to have another shot at it, but it’s going to be some battle next time out.” In a game which saw only one goal scored from three penalties, Shefflin opted to take a point after he won a penalty with a minute to go.

“I had nothing else on my mind when I lined up to take the shot. The game was tied, and there was never a chance of going for goal. I felt a point might win it for us and that our backs would hold out to the final whistle.

“Fair play to Jamesie O’Connor. Like the great player he is, he had the final say and I suppose a draw was a fair result.

“This could have been a very sorry dressingroom had we lost it. The next day will be another titanic struggle. There are no easy teams left in the championship now and, if we are to retain our crown, we have to beat the best.”

DJ Carey felt a lack of consistency was what left Kilkenny down, but he was mighty relieved to be still in the title race.

“We had periods of dominance in the game and possibly should have killed Clare off, but we slipped a bit and allowed them back into it which is a worry,” he said.

“The Clare tactic of bringing back a forward as an extra defender worked well for them.

“They certainly weren’t going to let anything easy through but, on the other hand, it was always going to be a low scoring game as a result, with both defences having seven players marking five.” Semple Stadium is expected to host the Kilkenny/Clare replay next Saturday, the winners playing Waterford in the semi-final eight days later.

It emerged after yesterday’s thrilling draw that a breakdown in communications was responsible for the teams and public being wrongly informed that extra time would have to be played.

Croke Park games manager Sean O Laoire pointed out that it was never intended. And, while the published fixtures last week had made no mention of it, the information had not been conveyed to the official on the public address.

Mr. O Laoire confirmed that the winners of the replay will play Waterford in the first semi-final, with Cork and Wexford meeting in the other.