Minogue drained after ‘fantastic game’

LONG after the final whistle, Clare manager John Minogue was still struggling for words.

“I find it hard to describe it at this stage,” he said with a shake of the head. “The range of emotions that managers, selectors, players go through in a game like this is unbelievable. You’re on top, you’re winning, you’re getting magnificent scores, then you see the opposition come back with some magnificent scores of their own. It was a real ding-dong affair, I’m just relieved we got there, and we were lucky to get there in the end. It was a fantastic game played in fantastic sprit by both teams.”

Fantastic hurling also, by both teams, but by two individuals in particular. “Yes, the two full-forwards. Darach (Honan) started in the corner for us but created havoc when he moved to full, and Joe (Canning) at the other end, what did he score – 4-7? But we had a lot of heroes out there, in the second-half especially, and again in extra-time – the two Donovans, Domhnall and Cormac, Nicky O’Connell, so many more. Our captain, Ciarán O’Doherty, went down just before the second half of extra-time with serious cramp. But he had a few words in the huddle and said lads, ‘I’m dying for this’. Our subs – Conor McGrath got 1-1, Conor Tierney got a couple of points, but you need fresh legs, you have to bring on fresh legs when a game goes to extra-time. I was concerned on many occasions but we came back again and again, we had a lot of heroes on the day. Some guys played well for 20 minutes, cramped up, but others stepped up their game to compensate. Darach Honan really kept us in the game, at different stage. He was a real thorn in the side for them, as was Joe Canning for us.”

And Minogue also had a word of thanks for the Clare support: “We had great support there today – I think a lot of them must have two or three girlfriends, because there’s a lot of females around the place!”

What of Kilkenny, Clare’s opponents, easy winners over Antrim in the other semi-final? “We played them in a challenge seven or eight weeks ago in Kilkenny – good match, they were missing Richie Hogan and a few, so were we. We’re in Croke Park, September, it’s great. There was no talk of revenge for last year, but we knew we had a good team, it was a case of getting the best out of them, and I think we’re getting that.

For Galway manager Anthony Cunningham, regrets, but no recriminations: “There is heartbreak, no doubt about it. The game could have gone either way but Clare got over the line, we didn’t. But it was one hell of a game; we saw two wonderful teams, two wonderful hurlers in Joe Canning and Darach Honan but you had outstanding displays right through the field – Davy Burke had a super game for us, as had Aodán Harte – our backs really got to grips with Clare after the first 20 minutes, they were really on fire. We’d have loved the draw, but best of luck to Clare now in the final, I hope they go on to win it, it would be super to see one of the non-traditional counties do it.”