Nothing dull about Déise as Clare show signs of life

A DULL afternoon in Thurles yesterday, cold and drizzly, dense and low-lying grey clouds enveloping the whole area; reflective of those conditions, out in Semple Stadium a pitiful crowd of just over 11,000 to witness a fixture which, only a few years ago, was one of the glamour clashes on the GAA calendar.

And yet, defying both the weather and an absence of any kind of atmosphere, the hurlers of Waterford and Clare combined to give us a wonderful contest, a game that was decided only in the final ten minutes, Waterford scoring four points without reply to just deservedly take the honours.

Clare came to Thurles as complete underdogs; a Division Two team beaten out for promotion by Wexford in this same ground a few weeks ago in the league final on a day when they couldn’t find the posts, a young side with a rookie manager and with seven championship debutants.