Banner pay heavy price for basic mistakes

WHERE has the famous ‘Banner Roar’ gone, the old ‘Clare Shout’ of the last tumultuous decade, that’s what we were wondering as the Clare team took the field in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday for this Munster SHC semi-final joust with old enemies Tipperary.

Even the reception that greeted the intermediate team (starring Niall Gilligan and Tony Carmody) as they left the field after their win over Cork in the warm-up game was louder than the tentative smattering of applause, the few raised voices, that greeted the latest inheritors of the famous saffron-and-blue jersey. A Banner whisper if you will.

By the 8th minute, however, we had our answer with the Clare support in a disappointing attendance of 16,700 in full throaty roar as their young side tore into Tipperary and flew into a most unlikely 1-3 to zero lead with youngster Conor McGrath burying the ball in Brendan Cummins’ net inside a minute.