Counihan says Rebels must step up

Clare 1-11 Cork 1-20

“You wouldn’t be happy with that, no. There’s a lot of work to do, we have three weeks to do it and if we don’t do it, we won’t be at the races. Simple as that.

“We started well, we were putting the points on the board, but then we sat back and let Clare come back at us. Naturally enough, in fairness to them, they took the initiative and drove on. I felt for a team that had the initiative, to give it away, that was very disappointing.”

Eagle-eyed readers will note that Cork actually beat Clare in the Munster SFC semi-final yesterday by nine points at a sodden Cusack Park, Ennis. In fairness to Counihan, he turned his frown upside down eventually: “We still did win, it was an awful lot worse when I was here a few years ago.”

The chances of a repeat of 1997 were always slim, but when Gary Brennan goaled early in the second half, there was hope. Five points separated the sides and the Banner faithful were loud in their appreciation.

Clare boss Mick O’Dwyer appreciated Brennan’s goal, but felt another opportunity was missed soon afterwards: “Gary [Brennan] was being pulled and dragged and he just pushed a lad out of his way, we might have gotten another goal that time but he [referee] gave a free out, which was totally out of order in my book. That made a big difference, because it was at a vital stage.”

It was, but even Micko couldn’t argue against Cork in the second half. They cancelled out Brennan’s goal with three quick points and kept Clare at bay for the rest of the game. Counihan brought on Aidan Walsh, Ciarán Sheehan and Donncha O’Connor, but that smacked more of giving players a run-out than rescuing a game that was slipping away.

O’Dwyer may occupy a position roughly comparable to that of Sauron the Great in the memory of Cork football supporters, but the game ended as it began, with a procession of scores from the men in red.

For the first 20 minutes it was as predictable as a pantomime. Cork cruised out to a 0-7 to 0-0 lead as their half-backs, led by an energetic James Loughrey, gave them an attacking platform. Fintan Good kicked points with both feet, as did Brian Hurley. One-way traffic in the Ennis rain.

Then Clare decided to play, hitting five points without reply: Shane McGrath, David Tubridy (two frees) Rory Donnelly and another from a fine upfield foray by John Hayes. It was hardly an accident that Cork hit their only wides of the half (three) in this 10-minute period. Clare’s defence had settled and they were finding their way in midfield, with John Hayes supporting Cathal O’Connor and Declan Callinan in the hunt for possession.

Cork struck back with a Goold point before sticking Clare with a goal — Banner keeper Joe Hayes beat Brian Hurley to the ball but his defence couldn’t clear and when Daniel Goulding took possession, his finish was clinical. Cork added three late points (a Hurley free, Kerrigan and a Goulding free) to make it 1-11 to 0-7 at the half.

O’Dwyer’s half-century-and-change in inter-county football led him to this diagnosis: “Overall they did bloody well. The goal in the first half was the one that made the difference. We had come right back into the game and were going well at the time, but that goal crucified us. It put a gap between us and Cork again. But we can’t complain. We gave it everything.”

They did. Brennan struck for that goal on the resumption but he was also needed to compete for kick-outs at midfield, so Clare missed him as a target man inside. The second half petered out as Cork tacked on the scores, though David Tubridy’s late point for Clare was one of the scores of the game.

Counihan and his management team will have learned little from this outing apart from the value of concentration, given Clare’s first-half rally, though Loughrey’s appetite for work around the middle third of the field is a valuable boost to them. Tougher tests ahead for Cork, then, and none tougher than their Munster final date with the old enemy.

CLARE: Joe Hayes; L Healy, Graham Kelly, Gordon Kelly; D Callinan, John Hayes, M McMahon; I McInerney, C O’Connor; S McGrath, G Quinlan, R Donnelly; A Clohessy, G Brennan (capt), D Tubridy.

Scorers for Clare: D Tubridy (0-4, 0-2 fs), G Brennan (1-0), R Donnelly (0-2), I McInerney (f), S McGrath, J Hayes, C Dunning and J Keane (0-1 each).

CORK: K O’Halloran; D Cahalane, E Cadogan, M Shields; T Clancy, J Loughrey, P Kissane; G Canty, P O’Neill; J O’Rourke, P Kelly, F Goold; P Kerrigan, B Hurley, D Goulding.

Scorers for Cork: D Goulding (1-5, 0-3fs), B Hurley (0-5, 2fs), F Goold (0-4), J O’Rourke and P Kerrigan (0-2 each), C Sheehan and D. O’Connor (0-1 each).

Subs for Clare: C Dunning for A Clohessy (45), F Hayes for C O’Connor (58), J Keane for G Quinlan, S Ryan for S McGrath (both 62), P McMahon for Graham Kelly (68).

Subs for Cork: C Sheehan for Hurley (37-42), A Walsh for P O’Neill (44), C Sheehan for P Kerrigan (49), D O’Connor for J O’Rourke (59), A O’Connor for P Kelly (65), T Clancy for P Kissane (67).

Referee: D Fahy (Longford).