Magical season promises one more twist

A final to suit a season? You could say that.

An All-Ireland final that began with a touch of nerves ended in blood and thunder, with spectators barely able to watch as two teams stopped dancing and went toe to toe.

A team that couldn’t score goals hit three in one half; a side with dazzling forwards needed a defender — a corner-back, no less — to snatch a draw.

Cork and Clare must meet again to settle the destination of the Liam MacCarthy Cup, and once temperatures settle on Leeside about the additional time played, there’ll be an opportunity to savour the prospect.

First, though, attend to your recovery. The contours of the 70 minutes yesterday would probably resemble the EKG readout of spectators in both red and white and saffron and blue. Gentle, rolling contours for 50 minutes, and jagged peaks and valleys in that closing quarter.

The breathless finish shouldn’t disguise the slow burn to the All-Ireland final. Before the game kindled, it certainly looked like an encounter between 29 players starting the biggest games of their lives.

Both teams looked nervous. Cork gave away uncharacteristic points from quick sidelines and, as Rebel manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy pointed out afterwards, his side were struggling in many positions.

On the other hand, Clare were guilty of some wild shooting when they were on top in the first half, and though they began with six defenders, with the much-anticipated sweeper nowhere to be seen, the goals by Conor Lehane and Patrick Cronin may encourage Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald to park the bus on the 20-metre line in three weeks’ time, never mind the plethora of close-in frees they conceded. The Clare full-back line looked distinctly unhappy in that last 10 minutes, and having Pat Donnellan shielding them the next day may be a prospect too attractive to reject.

Still, with 10 minutes to go, they were four points ahead. They created goal chances — Anthony Nash was sharp, denying Darach Honan in the first half — but relied mostly on the free-taking of Colin Ryan and the industry of his forward colleagues. To a great extent, the game played out the way Clare wanted it to, and they were worth more of a lead at half-time than the two points they enjoyed.

Cork’s problems began around the half-forward line, where they struggled to win ball, and getting to grips with inter-changing Clare attackers also caused them grief. Yet they conjured three goals to stay alive, and might have won at the death.

In itself, that replay presents a separate challenge, of course.

Is three weeks too short a period of time to work players hard physically? Is it too long a period of time to expect them to maintain the peak of fitness that was reached yesterday? Those are questions that both Cork and Clare need to answer fast.

Barry-Murphy was frank about the challenges that lie ahead: “There are lots of places we need to improve. Players know that themselves, Clare will be looking themselves in the same situation.

“It’s a difficult situation, a three-week break is unusual in itself, from that point of view it’s new territory for me. We just have to regroup, analyse it and see where we can improve.”

His Clare counterpart dwelt on the feeling in the dressing room immediately after the game — and the entertainment value: “They (spectators) saw some game out there today. People say: have Clare missed the boat? We’ll just have to wait and see.

“They’re disappointed (Clare). I think they feel we could have won it today. Naturally. If you went into the Cork dressing room, I’d say they’re disappointed in there too.”

The usual cliche after a game that ends with such a driving finish is to crown it a classic, but that would be stretching definitions a little. It was a pulsating end to a tight game, but the early skittishness would put it a notch below Kilkenny-Tipperary in 2009, if you want to be pedantic.

On a more expansive note, does the game mark a slight change in approach? An era of physicality giving way to the physics of creating space? Clare certainly worked shooting room well in the first half, picking up points with quick sidelines; Cork absorbed the lesson to the extent Patrick Horgan’s late lead point came in similar fashion.

As for that addition to the additional time... true to form, Barry-Murphy wouldn’t be drawn on the additional time played.

There were plenty of disgruntled folk in red and white who pointed to the 30 seconds on top of the additional two minutes signalled by the fourth official, and though extra time is at the referee’s discretion, Cork supporters clearly felt the game would end when Patrick Kelly pucked the ball out with over 72 minutes on the clock.

The Cork manager dismissed that, however, by saying a draw wasn’t an injustice for his side: “I thought Clare were brilliant on the day, and I’d have to be honest and say it was a fair result. From our point of view it was a fair result.”

Davy Fitzgerald repaid the compliment in kind: “A lot of people didn’t give Cork the credit they deserved all year. Cork are a really good hurling team. And I’ve said that. You can’t leave too many of them loose around there or they are going to hurt you. They showed great character and resilience themselves today.”

Moving on from that pleasant exchange, what questions remain? The great draw-related cliche is that the team that snatches the leveller retains the initiative the next day out, but that one doesn’t hold water here. Clare had the whip hand all day, and only faltered when the finishing line was coming into view.

The fact that they had to dig out an equaliser doesn’t obscure their superiority for most of the 70 minutes. Twice Clare led by five points, a football lead that looked healthy enough for most of this hurling game; as Fitzgerald ruminates today, he’ll be as frank with himself as he always is, and wonder how Clare aren’t bringing that silverware over the Shannon.

“I think we were the better team today,” said Fitzgerald. “It would have been a travesty if we lost it. I think ye seen that yourself outside there but are we happy to get the draw in the end, being a point down a minute and a bit into injury time? “Yeah, I was happy. Yes I was. It just showed what character, what steel is about and I am so proud of my guys. Whether they win, lose or draw the next day, I don’t give a damn. And that’s being honest.”

In the other corner, Cork will feel they won’t be as bad again. Jimmy Barry-Murphy didn’t say that. He didn’t have to.

Book your tickets now if you can. If your heart can take it, you’ll need to be there.

Cork v Clare: Five moments that mattered

1) 73rd minute

Cork having just taken the lead for the first time when Clare mounted a last attack and, as they had done all day, managed to once more breach the Cork defence when midfield substitute Nicky O’Connell passed to raiding corner-back Domhnall O’Donovan who shot off balance for the equaliser.

2) 40th minute

The Cork attack had really struggled all day against an absolutely magnificent Clare defence. The Banner’s half-back line of Brendan Bugler, Patrick O’Connor and man of the match Conor Ryan had kept them quiet until Conor Lehane took off on a run and O’Connor was left in his wake. The other Clare defenders had momentarily backed off but that was all Conor needed, that instant, that opening as he took full advantage to fire a magnificent goal and get Cork back in the game (0-14 to 1-10).

3) 55th minute

Clare had responded to Cork’s goal well and were again well on top, five points clear (0-21 to 1-13) and looking by far the better side. By now, however, a few Cork forwards were beginning to make an impression. Luke O’Farrell won possession and a 20m free — up came keeper Anthony Nash. He had been impeded by several Clare players on the journey forward, didn’t rattle him as he rattled home the free — goal number two for Cork.

4) 64th minute

Again Clare instantly replied, two fine points when the magnificent Conor Ryan came up with an absolute gem, a mighty catch and long-range rocket. But in the 64th minute, the third and final Cork goal came, this time captain Pa Cronin hitting an absolute bullet past Patrick Kelly having been set up by impressive sub Stephen Moylan; tied game, 3-15 to 0-24.

5) Clare’s goal-line saves

We’ve mentioned Patrick Kelly and we’ll do so again for the fantastic save he made from Nash in the first-half off yet another 20m free though he was halfway out to meet his opposite number by the time Anthony took the shot! We must also mention Colin Ryan’s save of Nash’s penalty, miraculous reflexes to deflect the ball onto the crossbar.

— By Diarmuid O’Flynn