Late goal by Kieran Malone caps Clare comeback

Clare 1-10 Tipperary 1-9: A late goal by local star Kieran Malone earned Clare victory over Tipperary in the opening round of the McGrath Cup yesterday.

Clare’s Keelan Sexton opened the scoring, from a fifth-minute free, before Tipperary’s Brian Fox and Eoin Cleary exchanged scores.

Then, Liam Kearns’ visitors took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored 1-5 in a devastating ten-minute spell. Kevin O’Halloran was the goal-scorer. He cheekily lobbed Clare goalkeeper, Pierce De Loughrey, who was off his line. At half-time, Tipperary had a 1-6 to 0-4 lead.

On the restart, Clare scored two valuable points, from Sexton and sub, Gary Brennan, to reduce the deficit to three.

However, with seven minutes remaining, Tipp led 1-9 to 0-8, but another Clare sub, David Tubridy, kicked two points from play, before turning provider for the in-rushing Malone, who rifled home from close range. Tipp had chances to tie the game, but poor shooting let them down.

Scorers for Clare:

K Sexton (0-4, 3 frees), K Malone (1-0), D Tubridy (0-2), E Cleary (f), C O’Connor (’45), G Brennan, S O’Donoghue (0-1) each.

Scorers for Tipperary:

K O’Halloran (1-3, 2 frees), B Hewitt (0-2), B Fox, A Moloney, C Sweeney, C O’Shaughnessy (0-1) each.

CLARE:

P De Loughrey, M Malone, K Harnett, M McMahon, S Haugh, E Coughlan, P Lillis, C O’Connor, S O’Donoghue, C O’Dea, S Collins, K Sexton, M O’Leary, A O’Neill, E Cleary.

Subs:

G Brennan for O’Dea (28), K Malone for O’Leary (half-time), E Ralph for O’Neill (49), D McMahon for Haugh (51), D Tubridy for Cleary (56).

TIPPERARY:

C Kendrick, J Feehan, A Campbell, C O’Shaughnessy, J O’Callaghan, R Kiely, S Leahy, A Moloney, M Dunne, B Fox, C Sweeney, J Keane, K O’Halloran, L Casey, B Hewitt.

Subs:

N O’Donovan for Moloney (54), D Leahy for

Keane (61), L Boland for S Leahy (62), G Cronin for D Leahy.

Referee:

S Mulvihill (Kerry).