One-way traffic as classy Clare brush aside hapless Kerry

Clare 2-27 Kerry 0-8: It was all one-way traffic at Sixmilebridge last night when Clare had 25 points to spare over Kerry in the Munster Senior Hurling league.

Played in front of 510 hardy souls who braved the elements, the homeside started with six players who featured in their All –Ireland win in 2013 and had too much in the tank for a hapless Kerry outfit.

The gulf in class was evidenced in the fact that the Banner lead by 1-16 to 0-3 at the break. Kerry achieved their opening score, a Mikey Boyle point in the twenty-first minute.

At this juncture Clare had amassed a whopping 1-10, exhibiting a high work rate and the goal came courtesy of wing forward Peter Duggan who flicked past Kerry keeper Aidan McCabe from a David Reidy delivery.

It was also Reidy who got the scoring off to a start, inside thirty seconds from the right wing.

Conor O’Donnell grabbed Clare’s last point of the half to ensure that all six forwards and both midfielders got on the score-sheet. After half-time though Kerry regrouped and featured well in the third quarter. They outscored their opponents by five points to one in that period but a resurgent Clare retook command as the game progressed.

Some impressive scores by the likes of Daire Keane, Cathal O’Connell and Mikey O’Malley maintained their dominance and when Peter Duggan got in for his second goal with three minutes remaining, Clare were home and hosed.

Scorers for Clare:

P Duggan (2-2), C Ryan (0-8) 7 f’s, C O’Connell (0-3) 1 f, J Conlon (0-3) G O’Connell, D Reidy, C O’Donnell, M O Malley (0-2) each, D Honan, D Keane, C Dillon (0-1) each.

Scorers for Kerry:

S Nolan (0-2 f’s, J Buckley, C Harty, B O Leary, K Carmody, J Conway (f), M Boyle (0-1) each.

CLARE:

A Fahy, E O’Brien, P O’Connor, P Flanagan, P Donnellan, C Dillon (Capt.), J Browne, G O’Connell, D Reidy, P Duggan, J Conlon, C Ryan, C O’Donnell, D Honan, C O’Connell.

Subs:

C Cleary for Donnellan (55), M O Malley for O Donnell (56), D Keane For Honan 63), D Conroy for Ryan (63), K Hehir for Reidy (68).

KERRY:

A McCabe, S Weir, B Murphy, D Fitzell, D Collins (Capt.), B Brosnan, J Diggins, M Milner, M Boyle, C Harty, B O’Leary, S Nolan, K Carmody, M O’Leary, T Conway.

Subs:

P O Connor for Milner (h/t), J Buckley for B Brosnan (h/t), S Maunsell for Nolan (49), G Stackpool for Weir(61).

Referee:

J Larkin (Cork)