Tony Kelly leads from the front as Clare outwit Waterford
Clare’s David Reidy is chased by Kevin Moran of Waterford. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
An imposter of a scoreline given Clare’s dominance but a warning ahead of bigger tests of how they can be their own worst enemy.
Nine points up at the final water break, 1-18 to 0-12, Clare were almost caught by the unlikeliest of Waterford comebacks when they strung together five points going into additional time. Only for the incomparable Tony Kelly, things would have been far more awkward than they should have or or had to be.
Clare have to eradicate that lack of ruthlessness from the game quicksmart if they are to take another step next Sunday to a first Munster title in 23 years. Against Wexford in the league, they looked home and hosed before folding. Then, they were numerically disadvantaged but here it was their profligacy that almost came back to haunt them, their decision-making at times leaving a lot to be desired.
It wasn’t as if they were shooting under pressure either. Waterford were a pale version of the side that outworked Cork and Kilkenny last winter and Tipperary only two weeks previous. Austin Gleeson and Stephen Bennett again donned caps but there was simply too much for them to do.
Where Clare really excelled was in outthinking the team that beat them by nine points in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final. After Kelly’s injury early in that game abruptly ended his duel with Calum Lyons, the chances were they would tango again here only Clare chose to move their dance to the edge of the square. Like Kelly, Lyons also likes to lead but in such a retreated position, the Waterford defender was at a distinct disadvantage.
One of their highest scorers and most exciting players advancing up the field, putting a firefighter suit on Lyons was not so much robbing Peter to pay Paul as grievously harm Peter. Six minutes in and Kelly already had two points from play. Perhaps Liam Cahill felt in keeping him on Kelly for so long that it was always going to be a case of damage limitation but the move couldn’t have fell more into Clare’s lap as Lyons’ attacking attributes were negated.
And yet the Banner’s wastefulness made life more difficult for them than it should have. Fourteen wides and 14 scores in the first half, their conversion rate was better in the second half but a return of 22 scores and 22 wides told a tale on them as it did on Waterford and just how slack they were to allow them so many scoring opportunities. Even in these free-scoring days, giving up almost 50 chances in total was unacceptable.
Clare also demonstrated they had done their homework on the Waterford puck-out while the lack of presence at the centre of the Waterford half-forward line made a king of John Conlon in the first half even if his influence waned somewhat in the second.
Aided by the wind, Clare were full value for their 0-7 to 0-3 lead at the first water break. They had four points on the board before Waterford struck their first in the 10th minute — Austin Gleeson’s first of two were the Déise’s only scores from play in that opening period.
Too often Waterford’s forwards were being bottled up expertly by their markers and as much as Shane Bennett was getting ball to hand he wasn’t being given the time to do anything with it.
Clare’s wastefulness was keeping Waterford in touch until the half-hour mark when Kelly fired to the net from a penalty after Shane Fives was sin-binned for careless use of the hurley against Aron Shanagher. There was no doubt Shanagher was impinged once if not twice but the wording of the rule is so open that it could mean anything.
What was a four-point difference grew to seven and with the extra man Clare outscored Waterford three points to one in the closing stages to enjoy a nine-point advantage at the break, 1-13 to 0-7.
Those smattering of Déise fans in the Kinane Stand yearned for a fightback of 2020 All-Ireland semi-final proportions but it didn’t come. Lyons was still detailing Kelly and three Stephen Bennett scores were cancelled out by Kelly frees and the margin grew to 10 when Cathal Malone’s 49th minute was adjudged by Colm Lyons to have sailed between the posts after he overruled his umpire.
The two Jacks, Fagan and Prendergast, heroes in that second half salvo against Kilkenny last November, made way as Liam Cahill looked to reboot his forward line but Clare were eight ahead on the hour mark when Kelly took advantage of a lucky bounce to point.
A Stephen Bennett free in the 62nd minute was first of five unanswered Waterford scores and there appeared to be a trigger moment when a misplaced Aron Shanagher handpass in a scoring move transformed into a point from Calum Lyons, now freed from his earlier responsibilities. However, Kelly was on hand to give Clare the necessary cushion even if he later missed a free, which would have allowed his team to breathe a little easier.
Considering the energy they have brought to games, Waterford rather than Clare would have been favoured by more to challenge a wily if creaky Tipperary next weekend, something which could motivate Clare who haven’t beaten Tipp in a knockout Munster game since 1999.
Nobody expects perfection first day out but Clare didn’t come close to it. Not that it made a blind bit of difference.
T. Kelly (1-12, 1-0 pen, 7 frees); A. McCarthy (0-3); R. Taylor, D. Reidy (0-2 each); D. Ryan, C. Malone, I. Galvin (0-1 each).
Stephen Bennett (0-11, 9 frees); A. Gleeson (0-5, 1 free); K. Bennett, N. Montgomery, P. Curran, M. Kearney, C. Lyons (0-1 each).
E. Quilligan; P. Flanagan, C. Cleary, R. Hayes; D. Ryan, J. Conlon (c), P. Fitzpatrick; C. Galvin, C. Malone; A. McCarthy, D. Reidy, R. Taylor; A. Shanagher, T. Kelly, I Galvin.
D. McInerney for P. Fitzpatrick (blood 18-18); D. McInerney for P. Fitzpatrick (50); D. Fitzgerald for I. Galvin (57); M. Rodgers for D. Reidy (61); D. McMahon for C. Galvin (66); S. Golden for A. McCarthy (70+1).
B. Nolan; S. McNulty, C. Lyons, S. Fives; I. Daly, C. Gleeson, A. Gleeson; K. Moran, D. Lyons; J. Fagan, P. Hogan, J. Prendergast; Shane Bennett, Stephen Bennett (c), D. Hutchinson.
K. Bennett for K. Moran (33); P. Curran for J. Fagan (44); N. Montgomery for J. Prendergast (47); B. Power for D. Lyons (53); M. Kearney for P. Hogan (63).
S. Fives (28).
C. Lyons (Cork).
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