Diarmuid Ryan steals final scene of another Munster blockbuster

Clare's Shane O'Donnell with Robert Downey of Cork

Munster SHC: Clare 2-22 Cork 3-18 

Dagger. With the clock in the red and the game level, Diarmuid Ryan took one look at the posts and split them. It finished in a one-point Clare victory after a blockbuster affair in front of a sold-out Cusack Park.

Brian Lohan’s side march on to the Munster final while Cork prepare for an enormous affair against Limerick.

At the start, flares ignited simultaneously from both terraces as the final notes of Amhran Na Bhfiann blared. Blue rose from the west while in the east there was blood red. A frantic five-minute spell followed. Clare rattled off two points through Tony Kelly and Ryan Taylor. Cork responded with a Patrick Horgan double. Both sides dropped shots short and there was a nervy goalmouth scramble after Luke Meade squared for Horgan who was ruled to have illegitimately put the ball over the line. And breath.

Rory Hayes waged war on Horgan while Damien Cahalane went to Peter Duggan at the other square. As for Kelly, Brian Roche, Ciaran Joyce and Niall O’Leary all spent time in his sphere early on with the same outcome every time: no joy.

He was awesome in every area of the field. There was a typical defensive turnover close to goal while he profited from a fruitful partnership with Duggan at the other end.

Another Horgan free and one more from play after a thundering Roche run helped Cork level the tie and a Seamus Harnedy score off his left pushed them clear. He nabbed another on his right before the break.

Horgan turned creator with a deft handpass to Conor Cahalane for the tie’s opening goal. The St Finbarr’s man timed his run to perfection and powered a shot into the top corner. Cork could have had another with a Conor Lehane strike but Eibhear Quilligan pulled off a fine save. There was further relief when Horgan missed the subsequent 65.

Several frees were missed in the first half with little perceivable rhyme or reason. Declan Dalton tried from range, Horgan missed a simple effort close in. McCarthy endured a similar struggle.

It swung again when Hayes beat Horgan out in front and the ball was pumped in long. Duggan broke it beautifully for Kelly who calmly finished past Patrick Collins. That one-two punch clipped Cork again minutes later. Clare lost Cleary before the break due to injury. His replacement Seadna Morey scored with his first touch and a Diarmuid Ryan boomer put five between them at half-time.

Everything Kelly touched took its toll on Cork. It was his pass, meant for Mark Rodgers, that found Shane O’Donnell who sprinted clear until he was fouled by Ciaran Joyce. Kelly came forward and buried the penalty.

Pat Ryan turned to his bench and called for Shane Kingston who immediately earned a penalty of his own after another penetrating break by Darragh Fitzgibbon. Horgan totally misfit his effort but Dalton reacted best to tap in the rebound. When Horgan slotted a simple free in the 50th minute, there was just three between them.

A series of missed placed balls always looked likely to haunt Clare and it nearly did when Collins fed Robert Downey who gave off to O’Leary. The long ball was claimed by Horgan and he struck a goal.

A David McInerney double and O’Donnell score came in response yet Cork were not for lying down. Kingston took a well-worked score and Horgan hit a free from his own 65 to level it.

Then Ryan let loose to claim his fourth of the day.

Scorers for Clare: Tony Kelly 2-4 (1 pen), Diarmuid Ryan 0-4, Aidan McCarthy 0-3 (2 free), Ryan Taylor 0-2, David McInerney 0-2, David Fitzgerald 0-2, Shane O’Donnell 0-2, Seadna Morey 0-1, Mark Rodgers 0-1, Peter Duggan 0-1.

Scorers for Cork: Patrick Horgan 1-9 (6 frees), Declan Dalton 1-1, Conor Cahalane 1-0, Seamus Harnedy 0-2, Brian Roche 0-2, Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-2, Damien Cahalane 0-1, Shane Kingston 0-1.

CLARE: E Quilligan; A Hogan, C Cleary, R Hayes; D Ryan, J Conlon, D McInerney; D Fitzgerald, C Malone; P Duggan, T Kelly, A McCarthy; R Taylor, S O’Donnell, M Rodgers.

Subs: S Morey for Cleary (34 – inj), I Galvin for Rodgers (47), A Shanagher for McCarthy (53), I Galvin for S Meehan (68).

CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, D Cahalane, S O’Donoghue; T O’Connell, C Joyce, R Downey; B Roche, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Harnedy, L Meade; C Cahalane, P Horgan, C Lehane.

Subs: G Millerick for O’Connell (temp 38 – 41), S Kingston for Lehane (43), S Barrett for Cahalane (45), G Millerick for O’Connell (47), T O’Mahony for Meade (62), B Hayes for Dalton (68).

Referee: J Murphy (Limerick)