Collins gushes for McInerney's Clare final impact
Cathal McInerney of Cratloe with his sons Tom and Charlie. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton
It was a landmark victory in more ways than one for Cratloe as their county final nous proved crucial when getting home to a deserved two-point success in this cagey decider in Ennis on Sunday afternoon before 4,554 spectators.
It was their tenth senior final between both codes since 2009, and their good habits of a generation were incarnate in ice-cool Cathal McInerney, with a supporting cast of a host of stalwarts, that carried them to a first county football title in nine years and a third in all.
McInerney didn’t miss, with his tally of 1-6 making him man-of-the-match, as well as top-scorer in both the game and the championship as a whole, for a fitting personal denouement from a contest where the South East Clare side were never headed.
“He’s an incredible forward,” gushed manager Colm Collins afterwards. “He has that beautiful balance and accuracy that’s so valuable and it got us over the line.
“We’ve had a lot of heartbreak, so to finally win again is unbelievable,” said McInerney. “You need a lot of luck to win any championship. That’s for sure and we had luck in the semi-final.
“We spoke about our experience before this game and it was key to be patient on the ball. We did that and even though we were hanging on in the end, we saw it out,” he added.
They had those anxious moments after Joe McGann brought Declan O’Keeffe’s charges to life once more with six minutes remaining when after a great run through the heart of the Cratloe defence he blasted home to leave only two points separating the sides.
Had it turned into a nightmare, Cratloe would have only had themselves to blame because after McInerney struck for a killer goal 13 minutes into the second half for a 1-9 to 0-7 lead they immediately spurned two more glorious goal chances as Podge Collins and Diarmuid Ryan contrived to miss from point black range.
McInerney’s goal came when he pounced on a poor kick-out from Mark O’Donnell and nonchalantly lobbed to the net from 30 yards, only for McGann’s strike just over ten minutes later to make for that tense finish.
That Cratloe held him was down to what had carried them throughout — that ability to dictate the tempo of proceedings. They did this from off after a brace by McInerney either side of a fine Tommy Rooney effort gave them a 0-3 to 0-1 lead ten minutes in.
The gap was out to four approaching half-time after Rian Considine and Diarmuid Ryan also found the range from play, but St Breckan’s weren’t without hope after Jamie Stack, who accounted for all of his side's first-half scores, landed two more before the break to leave it resting at 0-6 to 0-4.
The North Clare side’s hopes then soared when Joe McGann fired over two great points inside the first five minutes of the restart to level matters, but proof of McInerney’s credentials as a generational talent and best in the county since his first senior start in 2010 came with his match-winning burst of 1-3 between the 37th and 47th minutes.
His side may not have scored again after Mike Brennan gave them a 1-10 to 0-7 lead with 12 minutes remaining, but it mattered little as after McGann’s goal they played enough of keep ball in the closing minutes to carry the day.
C McInerney (1-6, 3f), T Rooney (0-1), D Ryan (0-1), R Considine (0-1), M Brennan (0-1).
J Stack (0-5, 2f, 1m), J McGann (1-2), P Kelly (0-1, 1 ’45).
P Chaplain; D Collins, K Harnett (Capt), L Markham; E Boyce, M Brennan, R McNamara; D Ryan, T Rooney; R Considine, S Collins, C O’Hanlon; S Neville, C McInerney, P Collins.
C Ryan for Rooney (half-time), J McInerney for Considine (53).
M O’Donnell; Conor Burke, R Considine, P Doherty; C O’Brien, Cian Burke (Capt), J Sheedy; P Kelly, L Tierney; M Byrne, J McGann, A Sweeney; J Stack, S Fitzpatrick, R Danagher.
P O’Dwyer for Sheedy (20), D O’Callaghan for O’Brien (37), T O’Callaghan for O’Donnell (49), C Guerin for Fitzpatrick (54).
N Quinn (Miltown Malbay)
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