Late Diarmuid Stritch score breaks 13-man Kiladangan's resilience
LEADING THE CLONLARA CHARGE: John Conlon of Clonlara in action against David Sweeney of Kiladangan. Pic: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile
The Munster club hurling semi-final that didn’t get a look in beforehand proved a belter. A barnstorming contest that had a bit of everything.
Two Kiladangan red cards. Roaring Kiladangan resilience. The 13 men in front three minutes into second-half injury-time.
An 18-year-old Clonlara winner. A 34-year-old Clonlara warrior plucking the equalising free out of the greying sky.
Bear with us as we try to unscramble this madcap Munster semi-final.
Fixed for 2pm, it was a de facto curtain-raiser to the heavyweight Ballygunner-Na Piarsaigh clash down the road at 4pm.
Thurles was the appetiser. A bowl of warm soup on a crisp November Sunday. It ended up a carvery with almost too much to choose from. We all went home heaving.
Kiladangan found themselves reduced to 14 men on 37 minutes. Their playing population inside the Thurles paint was further reduced 11 minutes later.
Goal scorer Dan O’Meara and forward colleague Sean Hayes both walked for striking with the hurley. It meant the Tipp champions operated with 13 men for the last 18 minutes.
The 13 men of Kiladangan led by two, 1-19 to 0-20, three minutes into injury-time. Five-in-a-row between the 55th and 61st minute had them on the cusp of a most unlikely victory given the profoundness of their numerical disadvantage.
Alan Flynn won frees, Billy Seymour converted. The bodies they had left withdrew, unfollowed, to the middle third. From there, they pressed and caused panic.
Five minutes of additional time had been signalled. It proved too long a period for the 13 men to hold out.
Aidan Moriarty’s 63rd minute point was Clonlara’s first in eight minutes. Sub Cian Moriarty had them level a minute and a half later.
Eight seconds after the five minutes elapsed, teenager Diarmuid Stritch stitched the winner. The same Stritch who was meant to be withdrawn half a minute earlier. Even the fourth official’s board and public address had called him ashore. What saved him was a last-second intervention from manager Donal Madden.
The opposite of an inspired sub.
A Billy Seymour free from his own 45-metre line was the Kiladangan equalising opportunity. It fell on Clonlara’s doorstep. It was fielded by John Conlon.
Friday’s All-Star centre-back, who hit four points from play from centre-forward and assisted for as many more, had the sliotar in his hand as the Clare club advanced to a first ever Munster final.
Had they failed to progress, they’d never have forgiven themselves. And not just because of their greater body count.
The Clare champions were supported by the elements in the opening half. They threw over 13 points. They also hit seven wides, spurned two clear-cut goal chances, and starved Clare hurler Ian Galvin of possession at full-forward.
They needed five of the opening period’s closing six points to recapture the lead and secure themselves a 0-13 to 1-8 interval lead.
They shouldn’t have needed this scattering of white flags to reassert. They shouldn't have been chasing.
The first of their goal openings was manufactured five minutes in. Barry Hogan was equal to Ian Galvin's effort.
Four minutes later, Colm O’Meara was wide with a one-handed strike. The smarter option would have been to offload to the surplus of amber jerseys around him.
Clonlara had over half - four - of their first half wides tally registered by the 12th minute.
What all this wastefulness meant was that when O’Meara goaled on 15 minutes, Kiladangan were somehow only one in arrears. 0-6 to 1-2.
The goal came from nothing and nowhere. A long sideline cut was caught by Andy Loughnane. He transferred to O’Meara. Green flag. After 15 minutes of being pinned in their own half, they were now within a white flag of parity.
Such a state of play greatly lifted the Tipp winners. Such a state of play greatly deflated their opponents.
Kiladangan had pulled out their half-forward line to swamp the midfield area. It was an area where they did not enjoy any notable control.
What this approach did achieve was acres of space in front of their inside line. This inside line was routinely out front when fed.
A Seymour free brought them level on 16 minutes. A three-in-a-row from Seymour (two frees) and Declan McGrath nudged Kiladangan in front for the first time. The 1-7 to 0-8 scoreline was in no way reflective of the 25 minutes it was supposed to portray.
Clonlara rallied. They had to rally several more times before the finish. The two Kiladangan red cards were lifelines they were slow to suck oxygen from.
They got there eventually. And because they are there, they won't give a damn at not being given a prayer against Ballygunner.
M O’Loughlin (0-9, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ‘65); J Conlon (0-4); C O’Meara, C Moriarty (0-2 each); M Clancy, P O’Loughlin, A Moriarty, C Galvin, I Galvin, D Stritch (0-1 each).
B Seymour (0-11, 0-7 frees); D O’Meara (1-0); D McGrath (0-3); T Gallagher, A Flynn, P Flynn, B McLoughney, S Hayes (0-1 each).
S Gully; M Clancy, G Powell, L Ryan; P O’Loughlin, D McMahon, D Fitzgerald; A Moriarty, J McMahon; C Galvin, J Conlon, C O’Meara; D Stritch, I Galvin, M O’Loughlin.
C Moriarty for J McMahon (43); M Stritch for C Galvin (50); D Moloney for O’Meara (56).
B Hogan; J Quigley, F Hayes, D Sweeney; J Gallagher, A Flynn, W Connors; D McGrath, T Gallagher; S Hayes, B Seymour, P Flynn; B McLoughney, D O’Meara, A Loughnane.
E Sharkey for McLoughney (12 mins); C Byrne for Sharkey (48); D Moran for McGrath (64).
C O’Regan (Cork).
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