Munster SHC: Clare up and running as late Cork comeback falls short 

CRUCIAL INTERVENTION: Clare powerhouse David Fitzgerald is tackled by Shane Barrett of Cork. Pic: Ray McManus, Sportsfile

Munster SHC: Clare 3-26 Cork 3-24

Clare bounced back, eventually. They required several attempts to put away a Cork side not for going away. 

The Banner’s championship pulse has strengthened. It has been a successful recovery from the throwaway above in Ennis first day out.

In a reverse of last year’s All-Ireland semi-final where Kilkenny’s Eoin Murphy denied Peter Duggan a second-half injury-time goal, Clare corner-forward Mark Rodgers, the contributor of 1-6, got himself in the way of a Damien Cahalane 77th minute goal-bound shot that would have won the game for 14-man Cork.

The result has Cork on the brink, if not overboard. Theirs is now a numbers game. They’ll need to win both their remaining round-robin outings - champions Limerick come to town in a fortnight - and lean on favours elsewhere to move from fifth in the table into the top three.

Their numbers, for now, are unforgiving. A fourth consecutive championship defeat. Cork’s record in the two-year Pat Ryan era is only one championship victory from six.

This latest defeat had so much to do with the number of Cork players on the field reducing from 15 to 14 on 51 minutes.

Seán O’Donoghue was one second hooking Rodgers to deny a Clare goal, the next he was impeding Shane O’Donnell for a second yellow card that finished his afternoon. 

INSIDE BATTLE: Shane O'Donnell of Clare is tackled by Eoin Downey of Cork. Pic: Ray McManus, Sportsfile

Aidan McCarthy converted the resultant free. From 1-17 to 0-13 in arrears on 39 minutes, Clare were standing level. 1-20 apiece.

Five minutes later, and after a succession of missed chances on either side, Diarmuid Ryan hit upon an acre of green grass on the North Stand side. He offloaded to Shane O’Donnell. Pirouette. Finish. Green flag.

Patrick Horgan and Shane Kingston closed Cork to within one, 2-21 to 1-23. Clare drove again. Found more space and another level.

Either side of David Reidy and David Fitzgerald points, the latter hared down the South Stand sideline, cut in, and cut the net. Crucial. 3-23 to 1-23.

We weren’t even half getting started. On 66 minutes, Alan Connolly won a free just outside the 20-metre line. Clare dallied in readying themselves. Horgan didn’t dally at all. Goal Cork. Back to a score.

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS: Cork’s Patrick Horgan shoots at goal. Pic: Ken Sutton, Inpho

Diarmuid Ryan and Rodgers edged Lohan’s men five ahead, 3-26 to 2-24, four minutes into stoppages. Surely from here, they were safe. Not the least bit.

Rob Downey goaled on 76 minutes before another Cork defender, Cahalane, almost snuck it for them.

It was a second half of pure exhilaration. End to end to end. It had been a first half of lamentations and the lead changing hands.

During the opening 37 minutes of anxious action, the sides were level on seven occasions. Six times Clare moved in front, compared to just twice for Cork. 

The home side, though, were the crowd holding the curb at the change of ends. Six of the opening period’s final eight scores belonging to them explained such. 0-14 to 0-12 in Cork’s favour.

It was a two-point lead they probably felt should have been more. Between the 26th and 29th minute, they fashioned three goal chances. They came away with only a white flag.

Eibhear Quilligan - a goalkeeper with redeeming to be doing - was equal to the drive of Darragh Fitzgibbon and batted effort of Patrick Horgan, while Alan Connolly’s bat flew over.

The goal chances coincided with Cork belatedly feeding Connolly. There were 23 minutes elapsed before the first meaningful ball came the full-forward’s way. Fitzgibbon supplied, Connolly arrowed over.

Downey supplied a second a minute later. Connolly was again out front to collect. Cleary fouled, was yellow carded, and swiftly moved off the Rockies man.

Horgan converted the resultant free. Horgan had endured a difficult start. Was off target with a routine free and then hit another wide from play. His Glen Rovers colleague at the far end of the field, Eoin Downey, fouled Shane O’Donnell for an Aidan McCarthy free to put Clare two in front.

Downey, Horgan, and the rest of the Cork class eventually settled, albeit slower than their guests. Pat Ryan’s side finished the half with seven different scorers, including half-back pair Tim O’Mahony and Ciarán Joyce, symptomatic of the breeze behind the home side.

That breeze also had a notable impact on Clare’s first half take. Mind you, their decision-making was equally culpable. David McInerney, Aidan McCarthy, twice, and Shane O’Donnelly were all guilty of leaving point-attempts short. 

Cian Galvin had another short that dribbled harmlessly out over the City End endline, while McCarthy, no more than Horgan, sent a scorable free wide of the posts.

Mark Rodgers was standing out among the Clare forwards, and while Seán O’Donoghue was breaking even with O’Donnell, after being moved over to him early on, O’Donnell was still winning the odd free and providing the odd assist.

O’Donnell, Duggan, Fitzgerald, and so many more of the Clare cast came to life with the space that came from O’Donoghue’s sending off.

Clare have their opening win and are up and running. Cork are on lift support in this championship.

Scorers for Clare: A McCarthy (0-10, 0-8 frees); M Rodgers (1-6, 0-1 sc, 0-1 free); S O’Donnell, D Fitzgerald (1-1 each); D Reidy (0-3); D Ryan, P Duggan (0-2 each); D McInerney (0-1).

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan (2-10, 1-7 frees, 0-2 ‘65s); D Dalton (0-4,0-3 frees); S Harnedy (0-3); R Downey (1-0); A Connolly, D Fitzgibbon (0-2); T O’Mahony, C Joyce, S Kingston (0-1 each).

CLARE: E Quilligan; R Hayes, C Cleary, A Hogan; D Ryan, J Conlon, D McInerney; C Malone, C Galvin; D Fitzgerald, D Reidy, P Duggan; S O’Donnell, A McCarthy, M Rodgers.

Subs: S Moran for Galvin (52); C Leen for McInerney (62); P Flanagan for Conlon (70); A Shanagher for McCarthy (74).

CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; T O’Mahony, C Joyce, R Downey; E Twomey, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Barrett, S Harnedy; B Hayes, A Connolly, P Horgan.

Subs: G Millerick for O’Mahony (8-9 mins, temporary); M Coleman for Twomey (49); R O’Flynn for Dalton (51); L Meade for Harnedy (53); S Kingston for Hayes (59); D Cahalane for O’Mahony (64, inj).

Referee: J Owens (Wexford).