Disputed Clare 65 wins another manic Munster thriller
Waterford’s Iarlaith Daly and Mark Rodgers of Clare. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie
Where do we even begin to start?
The finish would seem the most obvious marker in this dizzying road to begin our recount, but even then, the drama still had another act to play out.
Mark Rodgers won Clare this fixture with a ‘65 over a minute after the four allotted injury-time minutes had elapsed. The final whistle went and Waterford went bonkers. The awarding of the ‘65 had them irate.
Fingers were pointed at the fourth official, the same with the linesman on the main stand side. Out went Davy and a few more to remonstrate with referee Liam Gordon.
Clare should have stayed away. They had their win. They didn’t need to get involved. But they couldn’t help themselves. Backroom staff got involved at the scene of the Waterford remonstrations.
Pushing and shoving ensued. Who was doing the pushing and shoving became harder and harder to identify as the crowd of 19,893 spilled onto the pitch and engulfed the row.
Clare needed Rodgers to hold his nerve with the last strike because their second-half shooting had been otherwise abysmal. Countless times they were in a position to put a lock on this victory. It took them until the 76th minute to do so.
Four minutes earlier, Shane Bennett had held his nerve with a penalty, after another sub, Patrick Fitzgerald, was upended by Diarmuid Ryan, to level proceedings.
Waterford led with the opening score of this latest Munster thriller. They never led again. They spent the afternoon chasing.
Clare enjoyed a 2-13 to 0-14 interval advantage. And even though a Rodgers goal on 39 minutes edged them 3-13 to 0-16 in front, six wides in the 10 minutes after half-time spoke of radar malfunction that almost cost them a point, if not both.
The Déise inside pair of Kevin Mahony and Dessie Hutchinson incrementally shrunk the deficit. A Stephen Bennett goal, followed by a Dessie free, had them level at 3-14 to 1-20 on 54 minutes.
Tony Kelly was by this juncture off his seat and in the thick of it. He was fouled for a converted Aidan McCarthy free. He drilled in their fourth goal on 58 minutes. 4-16 to 1-21. But they could never put Davy’s lads away until eventually Rodgers’ controversial ‘65 did so.
Clare's second win of the round-robin sees them leapfrog Waterford on the table. Waterford's unbeaten start is over. The strong likelihood is they will need to take something off champions Limerick next weekend to secure first ever progression from the round-robin.
So much of the commentary on Davy’s Waterford and the instructions given before the respective pieces take their place on the chessboard surrounds the number of players stationed in the inside line and the number of passes strung before they are fed.
Here, the commentary surrounded their last line of defence and why there were so few of them stationed where they should have been.
Waterford defenders were routinely pulled far from where the number on their back denoted they reside. Clare half-forwards and midfielders routinely ghosted into that space unmarked.
Clare rose two green flags in the opening half. But for the agility and reflexes of 'keeper Shaun O’Brien, the green flag total would have been double that.
The timing of the first goal was significant and stymieing.
Jack Prendergast, Mikey Kiely, and Kevin Mahony were after reeling off three-in-a-row to take Waterford from five to two behind, 0-8 to 0-6. Jamie Barron, Stephen Bennett, and Tadhg de Búrca provided three very sharp assists. Waterford’s defence-to-attack passing was finally finding some rhythm.
It would have been four in-a-row and a one-point game only Dessie dropped his attempt short.
A Jamie Barron stray pass was intercepted by Rodgers. His booming over-the-cover handpass found midfielder Darragh Lohan untracked. Goal. The almost untouchable Shane O’Donnell complemented the opening major with a white flag. Clare’s lead shoved out to six, the largest it had been all afternoon.
Their second goal, on 26 minutes, widened the difference to eight. The Waterford mistake on this occasion was owned by Tadhg de Búrca. His pass was intercepted by Cian Galvin, a late inclusion in the Clare team for the non-starting David McInerney.
Galvin’s pass inside found a scarcely believable two–on-one. The two were Shane O’Donnell and David Fitzgerald, the one was Waterford’s Iarlaith Daly. The two took the one, Fitzgerald with the finish. 2-10 to 0-8.
Waterford were doing their smartest hurling in spurts. Four-in-a-row from the 31st to the 34th minute had the difference chiseled to five.
Space, though, remained an issue - at either end. John Conlon too often found himself without company when either collecting a poorly lasered pass or as an outball recipient for a defensive colleague.
On 35 minutes, he played to fellow half-back Diarmuid Ryan who pointed. Aidan McCarthy’s third free put the board at 2-13 to 0-13.
We hadn’t even begun. Breathless fare, Breathless finish.
Munster championship, you are too good to us.
D Fitzgerald (1-4); M Rodgers (1-3, 0-1 ‘65); T Kelly, D Lohan (1-0 each); A McCarthy (0-5, 0-4 frees); S O’Donnell, I Galvin (0-2 each); D Ryan, C Malone, P Duggan, D Reidy, C Cleary (0-1 each).
D Hutchinson (0-6, 0-5 frees); Shane Bennett (1-0 pen), Stephen Bennett (1-2 each); K Mahony (0-4); T de Búrca (0-1 free), Pádraig Fitzgerald (0-2 each); I Kenny, K Bennett, J Fagan, C Lyons, J Barron, J Prendergast, M Kiely, Patrick Fitzgerald (0-1 each).
E Quilligan; A Hogan, C Cleary, R Hayes; C Galvin, J Conlon, D Ryan; C Malone, D Lohan; D Fitzgerald, D Reidy, P Duggan; A McCarthy, S O’Donnell, M Rodgers.
T Kelly for Reidy (48); S Morey for Lohan (57) C Leen for Hayes (59); I Galvin for McCarthy (63).
S O’Brien; K Bennett, I Daly, I Kenny; C Lyons, T de Búrca, M Fitzgerald; D Lyons, P Curran; Stephen Bennett, J Prendergast, J Barron; K Mahony, M Kiely, D Hutchinson.
J Fagan for Lyons (15 mins); Shane Bennett for Curran (32, temporary); C Ryan for K Bennett (57); Patrick Fitzgerald for Kiely (58); Pádraig Fitzgerald for Stephen Bennett (63); P Hogan for Barron (67).
L Gordon (Galway)
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