Cats hold off Clare in slow-burn showdown
FLAT OUT: Clare's Ian McNamara is tackled by Paddy Degan of Kilkenny. Pic: INPHO/Natasha Barton
Just before the throw-in, the rain came down in sheets, enveloping a cold, dark and dank afternoon in even more misery, making it even more understandable again why it took until early in the fourth quarter for the crowd to warm up, find their voice, and make a highly competitive match feel like a contest had finally broken out.
By that stage, it was like an old-school hurling game, with the last 11 scores coming from turnovers as both teams were scrambling to get ahead, stay ahead, or just stay alive. The endgame was even more hectic and frenetic but Kilkenny held their nerve to hold off the All-Ireland champions. Just about.
Points in additional time from Eoin Cody and Luke Hogan meant Clare’s Keith Smyth had to go from goal from a free from the edge of the D with the last puck of the match. Smyth hit his shot high and with top-spin but goalkeeper Aidan Tallis kept the sliotar out.
Kilkenny have always put huge store on coming to Ennis, to gauge desire and spirit as much as to measure quality, but the two points never felt as precious considering the pain Clare inflicted on Kilkenny last year.
“Clare beat us three times last year because they deserved to beat us three times last year, end of story,” said Derek Lyng afterwards. “This year is a new year and today was about getting a couple of points on the board. We saw a few players, the attitude was good. They're a great bunch of lads. They're working really hard and they're ambitious but it's competitive and you have to kind of show up. Today will give us a lot of confidence.”
Clare will be disappointed not to have seen out the match when ahead by two points as the clock ticked towards 70 minutes but the afternoon is still contextualised by the make-up of their side; Clare only had five starters from last year’s All-Ireland final.
“We have 15 or 16 injuries and then nine players playing Fitzgibbon as well,” said Brian Lohan. “The resources are stretched but that’s fine. We’ve a big panel and that’s the reason for it. We probably just weren’t good enough to get something out of it, but happy with our lads and how they played. There was a brilliant attitude.”
In the end, Kilkenny’s two most experienced forwards, Eoin Cody and Mossy Keoghan steered them to victory. Keoghan landed five points from play while Cody was hugely influential in the second half, especially late on, when scoring two excellent points, and assisting two more.
In the conditions, it was a war of wills, strong minds and even stronger bodies. Old school stuff. Thirty-one of the 44 scores came from turnovers. A lot of that was down to rust and rain but Clare’s devastating accuracy, with an 81 per cent conversion rate, consistently gave them a platform in the match, before Kilkenny eventually collapsed it from rising tide of possession and scoring chances. Kilkenny had nine more shots over the 70 plus minutes.
Clare started in a blaze, surging ahead by 0-9 to 0-2 by the 11th minute, having converted their first nine shots. Clare were playing with the breeze, but they were extremely sharp in that opening quarter, whereas Kilkenny reached nowhere near those precision levels.
Kilkenny turned over the ball 10 times in the first quarter from misdirected or under-hit passes, as well as unforced errors. They’d only scored twice in the first 20 minutes before finally getting some traction, much of which was down to the increasing influence of their half-back line, particularly Mikey Carey, who hit three first half points, and David Blanchfield.
By that stage, Kilkenny were also playing with increased aggression and intensity, more disciplined tackling and greater accuracy levels all over the pitch. Four unanswered points in five minutes finally got them moving and got the Kilkenny supporters stirring. And Clare were suddenly on the backfoot.
The shot count in the second quarter was 12-5 in Kilkenny’s favour, with the visitors converting eight of those chances. Clare still led at the break by 0-12 to 0-10, but the concern of their drop off was compounded by the loss of David McInerney to a hamstring injury.
Kilkenny had levelled up the match three minutes into the half and the sides continued to trade scores throughout the third quarter, with Gearóid Dunne levelling the match at the end of that quarter at 0-15 each.
Kilkenny’s bench was making a difference. After they went ahead by two, Clare responded with four points in less than three minutes from Smyth (2), Cian Galvin and Seán Rynne before Keoghan levelled up the match again with two quick-fire points and then another Billy Drennan free put Kilkenny back in front in the 70th minute.
Clare charged after them but Kilkenny kept going, just managing to breast the tape first.
: B Drennan (0-7, 6fs, ’65), M Keoghan (0-5), M Carey (0-3), E Cody and P McDonald (0-2) each), L Connellan, L Hogan, C Kenny, G Dunne (0-1 each).
: D Reidy (0-8, 7fs), D Conroy (0-3), S Rynne, P Donnellan, S Meehan, K Smyth (0-2 each), A Shanagher and Cian Galvin (0-1 each).
: A Tallis; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; M Carey, D Blanchfield, F Mackessy; P McDonald, J Molloy; M Keoghan, A Mullen, P Deegan; B Drennan, E Cody, B Ryan.
Subs: G Dunne for Molloy (43min), L Hogan for Kenny (51min), L Connellan for Ryan (59min), Z B Hammond for Mackessy (65min).
: E Quilligan; I McNamara, C Leen, D Lohan; J O’Neill, D McInerney, C Galvin; R Taylor, C Malone; P Crotty, D Conroy, S Rynne; S Meehan, A Shanagher, D Reidy.
Subs: Ross Hayes for McInerney (37min), P Donnellan for Taylor (43min), K Smyth for Shanagher (51min), Rory Hayes for Crotty (55min), J Conneally for Leen (61min).
: S Hynes (Galway)
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