Relief for Cork, Clare harness indignation with mammoth second half fightback

Clare transformed themselves with three second-half goals after an awful first half against the Rebels.

ENNIS HEAT: Tempers flare between Clare's Darragh Lohan and Conor Leen with Patrick Horgan and Brian Hayes of Cork. Pic: Tom Maher/Inpho

Munster SHC: Clare 3-21 Cork 2-24 

Draws prompt varying conclusions so let’s start with the facts.

For the third year in a row, Clare have failed to win a first-round game in Ennis. For the third year in a row, Cork have begun their Munster championship without a victory.

But for both to come away with something will be treasured dearly, seeing as both could have so easily left with nothing. 

It wasn’t until additional time that the All-Ireland champions went ahead and while it was short-lived, it was enough for Cork to contemplate a brutal fate.

Twelve points they had been up at half-time, 2-15 to 0-9. Eight points they were to the good up to the 68th minute, 2-23 to 2-15. Had they lost, their ears would have been sore with jibes that they were paper tigers and not yet capable of handling the hype.

It's clear league winners don’t have it easy starting out in the championship. 

Twelve months ago, Clare glittered with silverware but couldn’t sustain the first half siege they laid against Limerick and were eventually beaten. 

Back then, they started like champions and finished like chumps. Here, they performed those roles in reverse.

For many in Cork, this will feel like the one that got away, irrespective of Shane Barrett’s red card and yet they were the ones grateful for a share of the spoils at the end.

Declan Dalton’s free for a foul on Ciarán Joyce ensured they returned home with a piece of the action. In front of a 20,778 attendance populated by many of their own, there was relief for them and a sense of indignation for Clare who had been dismissed by some far too readily.

Clare transformed themselves with three second-half goals after an awful first half. Barrett’s red card obviously played a part but it should never have been a case of the visitors hanging on.

Clare were made to wait for Cork to re-enter the field for the second half but any hope that it would cool the home side was in vain. Aidan McCarthy posted Clare’s opening goal seconds into the new half courtesy of a Mark Rodgers pass.

After Tony Kelly launched a long-range free, Clare were celebrating another green flag in the 41st minute. Peter Duggan broke down a Kelly delivery from distance and David Reidy showed the composure to finish the move.

A backlash would have been anticipated but Cork’s cover was out of sync, possibly due to Rob Downey’s leg injury. 

Peter Duggan of Clare in action against Cork players Seán O’Donoghue, Eoin Downey and Darragh Fitzgibbon. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

They scored the next three points to offset some of the pain and the margin was 10 points in the 57th minute when Barrett was sent to the line for a high challenge on Reidy.

The difference was eight when Clare rose again. Either side of converted free, Duggan showed his exquisite aerial ability to bring down a ball and finish for a goal in the penultimate minute of normal time.

Clare were trailing by three going into additional time but their deficit soon evaporated and replaced by a lead when David Reidy, his side’s fourth free-taker, punished a foul on Aron Shanagher. 

Yet there was still time for Dalton to cancel it out. Had Joyce not been awarded it, a strong case would have been made by Clare and yet the consequence of it appeared fair.

“They [Clare] were going to get a fairly good rollicking when they came in at half-time from Brian [Lohan] and they came out like men possessed,” said Pat Ryan. “We weathered that storm. We went back up to eight, nine points. That's probably the disappointing thing. We probably got involved in something we shouldn't have done. We were reduced down to 14 men and you're chasing your tail in this moment.” 

Cork were excellent in the first half but Clare mustered just one point from play in the opening 33 minutes. Before that they had struck six wides and Duggan forced a good save from Patrick Collins.

The Cork goalkeeper, though, was hardly as troubled as his counterpart Eibhear Quilligan. Twice, he had to pick the ball out from behind him courtesy of Brian Hayes, the first goal coming in the 13th minute. Hayes rounded Darragh Lohan and batted to the net.

Cork's Brian Hayes scores the opening goal from Clare's Conor Leen, Daragh Lohan and goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

That score sent Cork five points ahead and it would have stretched to eight in the 18th minute had Quilligan not been alert for Alan Connolly’s strike at goal. Another opening for Cork came in the 23rd minute as Darragh Fitzgibbon disguised a point attempt, passed to Barrett, whose drive fizzed wide.

Cork’s incisiveness and all-round zip was in sharp contrast to the slackness exhibited by the All-Ireland champions who if they felt like they were disrespected by the predictions beforehand certainly didn’t demonstrate it in the opening half.

A second goal did come the way of Pat Ryan’s side in the 26th minute. Connolly took off away from Adam Hogan and squared a hand-pass to Hayes to finish and send Cork nine points clear.

Cork attached a string of three points to hit Clare for an unanswered salvo of 1-5 before a McCarthy free stopped the bleeding. The score pattern was tit-for-tat for the remainder of the half but it was the only area in which Clare enjoyed parity.

Lohan wasn’t troubled by the scoreboard read on the turnaround. “Even though it looked bad at half-time, we felt it wasn't that bad. The breeze was tough enough, deceptive enough. When it's going straight down the field here, it can be a difficult breeze to play against. There's so much involved in the puck-out now and winning that puck-out.” 

As for Cork’s equalising free, he wasn’t in the mood for complaining. 

“David McInerney could have got a free. But that's the way games are decided and we're happy enough with the point."

Scorers for Clare: A. McCarthy (1-7, 0-6 frees); T. Kelly (0-5, 2 frees); P. Duggan (1-1); D. Reidy (1-2, 0-2 frees); M. Rodgers (frees), I. Galvin (0-2 each): D. Fitzgerald, C. Malone (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (0-9, 6 frees, 1 65); B. Hayes (2-2); D. Fitzgibbon, A. Connolly (0-3 each); S. Barrett, T. O’Mahony (0-2 each); S. Harnedy, B. Roche, D. Dalton (free) (0-1 each).

CLARE: E. Quilligan; C. Leen, D. Lohan, A. Hogan; D. Ryan, J. Conlon, D. McInerney; C. Malone, R. Taylor; T. Kelly (c), D. Reidy, D. Fitzgerald; A. McCarthy, P. Duggan, M Rodgers.

Subs for Clare: C. Galvin for D. Ryan (inj 16); I. Galvin for A. McCarthy (60); A. Shanagher for M. Rodgers (68).

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

Subs for Cork: G. Millerick for R. Downey (inj 45); D. Dalton for S. Harnedy (48); B. Roche for E. Twomey (55); S. Kingston for P. Horgan (60); D. Healy for A. Connolly (65).

Red card: S. Barrett (straight, 57).

Referee: L. Gordon (Galway).

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