Clare seniors point way as Clooney-Quin dethrone Feakle

Clare star Peter Duggan hit eight for Clooney-Quin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Clare SHC quarter-final: Clooney-Quin 1-20 Feakle 1-11 

A timely validation for Clooney-Quin as they dethroned holders Feakle to secure a first ClareSHC Semi-Final appearance in eight years in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg.

Leading for over three-quarters of the tie, Fergal Lynch’s side were fully deserved winners, even if there was a brief scare in the third quarter when their seven point half-time cushion was slashed to just two by the 41st minute.

County seniors Peter Duggan, Ryan Taylor, Jack O’Neill and John Conneally inevitably led the way for the winners but they would be matched by a rich vein of emerging talent that saw newcomers Darragh McNamara (1-0) and Jerry O’Connor (0-2) provide crucial contributions on the scoreboard.

The goal came just before the break when collecting a pass from Jack O’Neill and cutting in from the left corner before firing past goalkeeper Liam O’Connor to complete a 1-5 unanswered finish to the half at 1-12 to 0-07.

Feakle looked to be in real trouble at that stage as now facing into the conditions and without county goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan and last year’s Player of the Year Shane McGrath through injury, it was difficult to see how they would be able to contain a now rampant Clooney-Quin side.

However, it’s the mark of real champions that Ger Conway’s side were able to bounce back off the ropes inspired by a Martin Daly goal only three minutes into the new half, having been perfectly teed up by Steven Conway at 1-12 to 1-7.

Buoyed by that score, captain Oisin Donnellan, Eoin Tuohy and Oisin O’Connor raided for unanswered points to lessen the arrears to just two by the two-thirds mark.

Fittingly it was the talismanic Peter Duggan that stopped the rot with a monster free from his own half for Clooney-Quin’s first score of the new half in the 42nd minute.

And from there, Clooney-Quin regathered momentum as Jimmy Corry, Jack O’Neill, Ryan Taylor and John Conneally piled on points to restore a seven point cushion entering the final ten minutes at 1-17 to 1-10.

Feakle brought on Shane McGrath, who defied having two broken bones in his knee to play in the final quarter but by that stage, Clooney-Quin were already thinking ahead to a first semi-final since reaching the final in 2017.

Scorers for Clooney-Quin: Peter Duggan (0-8, 5f, 1sl); Dannan Fox (0-3); Darragh McNamara (1-0); Jerry O’Connor, Jimmy Corry, Ryan Taylor (0-2 each); Callum Hassett, Jack O’Neill, John Conneally (0-1 each)

Scorers for Feakle: Oisin Donnellan (0-6, 5f); Martin Daly (1-1); Oisin Clune, Eoin Tuohy, Oisin O’Connor, Owen McGann (0-1 each) Referee: Fergal O’Brien (Broadford)

CLOONEY-QUIN: C Duggan; S McNamara, J Conneally, E Maxted; D Keogh, J Cahill, C Grogan; R Taylor, J Corry; P Duggan, J O’Connor, J O’Neill; C Hassett, D McNamara, D Fox 

Sub: Trevor Lee for Hassett (57) 

FEAKLE: L O’Connor; E Madden, A Hopan, K Bane; O Clune, E Tuohy, C Smyth; E Noonan, P Daly; O  Donnellan, R O’Connor, R Bane; S Conway, M Daly, O O’Connor 

Subs: O McGann for R. Bane (HT), S McGrath for M. Daly (49), G Guilfoyle for Conway (49), E Daly for Madden (57), E McMahon for Smyth (60, inj)