Maurice Brosnan: Clare and Waterford embrace pedal to the metal hurling

Clare beat Waterford in a game featuring 88 shots and 66 scores. “And sure, that is what everyone wants, isn't it?" said Déise boss Peter Queally

2026 Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 1, Zimmer Biomet Cusack Park, Clare 19/4/2026

Munster SHC: Clare 2-33 Waterford 4-21 

Roll the window down, stretch the arm out and just ride. The Munster championship highway reaches out ahead and it started at breakneck speed in Ennis.

Clare’s route to this six-point victory was rife with dramatic oscillations, but in the end, Shane Meehan smashed past the brilliant Billy Nolan to ignite a tribal roar. Seconds later, referee Shane Hynes sounded the final whistle. Shots flew past like telephone poles beside the hard shoulder, 88 in total.

Mark Rodgers was flawless from placed balls with 100% accuracy while the experienced heads of Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly were content in the back seat, chipping in with four points apiece.

The story of the game was direct supply to the inside line. It yielded carnage and a deluge of goals. They exchanged long deliveries like tennis players, planted at the byline and lorrying it across the net. It sent green flags billowing.

Stephen Bennett charged Waterford’s challenge, with 3-12 from 16 shots. His first was born from a long sideline cut and instinctive reaction. Just outside the 21-metre line Bennett caught it, spun and smashed it and somehow won the rebound to finally score it.

Seán Walsh was a presence on the square too, earning a penalty after a Niall O’Farrell foul and attracting enough attention when Nolan bombed a free up the field to ensure Bennett could sneak in and complete his hat-trick. The big number 14 batted a goal of his own with seven minutes remaining to ensure a grandstand finish.

Clare showed they can go for the jugular too. Peter Duggan started inside with O’Donnell and Mark Rodgers feeding off him. O’Donnell’s opening point was thanks to a break off Duggan and he went on to earn several frees for Rodgers with bulldog-like stubbornness.

As for Duggan, he demonstrated his all-round ability when he kicked over a point and finally beat Nolan after Rodgers snapped up a low pass to tee him up. The Waterford number one denied Mark Rodgers, Ryan Taylor and Shane O’Donnell with defiant saves.

At the turnaround, it was 0-15 to 2-8. The Banner made it their business to bounce back from each goal concession immediately. Twice Tony Kelly produced awesome efforts to stem the bleeding. Diarmuid Stritch came off the bench to snipe three well-taken points including one to blunt Waterford’s final comeback. They were nine points down at one point in the second half and closed that gap to three coming down the home straight.

They needed more. The task now is to extract more from the shooters beyond Bennett. Austin Gleeson impressed off the bench with two points, the second punctuated with a rousing fist to the Shed side. Dessie Hutchinson scored four points having only amassed single-digit possessions. Michael Kiely jogged off after 47 minutes without a score to his name.

There was a time when Limerick talked about their target of 30 shots. Now there is an increasing need for 30 scores or more. This is full-throttle hurling.

“It probably is,” said Peter Queally post-match.

“And sure, that is what everyone wants, isn't it? I think as a spectacle, what we saw there today in Ennis and what we probably saw in Tullamore last night, people enjoyed that type of hurling. It is the way hurling should be played, really.” 

Brian Lohan has plenty to build on now. The defensive lapses were more systematic flaws than individual errors. Adam Hogan had an incredible flick in the second half to deny another Walsh goal chance, while Niall O’Farrell impressed on his championship debut. David McInerney is expected to be back for their tie with Limerick in two weeks.

Waterford can take solace from the spirit shown right until the end. Aaron O’Neill raced towards the black spot with Dessie Hutchinson loitering menacingly to his right but the handpass failed to find the target and Conor Leen swept in. Éibhear Quilligan was at full length to deny Patrick Curran and Bennett settled for a tap over when Hynes brought the ball back for a free.

They face the All-Ireland champions at home in a high-stakes tie between two teams without a win. There is only one way to go now. In the end, the match equalled the record score for a Munster SHC game, Cork and Limerick’s famous encounter in 2024. What sparked Tipperary and Cork in recent years is that go-for-broke mentality. This is the era of the pedal to the floor.

Scorers for Clare: M. Rodgers 0-11 (1 65, 10 frees); S. Rynne 0-5; T. Kelly, S. O’Donnell 0-4 each; P. Duggan 1-1; D. Stritch 0-3; S. Meehan 1-0; D. Ryan, D. Lohan 0-2 each; R. Taylor 0-1.

Scorers for Waterford: S. Bennett 3-12 (1-0 pen, 0-12 frees); D. Hutchinson 0-4; S. Walsh 1-0; A. Gleeson, J. Barron 0-2 each; P. Hogan 0-1.

CLARE: E. Quilligan; R. Hayes, C. Cleary, A. Hogan; D. Ryan, N. O’Farrell, C. Malone; D. Lohan, R. Taylor; T. Kelly, D. Reidy, S. Rynne; M. Rodgers, P. Duggan, S. O’Donnell.

Subs: C. Leen for Hogan (22-27, Temp); D. Stritch for Reidy (50); C. Leen for Hayes (57); S. Meehan for O’Donnell (62), I. Galvin for Rynne (66), R. Kilroy for Hogan (68).

WATERFORD: B. Nolan; M. Fitzgerald, I. Kenny, A. O’Neill; J. Fagan, P. Leavey, S. Bennett; D. Lyons, C. Lyons; J. Prendergast, J. Barron, M. Kiely; S. Walsh, S. Bennett, D. Hutchinson.

Subs: P. Hogan for S. Bennett (40); A. Gleeson for Kiely (47); K. Mahony for D. Lyons (53); P. Curran for Barron (67).

Referee: S. Hynes (Galway).