Clare overpower Cork in Munster B decider

Two goals in a minute were key for Clare

Cork's Rose Murphy tries to evade Abi Kelly of Clare in the Munster Senior B final. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

TG4 Munster SFC B final: Clare 4-13 Cork 2-8 

Two goals in a minute were key scores for Clare as they got the better of Cork in the TG4 Munster SFC B final at Kilmallock in Limerick.

Leah Kelly and Theresa Collins both scored to put Clare ahead by 3-10 to 1-5 and from there Cork were never going to recover.

Overall the winners were by far the better side as they led from start to finish to win their first title at this level since 2023.

Clare took the lead in the third minute when Joanna Doohan pointed and from the restart it took a great save from Caoimhe Forde to deny them a goal.

Theresa Collins picked up the ball and played Lauren Conway in, but Forde saved superbly to deny her.

Emma Cooney had Cork back on level terms before Clare were awarded a penalty for a foul on Chloe Moloney, who won the Player of the Game award.

She picked herself up to find the bottom corner to make it 1-1 to 0-1 after eight minutes.

Clare grew in confidence from this with Ellie Hanrahan and Moloney adding points to increase their lead.

Amy Sexton was also on target to see Clare in front by 1-4 to 0-1 after 17 minutes.

Mary Leahy pulled a point back for Cork, before Collins saw her shot on goal go narrowly wide.

Moloney pointed from a free, before Clare had their keeper, Rebecca Sexton, to thank as she denied Nicola Sheehan a green flag.

With 21 minutes gone Cork were back in contention, when Holly Quirke and Siofra Pattwell combined to put Cliona Dooley in for a goal and they could have had a second a minute later.

Pattwell played the ball to Sheehan but her effort was just outside the post.

Collins pointed for Clare, with Dooley replying for Cork as half time approached.

With the last shot of the half Moloney pointed from a free for Clare to see them lead by 1-9 to 1-3 at the break.

Holly Quirke pulled a point back for Cork at the start of the second half, with Collins and Moloney replying for Clare. Quirke was on target again, before two goals in a minute killed off any chance of a Cork comeback.

Moloney set up Leah Kelly for the first and from the restart Collins got their third, to make it 3-10 to 1-5 and effectively kill off the game as a contest.

Quirke pulled a goal back for Cork and she added a point for a free, with Megan Downes and Kelly replying at the other end.

With time running out Collins got Clare’s fourth goal to seal the win for the Banner.

Scorers for Clare: T Collins 2-2, C Moloney 1-4 (1-0 pen, 3f), L Kelly 1-1, E Hanrahan 0-3, J Doohan, A Sexton, M Downes 0-1 each.

Cork: H Quirke 1-4 (2f), C Dooley 1-1, E Nagle (f), E Cooney, M Leahy 0-1 each.

CLARE: R Sexton; H Doyle, R Doohan, L Power; L Cleary, J Doohan, E Burke; T Collins, A Slattery; A Sexton, E Hanrahan, S Considine; E O Driscoll, C Moloney, L Conway. 

Subs: M Downes for S Considine (25), A Kelly for L Cleary (ht), L Kelly for E O’Driscoll (43), A Crowe for L Conway (51), S Torpey for A Sexton (55).

CORK: C Forde; N Kennedy, E McGrath, E Tarrant; A O’Sullivan, E Cooney, K O’Donovan; A McDonagh, M Beausang; M Leahy, N Sheehan, A McTaggart; S Pattwell, H Quirke, C Dooley. 

Subs: R Murphy for M Leahy (ht), E Nagle for C Dooley (39), S Ni Laoire for E Tarrant, A McCarthy for A McTaggart (both 43), R Shanley for A O’Sullivan (51).

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry).