Marauding Magpies create their own storm to return to senior hurling

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Clare Premier IHC final: Clarecastle 4-27 Corofin 2-12 

Storm Boelo postponed the final by 24 hours but merely delayed Clarecastle’s equally powerful return to the top flight of Clare hurling following an emphatic victory in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg.

Relegated for the first time in their 136 year history three years earlier, it has been a sobering but gradual rehabilitation for the Magpies including a final defeat twelve months ago before finally blossoming with an exciting new look side this time around.

A first round reverse to Tulla meant that it was backs-to-the-wall for Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin's side ever since, a five match winning run that culminated in easily their best performance in the decider.

Indeed, considering that Corofin were just down from senior level and had showed remarkable resilience just to reach the final, surprisingly the game was over long before the final whistle. With the wind at their backs and former Clare star Bobby Duggan returning from Canada to make his first start in four years, Clarecastle hit the ground with just as much ferocity as any of the storms that hit over the bank holiday weekend.

Duggan set the tone with the opening point, with Clare’s All-Ireland Under 20 winner Harry Doherty snatching an Oisin Whelan lineball to fire to the roof of the Corofin net inside three minutes of the throw-in.

The decisive score of the half arrived only three minutes later though as Darragh Healy’s hopeful free from his own ’45 somehow managed to land in the bottom right corner of the neton their way to a 2-5 to 0-0 chasm after only six minutes.

Gearoid Cahill was brought back at an extra defender for Corofin to try to stop the bleeding but it mattered little as despite an eventual opening free through Gearoid Kelly, Corofin were only losing ground to the rampant Magpies.

Bobby Duggan laid off to the overlapping Conor Halpin for a third goal at the turn of the second quarter while Cian Galvin’s frees and the elusive Harry Doherty repeatedly punishing mistakes from the stunned North Clare side.

Kevin Keane did have a goal chance cleared off the line by man-of-the-match Galvin but aside from that Clareascatle’s rearguard were exemplary as Stephen O’Halloran, Aaron Hayes and Darragh Healy excelled in ensuring a 3-15 to 0-03 interval cushion.

With the wind to come, the only way was up for an off-colour Corofin but if anything it only got worse on the resumption as a bullet Paul O’Connell top left corner finish catapulted Clarecastle to an unprecedented 27 point margin by the three quarters mark.

Credit to Corofin for refusing to lower their heads as Gearoid Kelly’s frees and a late brace of Diarmuid Cahill goals did chip away at the deficit somewhat. However, even that late salvo was academic as buoyed by eleven different scorers from play, the marauding Magpies bounded back to senior level in commanding fashion, with the bonus of a Munster Intermediate Championship semi-final away to Limerick’s Dromin-Athlacca to come in three weeks time.

Scorers for Clarecastle: C Galvin 0-8 (6f); H Doherty 1-4; O Whelan 0-5; C Halpin, D Healy (1-0f), P O’Connell (1f) 1-1 each; B Duggan, L Brack 0-2 each; R O’Connell, C Brigdale, E Price 0-1 each.

Scorers for Corofin: G Kelly 0-7 (7f); D Cahill 2-0 (1-0f); S Kirby 0-2; D O’Loughlin, G Cahill, E Davoren 0-1 each.

CLARECASTLE: C Broderick; A Hayes, S O’Halloran, E Wallace; C Whelan, D Healy, C Brigdale; C Galvin, L Brack; H Doherty, C Halpin, R O’Connell; O Whelan, B Duggan, P O’Connell.

Subs: D Tuohy for C Whelan (13-15, BS), J Doherty for P O’Connell (42), E Price for Halpin (44, inj), C Ralph for Duggan (47), J Murphy for R O’Connell (48), P Kelly for H Doherty (51).

COROFIN: L Corbett; J Rees, F Clancy, M O’Loughlin; E Davoren, D O’Loughlin, C McGroary; G Cahill, G Kelly; K Keane, E Doolin, G Hanrahan; J Organ, D Cahill, S Kirby.

Subs: J Malone for Organ (17, inj), M Duffy for Hanrahan (HT), D Corbett for Rees (HT), M Cahill for Davoren (53), C O’Loughlin for Doolin (53).

Referee: J Donnellan (Wolfe Tones).