CORK RALLY SINKS CLARE MEN
Meyler’s side come from eight behind to claim title
IN THE dark recesses of the Cork psyche, it must hurt that the only Clare game in recent history that has gone against the head happens to be the 2013 All-Ireland final.
Since the turn of the millennium, they have met 13 times, Cork winning 11 of them. Apart from the draw the first day, the only one that got away was that thrilling scorefest that was the Saturday night special.
And yet it’s the current generation of Clare players who have the Celtic Cross in their locker.
It’s about more than back-toback titles for this Cork team. They achieved that much in some style at Semple Stadium yesterday, Seamus Harnedy epitomising the character and leadership by setting up a crucial goal for Luke Meade before half-time.
From a point where Cork were trailing by eight — 2-11 to 0-9 — and being taken to the cleaners in the full-back line by John Conlon, that Meade score and a Mark Coleman sideline left things much more manageable in terms of a comeback.
As if to make a point, John Meyler’s team stayed long in the dressing-room at half-time, leaving Clare waiting and then blitzing them in a crucial match-winning third quarter.
With the supply of ball into Conlon evaporating, it was Cork who drove on with all the momentum, Harnedy, fittingly, taking Bill Cooper’s pass to find the net for a second goal that put the defending champions on their way.
It’s been 20 years and counting now since Clare last witnessed Anthony Daly lift the Munster Cup — it’s a hard road back from here to an All-Ireland. But Clare have a couple of weeks to regroup now before facing into a quarterfinal against either Wexford or Joe McDonagh Cup final losers Westmeath.
For Cork, it’s all about bridging a gap now to the last senior AllIreland in 2005, a long drought that doesn’t sit well in the county’s history. It was 2005-06 that the county last retained their Munster crown so maybe there is an omen in this achievement linking back to when they were last a force in All-Ireland terms.
There was a bit of history too in winning this first round-robin Munster Championship. After five matches, the champions will argue that it is arguably the greatest Munster title ever won.
Significantly, it’s now eight games in Munster that Cork have gone unbeaten over the last two years.
Patrick Horgan is one of those who will be remembered fondly when the tale of this is retold.
Making his 50th Championship appearance with Cork, he showed his enduring quality. His two scores from play in the first half were jaw-dropping. The first, 16 minutes in, involved a sublime, sliced pick-up, angling the hurley so the ball popped into his hand without breaking stride before slinging the shot over his shoulder.
In the 31st minute, he reproduced a version of same, another flick into his hand to gain possession and then a finish to match.
Those scores were needed in a first-half when Clare were throwing most of the punches. Anthony Nash made a comfortable save early on from Conlon who had too much of a tight angle to really justify trying to beat a goalkeeper of his calibre, but it was a sign of intent, the Clare full-forward continuing his Hurler of the Year form with five points from play in that half.
Clare’s first goal came midway through the half. It started with a puck-out to Jamie Shanahan out on the old stand side. Down the line then to Tony Kelly who slipped Mark Coleman and headed for open country. David Reidy ran a great supporting line, took Kelly’s handpass in full flight and buried the ball to the net.
A couple of minutes before halftime, Clare nabbed a second goal. Donal Tuohy dropped a longrange free into the danger area where Duggan made the most use of his six feet plus frame, pulling one-hand on the dropping ball to the net. Now 2-10 to 0-9, Conlon then stretched the gap out to eight.
Cork needed a show of leadership and it came from Harnedy. He jumped to expertly field Nash’s puck-out, turned marker Patrick O’Connor and set off for goal, releasing Luke Meade with a pop hand pass and his teammate did the rest, sliding the ball coolly past Tuohy.
Darragh Fitzgibbon set the tone straight after the restart with a booming score and seven points in that third quarter to just a single Duggan free was when the game turned firmly in Cork’s favour, Harnedy then pouncing for a crucial goal.
The workrate and intensity throughout the team was the major difference, and as the supply of ball into Conlon dried up, Clare couldn’t get a proper foothold.
Points from Harnedy, Bill Cooper and Horgan had Cork five ahead entering injury time and Ian Galvin’s late, late strike for Clare did little more than put a final gloss on the scoreboard.