BIGGER PRIZE
LYNG SAYS CATS MUST BUILD ON LESSONS
have settled the contest. Kilkenny's scoring efficiency shot up in the second half, in which they had just one wide. They hit the next three points after McCarthy's goal and had all the momentum when Eoin Cody shot to the net in the 65th minute.
Cody had a chance to bring them within a point after a black card/ penalty call against Mark Rodgers for a challenge on John Donnelly with a minute of normal time remaining but his penalty was poorly struck and Eibhear Quilligan saved comfortably as Clare scrambled the ball away.
The absence of TJ Reid, withdrawn due to a hamstring complaint, was keenly felt in that instance, and others.
DEREK LYNG says that Kilkenny’s League final defeat can fuel their Championship bid.
For the second successive year the Cats finished as League runners-up though having been comprehensively beaten by Limerick 12 months ago, Monaghan vs Cavan they were left ruing missed chances Monaghan's Rory in Beggan a two-point defeat this time.
The Leinster champions had nine wides in the first period and dropped another two shots short and while they improved dramatically in the second half, hitting just one wide, they were still left counting the cost of Eoin Cody’s late missed penalty as Clare held on.
“We should have and that frustration can seep in,” said Cats boss Lyng (pictured), when it was put to him that they should have had more than just 0-9 on the board at half-time.
“We kept fighting to the end and we’d be happy with that. You need to be taking those chances especially in big games like this. The last day we were clinical, today we weren’t.”
Campaign
Kilkenny start their Championship campaign against Antrim on April 21 and Lyng said this reverse can act as a catalyst for the upcoming campaign.
“It will have to be. That’s the reality. We fell short today and I think we would be frustrated with the chances we left behind and maybe how we conceded. Like I said, we’re playing a top team and we just have to take learning from it and make sure we bring it into the Championship.
“I thought we saw a good few players throughout the League, we got to the final and found out an awful lot about players. Like I said, we have players to come back and we were within a puck of the ball at the end. So there are plenty of positives to take from it.”
Cats talisman TJ Reid was withdrawn from the team with a hamstring.
ADAM HOGAN
(CLARE) It was fitting that the game effectively ended with Hogan bursting out of the defence yet again and drawing a foul that killed off the Kilkenny challenge. A player that energises teammates and supporters.
AIDAN McCARTHY (CLARE) Introduced in the semi-final due to Mark Rodgers’ head injury, he’s barely put a foot wrong since, scoring 2-18, and looks to have nailed down a starting jersey for the Championship.
KILKENNY: Antrim (h), April 21. CLARE: Limerick (h), April 21
DRIVEN: Leitrim’s Evan Sweeney and Sligo’s Nathan Mullen
SLIGO contended very well with Storm Kathleen when claiming a decisive win over neighbours Leitrim and a Connacht semi-final place at a windswept Carrick-onShannon.
After playing with the wind the Yeats men enjoyed an eight-point interval advantage.
Pearce Dolan opened the game’s scoring with a 10th minute Leitrim point.
After that Leitrim failed to score for the remainder of the half.
It took Sligo another six minutes to get on level terms when Darragh Cummins shot over for the Yeats side.
Pearce Dolan opened the game’s scoring with a 10th minute Leitrim point. After that Leitrim failed to score for the remainder of the half.
Sligo’s accuracy rate improved greatly in the final fifteen minutes of the half after Nathan Mullen fired over on the 20th minute mark.
Following that the Yeats men hit five more points without reply from Leitrim.
In this period Niall Murphy shot over from a free and play for Sligo while Canice Mulligan, David Quinn and
Paddy O’Connor chipped in with a point each to put the Yeats men ahead by 0-9 to 0-1 at the break.
After the restart Canice Mulligan extended Sligo’s advantage when he fisted over a 40th minute point.
In reply Leitrim got their first score in thirty-nine minutes when Darragh Rooney split the Sligo posts some eight minutes after Mulligan’s score.
Darragh Cummins replied with a Sligo point.
After a slight purple patch Leitrim managed to slightly reduce the deficit by the 53rd minute with points from substitute Evan Sweeney and Ryan O’Rourke.
A Devaney; E Lyons, E McGuinness, B. Cox; D Quin 0-1, N Mullen 0-3, D Cummins 0-2; S Carrabine, C Mulligan 0-2; C Lally, A McLoughlin 0-1, E Smith; P Kilcoyne, N Murphy 0-4 f, P O’Connor 0-1.
M Gordon 0-1 for Quinn (HT); M Walsh for Smith (55); L Deignan & Keelan Cawley for McLoughlin & Lally (67).
N O’Donnell; C Reynolds, M Diffley, A Flynn; D Wrynn, S Quinn, A Reynolds; J Gilheaney, P Dolan 0-1; T Prior, Ryan O’Rourke 0-2, P Keaveney; Riordan O’Rourke, D Rooney 0-2, E Sweeney.
E Sweeney 0-1 & Radek Oberwan for Prior & J Flynn (46); A Reynolds for C Reynolds (49); C Clancy for J Rooney (59); S McLoughlin for Keaney (62).
SLIGO: Subs: LEITRIM: Subs: Referee:
K Eannetta (Tyrone).