Hurlers down the Banner impressively
performance leaving nothing to be desired in terms of conviction, resolve and industry. While it might be argued that Clare could have been closer at the interval, but for erratic shooting which saw them accumulate eight wides before the break, the truth is that their forwards were always under pressure in possession, which was the main reason for their first half profligacy.
As a unit, the Cork rearguard worked very effectively in the opening period, and likewise in the second half when a number of promising Clare raids were aborted by the sheer intensity of the home side’s resistance.
Elsewhere, the picture was just as bright for Cork, with Daniel Kearney, ably supported by Bill Cooper, hugely influential at midfield, and Alan Cadogan and Shane Kingston shining in a hard-working attack.
Making life extremely uncomfortable for Clare corner-back Jack Browne, Cadogan really sparkled in the first half, chipping in with three exquisite points from play as Cork, who weren’t to fall behind at any stage, eased into an 0-7 to 0-2 lead by the 26th minute.
They went close to bagging a couple of goals as well, with Kingston shooting narrowly over the bar after his forceful play enabled him to create a chance out of nothing in the 15th minute, and Seamus Harnedy bringing the best out of Clare ‘keeper Donal Tuohy shortly afterwards.
Denied a badly-needed boost when Anthony Nash brought off a smart save from Aaron Shanagher in the 34th minute, Clare managed to make a major breakthrough in stoppage time, courtesy of an opportunist goal by Podge Collins.
Breaking swiftly from the back following a misdirected pass by Cork full forward Patrick Horgan, the visitors were grateful and relieved that Collins was on hand to knock the ball home after Nash had initially kept out a rasper from Tony Kelly.
It meant that much of Cork’s good work in the first half had been undone, and they would have been under serious pressure if Nash hadn’t proved his worth again when foiling Kelly’s effort to nudge Clare ahead from a penalty, won by Collins, shortly after the restart.
As it was, Darragh Fitgibbon pointed in the ensuing counter-attack, allowing Cork to get back on track to such an extent that their advantage was never reduced to less than three points subsequently.
They were 0-12 to 1-4 to the good after Mark Ellis made a powerful run from the back to place Daniel Kearney for a score in the 48th minute, and they had stretched the gap to seven points, 0-16 to 1-6, approaching the last ten minutes.
Ellis was a commanding figure at centre back until he was forced to retire with a shoulder injury in the 59th minute, while Colm Spillane hardly put a foot astray at corner-back, and newcomer Mark Coleman excelled on the left flank of a disciplined and well-knit Cork defence that had no obvious weak link.
Clare’s fate was effectively sealed after Cork corner back David Griffin blocked a shot from Shane O’Donnell in the 64th minute, but, in truth, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome long before that.
The bottom line is that Cork came up with most of the answers on the night, and, based on this vibrant display, they will enter the fray with considerable optimism regarding their prospects of picking up another brace of points when they play host to Dublin in Round 2 next Saturday evening.