Maloney hails cool heads which salvaged the Banner’s hopes
STILL drenched by the heavy shower that fell during extra-time, Donal Maloney needed a moment to formulate his thoughts before reflecting on the extraordinary drama in Croke Park.
Even in the breathless aftermath, Clare’s joint-manager was able to draw parallels between Jason McCarthy’s assured equaliser and the shot that brought the 2013 All-Ireland final to a replay. It may yet have a similar place in Banner folklore.
‘It had shades of Domhnall O’Donovan in 2013,’ Maloney proclaimed. ‘I think those four lads had the only calm heads in the stadium at that point, the way they built the move out from the back and passed it from one guy to the next guy. And Jason doesn’t miss those chances.’
The All-Ireland champions had started like a freight train, racing into a nine-point lead by the 16th minute. But as we have discovered time and again in this extraordinary hurling summer, nine-point leads can be the most dangerous in the sport, and Maloney never doubted that his team would get back in the game.
‘Galway brought terrific momentum. They done that in the replay against Kilkenny, too. We had planned for it, but executing it is different. Galway are a magnificent team but we never had any real doubt that we were going to bring it back.’
On an evening when it was impossible to keep track of all the sub-plots on the field, the most heartening was the way that Aaron Shanagher announced his return from a cruciate ligament injury to score a goal in the second period of extra-time.
It was the first time that Clare had led in the game and, at the time, it looked like the AllIreland champions were done.
‘It is incredible really to come back so soon and that was one of his trademarks prior to the injury, the catch, turn and bang. He is a very driven young man,’ Maloney continued.
‘When you are two points up at that stage of extra-time, with the goal being such a momentum shift, you do think that you might push on. But Galway were magnificent. The leadership that Johnny Glynn and Johnny Coen showed.’
Clare kept their opponents, and the referee, waiting on the field for four minutes at the start of the second-half but Maloney insists it was only a honest mistake. They had lost track of time.
‘To be honest, when you go nine points down to Galway and you have a lot of stuff to fix, and the players wanted to discuss things and thrash things out because you only get one shot at this. If we caused anyone any offence, we are sorry. We lost track of time because we were sorting out stuff. Your season was riding on this. We had to get it right.’
Galway ended the game with three of their leaders – David Burke, Joe Canning and Gearoid McInerney – looking on from the stand. The latter pair went off with knee injuries although Micheál Donoghue said it was too early for a prognosis. Without that inspirational trio, Galway still showed enough character from the likes of Coen and Jason Flynn to be in a winning position as the game entered the final few seconds.
‘We said in the dressing-room that this is a massive bunch and we are really proud of them. They are very committed to the cause,’ Donoghue said. He cut a frustrated figure at times, and admitted that he tried to have a word with referee James Owens over his decisions.
However, the Galway boss accepted that a draw was probably a fair result.
‘The game ebbed and flowed. Both teams threw everything they had at it, when you consider the shower that was there as well that made conditions really hard.
‘I think you have to give both teams great credit for the way they adapted to conditions. Both teams just went at it.’
Now for round two.