This article is from page 105 of the 2008-06-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 105 JPG
KEVIN Kennedy couldn’t hide his disappointment as he leaned against the wall outside the Clare dressing room. The manager quickly identi- fied the moment the game turned against Clare, David Moloney’s 47th minute goal for Limerick.
Clare had made a solid start to the second half and led by a point, playing against a strong breeze. But
Moloney’s goal totally altered the flow of the contest.
“We gave away a goal at a stage of the game where we were on top. That was a crucial point of the game. We missed frees. I’m not blaming any freetaker, there was a swirling wind out there. It was a bad day for freetakers. It didn’t go for our lads. That goal was the turning point,’ said Kennedy.
Still, the manager was more than
pleased by the commitment given by the panel throughout the season and felt Limerick’s greater experience gave them a slight edge on the day. “We had 20 or 25 fellas there this year and they gave it everything. We are very proud of them. They gave everything to the jersey and they gave everything while they were playing. Limerick had a second string out there. They are very experienced fellas. We just didn’t get the breaks
today and that what happens.” Kennedy was particularly im- pressed by the way his side got about their business in the second half and offered special mention for Damien Browne, who made his first champi- onship appearance this summer. ‘We upped our game in the second half. We brought on young Damien Browne from Cratloe and he made big difference in midfield. We haven’t seen Damien all year, he’s been doing
exams for the last couple of days.
“He made a big difference when he came into midfield. That’s why the wind didn’t seem to be a factor because we were on top for the first 10-15 minutes. We had five or six at- tacks but we didn’t get anything out of them. That was it. Limerick were slightly better than us, slightly more accomplished than us. We’re disap- pointed but we’re still proud of the lads,” he added.