This article is from page 71 of the 2011-03-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 71 JPG
Clare 6-23 – Kerry 1-18 at Cusack Park, Ennis
SAVE hoovering up two points on what should be a clean run to a National League final showdown with Limerick, you’d have do wonder what this was all about.
If the National League is about learning something about yourself, this was very much a wasted exercise, because such was the one-sided nature of proceedings from the earliest minutes, Clare could really take nothing from this apart from those two points.
That they knew this before referee Pat Green threw the sliotar in before a sparsely attended Cusack Park was probably some succor to everyone involved, but such is life in Division 2 hurling that all Clare could do was roll up their sleeves and roll Kerry over.
The 6-23 final total says they did this, as does the 20-point winning margin. It was that easy, and probably would have been much easier again had Clare not eased up considerably in the second half when their comprehensive victory was already assured.
You could say this victory was assured as early as the second minute when John Conlon had his first free run on goal from the wing an drilled a low shot past Bernard Rochford in the Kerry goal.
It was easy, too easy in fact as Clare ran riot in that first half, with the gulf in class between the sides ham- mered home by the fact that Clare’s six starting forwards got their names on the scoresheet, as did sub Darach Honan and midfielders Sean Collins and Nicky O’Connell in the first 35 minutes.
Conlon’s second goal on 11 minutes, a carbon copy of his first as he cut in from the right wing at pace before drilling low to the net, put Clare 2-4 to 0-3 ahead and in cruise control.
Five further points by the 15th minute extended their advantage to 12 points, a figure that looked respectable from Kerry’s viewpoint when the notched a goal of their own on 34 minutes when John Egan picked up a breaking ball on the edge of the square and blasted beyond Donal Tuohy in the Clare goal.
However, as if to restore the natural order of things Clare thundered down the field straight away to hit two goals inside a minute through Nicky O’Connell and Diarmuid McMahon to give them unassailable 415 to 1-6 interval lead.
Clare’s work was done – only the second half lull was to come, but before that they rattled off 1-3 inside six minutes to extend their lead to 24 points.
And, it could have been worse – James McInerney’s opening minute penalty was deflected over the bar before Diarmuid McMahon raised Clare’s fifth flag.
At this stage, Kerry manager John Meylor must have been questioning his wisdom, not only his decision to send his charges back out on to the pitch after a five minute break, but the decision to send his team out at all.
It was that bad. Kerry were that bad, but at least they showed some aptitude when reeling off five points in a row between the 43rd and 52nd minutes to earn some semblance of respectability.
And, their corner forward Darragh O’Connor was the game’s top scorer with 0-11, but that was as good as it got as Clare auto-piloted their way to the two points.
They had a 12-minute scoring drought in that second half, but managed to wipe the sleep out of their eyes before the end when adding 1-5 to their total in the last 20 minutes – the final insult for Kerry coming when Caimin Morey’s 35-metre free in the 67th minute cannoned of upright, defender and goalkeeper before nestling quietly in the back on the net.
It was that kind of day for Kerry. That easy for Clare.
Clare
Donal Tuohy (7), Pat Vaughan (7), Conor Cooney (7), Domhnall O’Donovan (7), Brendan Bugler (7), James McInerney (7) (0-1pen), Cian Dillon (7), Nicky O’Connell (8) (1-4, 1f one 65), Sean Collins (8) (0-3), John Conlon (8) (2-1), Fergal Lynch (7) (0-2), Jonathon Clancy (8) (0-3), Conor McGrath (7) (0-3, 1f), Diarmuid McMahon (7) (2-1), Colin Ryan (7) (0-2f).
Subs
Darach Honan (7) (0-3) for Ryan [18 Mins], Patrick Donnellan (7) for McInerney [47 Mins], Cathal McInerney (6) for McMahon [49 Mins], Caimin Morey (6) (1-0) for Lynch [56 Mins], Liam Markhamfor O’Connell (6) [64 Mins]
Kerry
Bernard Rochford, Colin Harris (0-1),Tom Murnane,Adrian Royle, Padraig O’Grady, Mike Conway, Eamon Fitzgerald, Paud Costello, Darren Dineen, Shane Nolan (0-3), LiamBoyle, Darren Wallace, John Egan (1-1), Ronan Kenny, Darragh O’Connell (0-11f).
Subs
Jason Casey for Royle [12 Mins],Thomas Moloney for Wallace [47 Mins], James Flaherty for Kenny [47 Mins], ], David Fitzelle for Costello [62 Mins]
Man of the Match
John Conlon (Clare) Referee Pat Greene (Galway)