This article is from page 64 of the 2011-08-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 64 JPG
Clondegad 3-10 – O’Curry’s 1-7 at Shanahan McNamara Park, Doonbeg
CLONDEGAD are championship favourites, but uneasy rested this onerous mantle for much of the hour in the long village on Sunday afternoon before they finally came good in the final ten minutes against an O’Curry’s side that failed to last the course.
And, for that final push that yielded a second brace of points for the defeated finalists from ‘04, ‘06 and again last year, it was the talismanic powers of their two trump cards Gary Brennan and Paudge McMahan that sealed victory.
From being 1-7 to 1-5 in arrears with just over ten minutes left, Clondegad finally came alive thanks to the influence of their ‘Terrible Twins’.
Brennan was selected at full-forward, but moved out to centre-forward and then midfield in the final quarter, while McMahon was a constant threat in the corner that O’Curry’s couldn’t counter.
It was Brennan’s goal in the 53rd minute that belatedly put Clondegad in the driving seat, while McMahon then applied the killer touch when rounding off the move of the match with another goal that put paid to any prospect of a late, late show from a brave O’Curry’s side.
Certainly the nine point margin between the sides in no way reflected the hour of football, because for much of it O’Curry’s looked the more likely side
Clondegad adapted quicker to the tricky crossfield breeze and points by Gary Brennan and Paudge McMahon had them a couple of points clear by the sixth minute, but gradually as the half wore on the men from the edge of the peninsula warmed to the occasion.
Damian Carmody fisted their opener in the ninth minute, while six minutes later after Paudge McMahon had restored Clondegad’s advantage with a pointed free, Carmody struck again for a goal.
It was freakish in nature as his shot deceived both full-back Paddy O’Connell and keeper Declan O’Loughlin when spinning to the net. It put them 1-1 to 0-3 ahead and they didn’t look back for the rest of the half.
McMahon did level matters with another free in the 16th minute but three-in-a-row from play via Michael Carmody, Ger Lynch and Michael Foran gave O’Curry’s a thoroughly deserved 1-4 to 0-4 interval lead.
O’Curry’s stretched that advantage to four when countyman Foran grabbed another point two minutes after the resumption as the tempo of the game started to pick up appreciably.
However, just when it looked like slipping away from Dermot Coughlan’s charges they struck for a first goal in the 33rd minute. Francie O’Reilly and Paudge McMahon com- bined to put the onrushing Francie Neylon through, with the wing-back driving to the net to bring it back to a one-point game.
Five minutes later Clondegad were level when Pat Coffey volleyed over after Gary Brennan’s fisted effort came back off the upright, but by the 47th minute O’Curry’s had found another wind and points from frees by Ger Quinlan and Eoin Troy had them two clear once more.
It’s not like O’Curry’s to die, but that’s what happened in the closing 11 minutes when they were outscored by 2-5 to no score.
It was a rousing finish kickstarted by a point from centre-back Kieran Browne in the 49th minute. Two minutes later Paudge McMahon levelled matters before Gary Brennan’s goal, after an assist from brother Shane, finally put them on the road to two more championship points.
It was now all Clondegad, with a second Kieran Browne point putting them 2-9 to 1-7 clear with just over five minutes remaining, while the final goal was worthy of winning any contest, starting as it did in the fullback line when Paddy O’Connell gathered possession and moving the full-length of the field before McMahon drove home his second threepointer.
O’Curry’s were a beaten docket, with further salt rubbed into their wounds when Eoin Griffin added a point at the death.
Clondegad
Declan O’Loughlin, Flan Enright, Paddy O’Connell, Cormac Ryan, Brian Murphy, Kieran Browne (0-2), Francie Neylon (1-0), Cormac Murphy, Shane Brennan, Eoin Griffin (0-1), Brian Carrigg, Kenneth Kelly, Paudge McMahon (2-4, 2f) Gary Brennan (1-2, 1f), Francis O’Reilly.
Subs
Pat Coffey (0-1) for Carrig, James Murphy for Kelly, Eoin Donnellan for James Murphy,
O’Curry’s
PJ Greene, Ger Lynch (0-1), Ollie Quinlan, Paul Roche, BrianTroy, Michael O’Shea,TomDownes, Ger Quinlan (0-1f), DerekTroy, Damian Carmody (1-1), Sean Haugh, Michael Foran (0-2), Michael Carmody (0-1), EoinTroy (0-1f), Francis Kelly. Subs DeclanWalsh for Foran, JimDownes for Michael Carmody,
Man of the Match
Paudge McMahon (Clondegad) Referee Michael Talty (Kilmurry Ibrickane)