This article is from page 70 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 70 JPG
Clare 2-18 – Galway 2-9 at Cusack Park, Ennis
FOR a few minutes, it seemed as if all of those in the attendance of 3,554 were transported back nearly 79 years to the day that Clare and Galway last clashed in an All-Ireland semi-final in the mid west.
1932 on the Ennis Road, when Galway punched holes as wide as the nearby Shannon in the Clare defence that supporters were cowering for the exit gates before half-time as the armageddon of annihilation loomed.
For one and a half minutes, after Brian Murphy and Kevin Keehan had slammed home goals, armageddon and annihilation looked at hand, but from there this game gradually turned on its head. Completely. Utterly. Remarkably.
First Clare became competitive; then they stayed so, clinging to Steve Mahon’s men on hurling wits alone; then they reeled in the Tribesmen; then they turned the screw by reeling off the last 11 scores of the game to complete a remarkable comeback that brought the famous afternoon in ’32 back into the radar. IT was Tull Considine’s goals in ’32; it was the collective effort this time as Clare summoned something special to catapult themselves into the All-Ireland final with nine points to spare.
Improbable? Outlandish? The stuff of fairytales?
Yes, it was all of those things, and probably more, when you consider how much at sea Clare were in those opening 90 seconds when Galway bagged two goals, with Clare’s full-back line trio of Conor Earley, Patrick Kelly and Alan Brigdale having a torrid time of it.
It was a nightmare, but somehow Clare kept afloat, thanks in the main to Padraig Hickey’s goal inside four minutes and from there they stayed competitive in the first half, even if Galway threatened to cut loose on more than one occasion.
The game could have been up if Kevin Keehan’s ninth minute penalty found the net, while the Tribe’s five first half wides also helped Clare’s cause as they gradually got to the pitch of the game that was set during that blistering start.
Midfielders Shane Golden and Ronan Keane were key – they ran at Galway; they tacked on points from play, while Niall Gilligan’s accuracy from placed balls were also key, as was a hardworking half-back line that gradually stemmed some of the tide towards the scoreboard goal.
Golden’s second after 20 minutes had the gap down to 2-4 to 1-4 – an admirable recovery from Clare in the face of a tempest when Galway seemed capable of scoring anytime they launched an attack.
Kevin Keehan and Brian Murphy were their trump cards, hitting 2-6 between them in the first half, with 2-3 coming from play, but crucially from Clare’s viewpoint the gap was never more than four after Padraig Hickey’s crucial goal.
On four occasions in the first half Galway edged four clear, but each time a dogged Clare pegged back a point to stay within striking distance of only 2-7 to 1-7 adrift at the break.
Then Galway edged four clear again after 37 minutes thanks to a Joe O’Leary 65 and a Kevin Keehan free after Niall Gilligan had reduced the margin to two points in the opening minutes.
Remarkably, however, Galway didn’t raise another flag. Mark Earley, who had been relocated to fullback thundered into the game, as did Patrick Kelly in the corner, while outside them the inspiration really started to flow once Padraig Hickey bagged two brilliant points from play by the three-quarter stage.
The second brought the sides level and from there this contest had an air of inevitability about it. Niall Gilli gan was the conductor out the field, while those around him grew in stature with every passing minute.
The nett result was 1-10 without reply in the closing 23 minutes. It looked like being a rout for Galway at the start – it ended up being one for Clare.
Amazing stuff.
Clare
AndrewFahy (Whitegate), Mark Earley (Tubber), Patrick Kelly (Clarecastle),Alan Brigdale (Crusheen), Kevin Moynihan (Éire Óg), Michael Hawes (Cratloe), John Fennessy (Sixmilebridge), Ronan Keane (Éire Óg) (0-1), Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge) (0-2), Martin Duggan (Clooney/ Quin) (0-1),Tony Carmody (Sixmilebridge) (0-2), Kevin Dilleen (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), Declan O’Rourke (WolfeTones), Niall Gilligan (Sixmilebridge) (0-8, 4f, one pen, one 65), Padraig Hickey (Broadford) (1-4).
Subs
Joe O’Connor (Parteen) (1-0) for O’Rourke [38 Mins].
Galway
Kevin O’Grady (Beagh),Alan Leech (Kinvara), Damian McClearn (Loughrea), Pat Holland (Ardrahan), Joe O’Leary (Ardrahan) (0-1, one 65), David Hayes (Kiltormer), Brian Mahoney (Loughrea), Kevin Brady (Castlegar), Niall Callanan (Craughwell), Fergal Healy (Craughwell), Keith Kilkenny (Kiltormer) (0-1), Enda Concannon (Castlegar), Conor Kavanagh (Kinvara), Kevin Keehan (Beagh) (1-5 4f), Brian Murphy (Turloughmore) (1-2).
Subs
Joe Cooney (Sarsfields) for Concannon [21 Min], Barry Hanley (Carnmore) for Kavanagh [27 Mins], Kenneth Burke (St Thomas’] for Callanan [32 Mins], Martin Corcoran (Meelick-Eyrecourt) for Hanley [49 Mins], Rory Gantley (Beagh) for Kilkenny [56 Mins]
Referee
TomCarroll (Offaly)