*Tony Kelly hit a hat-trick for Clare. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE HAVE MADE the semi-finals of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship for the second year in a row and in the process have set up a rematch with Kilkenny in Croke Park.
Clare 5-26
Dublin 2-17
Venue: TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
Tony Kelly bagged a hat-trick as Clare hit their highest goal tally of this year’s championship and bounced back from the disappointment of a fortnight ago when they lost the Munster Final by the smallest of margins. Kelly has done a lot in the game but this was the first occasion when he scored three goals in a championship game for his county.
This eighteen point win is the biggest margin recorded by Clare under Brian Lohan and tees them up for a first journey to Croke Park this season.
Matters were sewn up by the half-time whistle when Clare had already raided for four green flags, again the first time they scored four goals in the one half of championship hurling in Lohan’s four seasons in charge.
Cleaning up the breaking ball and cutting through the spine of the Dublin defence brought Clare great joy as they romped home for their five goals with Kelly gladly sweeping up the breaks on his way for each of the three goals. Mark Rodgers and Shane O’Donnell also struck for goal in a dominant display from the men in saffron and blue.
Injury ruled out both Aidan McCarthy and Conor Cleary, the absence of the freetaker brought extra responsibility for Mark Rodgers which he bore with ease on his shoulders and arguably put his hand up to be first choice freetaker when Clare are at full strength. David McInerney was a late absentee from the starting team, also through injury, his omission paved the way for Darragh Lohan to get a first championship start.
Of concern will be the departures of John Conlon in the first half after a heavy collision and the fact that Shane O’Donnell limped off early in the second half while the return to the county colours of David Reidy is a big lift.
Both sides hit nine wides each in an opening half that was a far cry from the electric Munster Final at the same venue for Clare’s last championship outing. Clare’s touch was not as crisp in these exchanges but the mistakes reduced as the game wore on in what appeared to be another case of the Banner shaking off the provincial final hangover.
With less than five minutes played, Clare had 1-02 on the board with Dublin yet to register a score, the points came from Ian Galvin and Mark Rodgers with Kelly hitting his first goal of the evening.
Dublin were dealt a blow with the loss of key forward Donal Burke to a hamstring injury with eight minutes played but Clare suffered just as heavy of a loss with the blow sustained by Conlon.
As the wides began to clock up for both sides, Dublin were also beginning to cut away at the deficit and when Darragh Power struck for goal on seventeen minutes it put Micheál Donoghue’s side in front for what was the first and only time as Clare immediately cancelled it out in their next attack when Scariff’s Rodgers split the net.
To end the half on a high, Clare hit 2-02 without reply in a three minute scoring spree. Ian Galvin kicked it off when Peter Duggan set him up, Rodgers added the next point before Duggan broke the ball for the on-rushing David Fitzgerald who popped to Tony Kelly to hit his second goal and the rout was complete when Shane O’Donnell showed the smarts to hold off on pulling the trigger and instead tap it to the net to leave Clare 4-08 1-08 clear at the interval.
Any worries on complancency creeping into Clare’s play were quickly killed off when they hit four of the first five scores on the restart, one of these being another goal from Ballyea’s finest.
Substitute Alex Considine showed well on his introduction and pulled a goal back for the Dubs but it would make no dent to the scoreboard with Clare continuing to keep their account ticking over on their way to a very comfortable win.
Kelly and Rodgers led the way in Clare’s attack with Cathal Malone, Rory Hayes and Seadna Morey also standing out for the winners. Needless to say a much stiffer test lies ahead in Jones Rd on July 9th but Clare will be in a much more confident headspace than when they met the Cats in HQ twelve months ago.
Scorers Clare: T Kelly (3-04), M Rodgers (1-11 5f), S O’Donnell (1-02), D Fitzgerald (0-04), I Galvin (0-02), A Shanagher (0-02), C Malone (0-01)
Scorers Dublin: C O’Sullivan (0-11 10f), D Power (1-00), A Considine (1-00), P Crummey (0-03), F Whitely (0-01), D Sutcliffe (0-01), D Gray (0-01).
Clare:
1: Eibhear Quilligan (Feakle)
2: Adam Hogan (Feakle)
18: Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones)
3: Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones)
4: Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge)
6: John Colon (Clonlara)
5: Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe)
12: Ryan Taylor (Clooney/Quin)
8: Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge)
9: David Fitzgerald (Inagh/Kilnamona)
11: Tony Kelly (Ballyea)
14: Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
15: Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
10: Peter Duggan (Clooney/Quin)
13: lan Galvin (Clonlara)
Subs:
22: Paul Flanagan (Ballyea) for Conlon (24) (inj)
20: Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones) for O’Donnell (39) (inj)
17: David Reidy (Éire Óg) for Galvin (45)
23: Cian Nolan (Smith O’Brien’s) for Hogan (57)
21: Patrick Crotty (Scariff) for Duggan (62)
24: Cian Galvin (Clarecastle) for Taylor (64)
19: Shane Meehan (Banner) for Kelly (68)
Dublin:
1: Seán Brennan (Cuala)
7: Daire Gray (Whitehall Colmcille)
4: Paddy Smyth (Clontarf)
3: Eoghan O’Donnell (Whitehall Colmcille)
18: James Madden (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
5: Paddy Doyle (Naomh Barróg)
6: Conor Burke (St Vincent’s)
8: Mark Grogan (Kilmacud Crokes)
9: Chris O’Leary (Lucan Sarsfields)
15: Darragh Power (Fingallians)
11: Donal Burke (Na Fianna)
12: Cian Boland (St Oliver Plunkett’s Eoghan Ruadh)
14: Cian O’Sullivan (St Brigid’s)
10: Danny Sutcliffe (St Jude’s)
22: Paul Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields)
Subs:
23: Fergal Whitely (Kilmacud Crokes) for Burke (8) (inj)
17: Conor Donohue (Erin’s Isle) for Madden (36)
24: Alex Considine (Kilmacud Crokes) for O’Leary (HT)
13: Sean Currie (Na Fianna) for Boland (45)
25: Dara Purcell (Kilmacud Crokes) for Power (59)
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
