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*Rian Considine takes on Keelan Sexton. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CRATLOE’s reign as Clare senior football champions was ended by a sharper Kilmurry Ibrickane in Saturday’s semi-final with long-serving manager Colm Colllins left lamenting how they gave away possession cheaply for the concession of three goals.
Inside the first ten minutes, Daniel Walsh and Daryn Callinan struck for majors for Kilmurry Ibrickane, both off the back of Cratloe blunders while Shane Hickey’s forty fourth minute green flag thwarted an attempted comeback by the champions.
With ten minutes on the clock, Cratloe trailed 2-2 0-0, a start which was very costly according to their manager, Colm Collins. “We were slow off the blocks and we left ourselves with too much to do, that was basically it. Fair play to Kilmurry Ibrickane, they played some great football and got some great goals, they are deservingly in the final and best of luck to them”.
Their mistakes were punished with Kilmurry Ibrickane clinically raiding for goals. “They were, the first two we had the ball and we gave it away cheap but it happens. To be fair to our lads, they have given everything we have asked of them, they’ve put in some great performances throughout the year and everything comes to an end”.
Injury kept both Sean and Podge Collins out of the starting fifteen, their introduction at half-time prompted a revival from the South Clare side who kicked 1-1 on the bounce on the restart, Rian Considine bagging the goal. “We started really well in the second half with a goal and a point to bring it back to manageable figures but again sloppy play gave them the third goal which really put the nail in the coffin, I felt if we hadn’t conceded that one that we could have still snuck it but to be fair we never led and Kilmurry Ibrickane deservingly won the match so we’ve no complaints”.
Referee Niall Quinn showing a black card to Cathal McInerney just before half-time was a call that irritated the former Clare manager. McInerney was in possession and preparing to line up a shot, in the process of winning possession he collided with Mark Killeen who sustained a knock and fell to the floor, the referee stopped play prompting McInerney to air his opinions to Quinn who issued a black card.
Collins told The Clare Echo, “I was absolutely shocked with one thing, a man in the process of shooting and the referee blows the whistle to stop the game, now that was a disgraceful decision and I’ve never in my life commented on referees (in interviews) but all he had to do was let the ball go for one more second and play was stopped, I don’t blame Cathal (McInerney) in the slightest for being very annoyed with that”.
Had Cathal kicked a point it would have reduced the deficit to six points, instead the next attack saw Kilmurry Ibrickane extend their lead with another Daniel Walsh score. It was going to be a point knowing Cathal, it was a mad decision”.
Aidan McCarthy received a black card later in the game but Kilmurry Ibrickane responded well by kicking the next two points, both via Keelan Sexton, Collins acknowledged. “They are clever footballers, they have a lot of good footballers on the team and they are well able, they have good football brains so when they are a man down they are well able to deal with it”.
