Feakle force their way into Clare SHC quarter-finals

*Feakle’s Eoin Tuohy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill

FEAKLE guaranteed themselves top spot in Group 4 of the TUS Clare senior hurling championship when proving too strong for East Clare rivals Broadford.

Feakle 1-15
Broadford 1-10
Venue: O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge

By Peter O’Connell

Quoting statistics is definitely not the most insightful way to start a match report.

That said, we’ll make an exception this time. The half-time score in Sixmilebridge had Feakle leading 1-5 to 0-3. “A football score”, one leading Clare hurling man sniffed at the interval.

He had a point. However, the key statistic from the opening half was the combined wides tally of 20.

Broadford, backed by a strong wind hit 11, with Feakle not far behind them.

The key difference was that Broadford had the aid of the breeze in the opening half and it was a strong one. While a breeze won’t win a game, you have to use it to your advantage when you have it and Broadford didn’t.

Their first half wide tally sucked belief from them and while Feakle ended up winning by five points, they would not have been flattered had they won it by 10.

Such was the proliferation of first half wides, even Shane McGrath hit a few. When that happens, you almost check to see if somebody was moving the goalposts. And no, they weren’t.

One man who did have his eye in was Feakle’s Oisin Donnellan who hit 0-4 from play, three in the second half.

The game’s key score was Oisin O’Connor’s goal two minutes before half-time. He finished following a searing Steven Conway run which cut Broadford open.

Suddenly a two-point Feakle lead, was transformed into a five point interval advantage.

The game was essentially over shortly after half-time when Feakle hit five successive points, two from McGrath while Donnellan, Conway and Raymond Bane added a point each.

Feakle now led 1-10 to 0-3 and it looked as if Broadford might lie down altogether.

To their credit they didn’t and a flurry of Niall O’Farrell points added some respectability to the scoreboard.

Five minutes from time Stiofan McMahon buried a 21-yard free and very briefly some life was injected into the contest. The deficit was just five points, 1-14 to 1-9 and maybe Broadford might lift it?

The game ended as it had started though, tamely with McGrath and O’Farrell trading a point each and that was that.

Feakle coasted into the quarter-finals and they will take beating no doubt while Broadford head for Senior B.

Feakle are a seasoned team with a nice injection of youth in the shape of Adam Hogan, Ronan O’Connor and Oisin O’Connor. You sense that they have it in themselves to lift it and whoever they get in the last eight they won’t fear them.

Feakle scorers: Shane McGrath 0-6, (0-3f), OisIn Donnellan (0-4), Stevie Conway (0-3), Raymond Bane, Eoin Tuohy 0-1 each.

Broadford scorers: Niall O’Farrell 0-6f, Stiofan McMahon 1-0 f, Oisín Kavanagh 0-2, (0-1f), Sean Phelan, Diarmuid Moloney 0-1 each.

Feakle:
1: Eibhear Quilligan

4: Oisin Clune
3: Evan McMahon
5: Adam Hogan

7: Ronan O’Connor
6: Con Smyth
17: Gary Guilfoyle

11: Enda Noonan
9: Eoin Tuohy

10: Oisin Donnellan
8: Shane McGrath
13: Steven Conway

15: Oisin O’Connor
14: Raymond Bane
12: Martin Daly

Subs:
20: Fiachra Donnellan for O O’Connor (55)
2: Killian Bane for Bane (60)
18: Eoin O’Connor for Noonan (61)

Broadford:
1: Cian O’Brien

9: Padraig Taylor
3: Eoin Donnellan
2: David Boland

5: Cian Mulqueen
17: Cian Cremins
7: Cathal Chaplin