*Eoghan Collins fouls Brian Donovan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Ger Keane reflects on Clare’s Munster SFC exit to Limerick following a historic penalty shoot-out in Cusack Park.
During the week there was an old video clip doing the rounds of Páidí Ó Sé addressing his Westmeath charges en route to their Leinster championship title in 2004. In the clip Ó Sé tells his players that a grain of rice will more than likely tip the balance in favour of one team over another in their up-coming championship matches. In other words small margins matter in big championship games and this was very evident in the Clare V Limerick championship match in Cusack Park last Saturday evening. Normal time and not even extra-time could separate these two evenly matched teams and it took a historic penalty shoot-out to get a clear winner in what was a compelling and enjoyable contest from start to finish.
Kickouts;
Limerick were quick out of the traps and their workrate, hunger and energy were clear for all to see as they went in at half-time leading by 1-9 to 1-6. In that first half Clare had clearly decided not to push up on the Limerick kickout but they were on the severely punished when Limerick full-back Brian Fanning found himself in an advanced position and he finished a fine solo run with an equally impressive finish to the back of the Banner net.
In hindsight Clare will very disappointed that Fanning was allowed so much room to get up the field and that he wasn’t stopped or even fouled before he could inflict the damage of his forward foray. After this score Clare employed a more aggressive press and pushed up more often on the Limerick kickout. Small Margins.
At this juncture both sides were employing similar tactics in getting a sweeper or Plus One to operate as a de-facto centre-back and push forward at pace and with numbers whenever the play broke down. It was a real game of cat and mouse at this stage with counter-attacking football being the order of the day. While Clare allowed Limerick to claim their own kickout in the early stages, Limerick had pushed up early on the Clare kickout.
Although looking a little nervy in the opening stages of the game, Clare’s netminder and debutant, Tristan O’ Callaghan, soon settled into a rhythm and found his man on most occasions especially when he went long to the impressive Darren O Neill who either won the ball or broke it to a well placed Clare teammate. Overall, both sides will be reasonably satisfied with their kickout retention with Clare winning 81% of their kickouts while Limerick won 83% of theirs. Small Margins.
Injuries;
There is no doubting that the loss of Cathal O Connor and Darragh Bohannon, has limited Clare’s options from the restarts. O Connor’s leadership qualities, experience and proven ball winning ability was particularly missed in the white heat of battle. Keelan Sexton was another key man to lose out in the lead up to this match with the dreaded hamstring injury. His punching runs and his ability to win frees was sorely missed and it wasn’t until the 71st minute that Clare converted their first close in free. It must also be remembered that Sexton was Clare’s top scorer in the recent NFL with 1-20 to his name.
Regular custodian Stephen Ryan was also a loss to his side and his big physical frame may have been of assistance during the penalty shoot-out. In saying that Tristan O Callaghan can be pleased with his debut and cannot be faulted for any of the expertly taken Limerick penalties. Colm Collins and his management team will not be making any excuses regarding injuries but in truth his Clare side had to deal with a long injury list in the lead up to this game and it definitely had a bearing on the result as the depth of their panel was really stretched by the end of extra-time. Small Margins.
Battling Qualities;
Make no mistake about it this was a real championship game with both sides giving it everything for their respective counties. Clare’s resurgence in the second half was typified by a flowing move that saw Gavin Cooney taken down and the resultant penalty expertly dispatched by David Tubridy.
A big talking point among supporters in the crowd centred around whether the offending Limerick defender deserved a black card for the offence. Ultimately he got a yellow and Limerick were fortunate that they weren’t a man down for 10 minutes. Small Margins.
The Middle third;
The middle third of the pitch was a real battle ground as both sides running games were taking a toll on the players. Limerick had a very fluent middle 8 who were putting plenty of pressure on the Clare shooters while Clare players such as Cillian Brennan, Ciaran Russell, Cian O Dea, Jamie Malone and Ciaran Russell began to drive at the creaking Limerick rearguard.
Gavin Cooney was unlucky not to put the game to bed when his goalbound shot was srambled off the line with the teams level at 1-13 apiece. Clare players and supporters believed they had done enough to get over the line with points from Leaving Cert student Brendy Rouine and Jamie Malone on the stroke of 74 minutes as the third official had deemed that four minutes of additional time were necessary.
However referee Conor Lane allowed Limerick another kickout to take along with two more minutes of additional time when he controversially awarded a 30 metre free to the Treaty men. Robbie Bourke showed nerves of steel to hit a sweet point with his left leg to bring the game to extra-time. Small Margins
Extra-Time;
Both sides had chances to win the game in extra-time but it was Clare this time who need an important free to bring the game to penalties. Before this happened Clare were forced to make a number of substitutions due to muscle fatigue and injuries .In fact once Clare had made their three substitutions in extra time then they were unable to replace their corner forward Aaron Griffin who had gone down with severe muscle cramp. Griffin who had covered every blade of grass in Cusack Park and had scored 0-04 points from play manfully tried to continue but was severely hampered for the last five minutes.
Limerick also lost big Josh Ryan to cramp but his replacement Brain Donovan got inside the Clare defence to set up Robbie Bourke for a major. Clare will be disappointed that they allowed Limerick to break down their defensive system for a second time to land their second goal of the night. It is also worth noting at this stage that overall Limerick were more proficient in front of goals as they scored 11 from 15 shots from play or 73% efficency rate. On other hand Clare will not be happy with their return of 16 from 33 shots or 48% efficiency with 11 wides and 3 shots dropped short. Small margins.
Penalties;
The newly shortened inter-county season has meant that replays in the early rounds are a thing of the past and extra-time and penalty shootouts may become more of a regular occurrence than we care to admit. While extremely dramatic and exciting for supporters they are also a cruel way for any team to lose a match of such significance.
Clare took the first penalty and missed as Limerick netminder, Donal O Sullivan struck a very imposing figure in the Aldi side goalmouth with Clare youngsters lined up in great numbers behind his goals. When Clare missed their second penalty and Limerick had scored both of their spotkicks the writing was on the wall for the Banner men. When James Naughton dispatched the winning kick, Limerick players celebrated wildly as they looked forward to a meeting with Tipperary in two weeks time.
From a Clare perspective there can be no fault attached to any of the Clare penalty takers as they put their hand up to take a spotkick in difficult circumstances and were brave enough to volunteer to do so.
Summing up;
For Limerick and Billy Lee it was a resounding victory as the continue on their upward trajectory along with their league promotion to Division 2. Great credit must be given to the Limerick management for getting the best out of their charges with limited resources.
The same must also be said of Colm Collins and the Clare footballers who once again produced a performance laced with skill, resilience and honesty. Ultimately though the Clare players and management will know that this was a missed opportunity to progress to the Munster semi final and a possible final in a few weeks time.
For sure this defeat will hurt and will take a bit of time to get over but in a few days they need to dust themselves down and refocus on the upcoming challenges that lie ahead. If they can get their injured players back fit in the short term they can be a match for anyone. If they didn’t know it beforehand they certainly know it now that a grain of rice can often tip the balance-Small margins indeed.
