In the semi-finals of the All-Ireland SHC, Clare victoriously made it through the hard battle ending with a 0-24 to Kilkenny’s 2-16. After barely making through some excruciating Munster finals and setbacks in the Croke Park over the last triennium, Clare has made it to the All-Ireland final for the first time since 2013. They made a tremendous turnaround in the second half and scored the last six points of the match.
Their remarkable revival was unimaginable as Kilkenny led with a five-point margin at half-time and a six-point distant in the middle of the third quarter after Billy Ryan capitalised on an error for their second goal. But as the game progressed all the way to the finish, Clare surpassed Kilkenny with a 0-12 to 0-4, overlooking every chance to stumble or lose their footing.
Recent years had seen Clare tumble in close games so frequently that this became a crucial test of their courage. With just 12 minutes remaining, TJ Reid extended Kilkenny’s lead by four points, it seemed impossible for Clare to bounce back without a goal.
Oppositely, they dominated. Tony Kelly, who had been barely noticeable in the first half, intervened into the game and set down two points in the concluding time. Ryan Taylor, who damaged his cruciate ligament in the previous All-Ireland semi-final, contributed majorly coming from the bench in his first match of the season. His energy and composure with the ball destabilised the half-backs of Kilkenny.
Kilkenny’s defences which had precarious control over Shane O’Donnell in the first half, had long been torn apart and his touch was evident in Clare’s final push. Aidan McCarthy who had been side-lined for the quarter-final, was infallible from frees, and executed two decisive shots at the end of the game, both at a sharp angle near the Cusack Stand. His freetaking, which had been an issue in the Munster final, was no longer a problem, eradicating any haunting memories from the past.
In the chaotic final stages of the game, Kilkenny were remarkably unnerved. Adrian Mullen was substituted, overshadowed by the superb David McInerney, while Adam Hogan managed to exhaust Eoin Cody, who had been highly threatening in the first half. All around the field, Clare proved victorious in ball challenges, both aerially and on the ground.
Kilkenny were trailing by a single point when Reid missed two free kicks – one from almost 100 metres away, and another one from right in front of the Hogan Stand. Known for making light work of challenging free kicks throughout his career, it would have been no shock had Reid successful landed both; however, both ended up drifting wide.
Kilkenny must be scratching their heads as to how they lost their edge. They reigned supreme in the first half, and had their final executions been more precise, the game could have been easily won. Only 10 minutes into the game, Eibhear Quilligan made an impressive save from Cian Kenny, followed by a similar saving action from Mullen during the same part of the game.
A mere three minutes later, Mikey Carey broke through the defence, but Clare’s goalkeeper, Quilligan, left his line and blocked Carey’s shot.
Kilkenny’s first goal came just four minutes before half-time and was a remarkable display of ingenuity. Cody found himself in congestion, but managed to toss the ball upwards as if serving, defeating Quilligan with a forehand strike.
With a 1-10 to 0-8 lead at half-time, Kilkenny’s dominance was unquestionable. Throughout the first half, they set the rhythm, pushing more players into the mid-third of the field and leaving Cody within, sometimes alone, but normally with a companion. Clare, on the other hand, didn’t offer any additional defence support inside and every ball entry represented a threat.
As the Leinster champions, Kilkenny demonstrated excellent aggression and defence, restricting Clare and disrupting their rhythm. While Kelly began as a central field player just as he had done in the quarter-final, he struggled to maintain control of the ball. It would be exaggeration to label Kenny as Kelly’s marker, but he was indeed his direct adversary and the most impactful player during the first half. By half-time, he had scored two points from the field.
Kilkenny found things going their way without much hassle. Their meaningful puck-outs were consistently successful and when Eoin Murphy mixed up the distance of his restarts, he found side members in free areas. On the other hand, Clare launched a vigorous opening to the second phase, scoring more points in the third part- a total of nine – than they did in the entire initial phase. Unfortunately for them, a momentous goal had been conceded – Quilligan attempted to catch a surpassing free that fell short, but lost control of the ball as he hustled it away from the goal. Kilkenny’s Billy Ryan swooped down on it, pushing it to the net. This move got Kilkenny ahead at 2-12 to 0-12, and in spite of the fact they were up against a renewed wind, it was tough to imagine them forfeiting their lead. However, Clare perceived things differently.
CLARE members: E Quilligan; A Hogan, C Cleary, C Leen; D Ryan, J Conlon, D McInerney; C Malone, T Kelly (0-3); D Fitzgerald (0-2), S O’Donnell (0-1), P Duggan (0-1); A McCarthy (0-11, 0-9f), M Rodgers (0-2), D Reidy (0-3).
Substitutions: R Taylor replaced Malone (50 mins); I Galvin (0-1) replaced Fitzgerald (56); A Shanagher replaced Reidy (60); D Lohan replaced Duggan after (70+3).
KILKENNY’s team: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield (0-1), R Reid, M Carey (0-1); C Kenny (0-2), P Deegan (0-1); A Mullen, TJ Reid (0-7, 4f, 1 65, 1 s-l), B Ryan (1-2); M Keoghan, J Donnelly (0-2), E Cody (1-0).
Substitutions: W Walsh replaced Keoghan (57 mins); T Phelan replaced Mullen (63); C Fogarty replaced Ryan (67).
The referee was Liam Gordon from Galway.