In the final NFL Division Three fixture at Páirc Esler, both the teams of Down and Clare battled it out under harsh pressure. Their performance on the field could promote Clare if they won, or even draw was sufficient for Down. The spectators were present in droves, eagerly expecting a fierce competition. However, Clare’s outing ended on a frustrating note, as Conor Laverty’s team ruthlessly clinched the game, sweeping 3-15 to Clare’s modest 1-10. Their triumph placed them on the top spot in the league and booked their final clash with Westmeath at Croke Park the following Saturday.
Down’s game took an impressive turn during the second half when they scored two goals in quick succession, dominating the match afterwards. The game opened strong for Down, scoring a goal and two points all within the first seven minutes. The first goal occurred when Kilcoo’s Ryan Johnston accurately passed his ball to his teammate Ceilum Doherty. Although Stephen Ryan, Clare’s goalkeeper, managed to block the shot initially, the rebound luckily landed back with Doherty who didn’t fail to score on his second attempt.
Clare’s comeback was displayed when, three minutes later, Aaron Griffin skilfully bypassed his opponent Peter Fegan to score a goal. Although this could become an indicator of an interesting game, Down maintained their lead. Even though debutant John McGovern was penalised with a black card 27 minutes into the game, Clare couldn’t exploit their numeric advantage, letting Down lead 1-7 to 1-4 at halftime.
Post-break, scores were exchanged between Ciarán Downes of Clare and Liam Kerr of Down maintaining the three-point lead. Down stepped up their game as Daniel Guinness scored a disallowed goal due to a foul during the process. Pat Havern, succeeding in his relevant free kick and scoring another one amidst the game, boosted their score. Down’s Odhrán Murdock scored a penalty followed by a successful goal-setup for Danny Magill.
Towards the end, Down’s lead was 3-10 to 1-5. As the game lost its momentum, they continued to pile up their points, culminating in a 3-15 victory over Clare’s 1-10.
In the game, J O’Hare led the team for Down, with the likes of P Fegan, R McEvoy, and C Doherty (1-2) on his side. Further key players were M Rooney (0-1), P Laverty, D Guinness (0-1), J Flynn, and O Murdock, who scored one from a penalty kick. D Magill tallied a score of 1-2, L Kerr delivered 0-3, and R Johnston achieved a score of 0-1. F McElroy and P Havern significantly contributed to the game, being replaced in the 19th minute was J Guinness by J McGovern, followed by O Savage for McGovern in the 39th minute, S Annett for McElroy in the 58th minute and many other substitutions were made.
For Clare, S Ryan (0-1) led the squad, with M Doherty, R Lanigan, and M Garry as part of the team. More players included I Ugweru, A Sweeney, D Walsh, B McNamara, and G Murray. E McMahon scored once, C Downes achieved a score of 0-4, and D Coughlan registered a score of 0-1 in the match. Standout performers were C Rouine and A Griffin with a score of 1-0 and C Murray. The replacements were made with J McCann replacing C Murray, M McInerney (0-2) for G Murray at 55 minutes, and other substitutions followed.
The game was officiated by Referee David Coldrick from Meath.