Banner dominate 2nd half to secure final berth
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
All–Ireland SHC Semi-Final
Kilkenny 2-16
Clare 0-24
Croke Park, Referee: Liam Gordon
So that’s that. There was to be no third final in a row for Kilkenny as they fell to to stirring second half comeback by Clare in Croke Park last Saturday afternoon. It was a double defeat for the county, as our senior camog’s bowed out to Dublin in the curtain raiser at the Jones’s Road venue. Brian Lohan’s team will now face-off against Cork in this year’s Liam MacCarthy showdown, after the rebels ripped up the script and ended Limerick’s ‘drive for five.’
Derek Lyng will probably have been left scratching his head at the interval, as his team had a number of goal chances that would have seen them well clear of the side that they had beaten at the same stage of the competition for the past two years. By my reckoning, the Cats had five major chances in the first half but only managed to beat Eibhear Quilligan once before the short whistle, as the Feakle man ensured Clare remained in the game with a string of great saves.
Fittingly, it was TJ Reid that opening the scoring at headquarters, popping over a free after he had been fouled. A historic score by the legendary Shamrocks Ballyhale man, as it brought his championship scoring tally to 700. Simply the best. One of Kilkenny’s most impressive performers this season, Cian Kenny fired over his side’s second score of the game in the 5th minute as Brian Lohan’s men searched for their first score. The Banner did open their account just a minute later, thanks to a point from play by Aidan McCarthy, the first of his eleven-point haul. The same player brought the sides level from a placed ball, after Eoin Murphy had denied Mark Rodgers, but Galway whistler Liam, Gordon was playing advantage and rightly awarded the free.
Then came a double save from the Clare keeper. Firstly, he denied The Village’s Cian Kenny who was beautifully set-up by Mossy Keoghan and then Adrian Mullen was also thwarted as he sought to breach the Feakle player’s net. The Cats kept going and struck over the next four scores of the game, with points from Kenny, Captain Paddy Deegan, the towering David Blanchfield and TJ as the Noresiders went clear by the same margin. The final score of that run came after Quilligan had saved superbly from roving wing-back Mikey Carey and the men in stripes had to be satisfied with a ‘65. Inagh-Kilnamona’s McCarthy fired over the second of his nine placed ball efforts before David Reidy notched a sweet point from play.
The game’s two top marksmen then swapped points before the first of the semi-finals two majors were registered. Eoin Cody has been getting used to battling with Adam Hogan when The Banner faces the Cats, and it was no different in this, the third meeting of sides this season. An early ball was played long towards Cody and the Shamrocks man collected it and raced towards the end line with his shadow in toe. The corner forward cut inside Hogan and tried to create a better angle for himself with four Clare defenders closing in on him. Cody flicked the ball over John Conlon’s head before channeling his inner Novak Djokovic and smashing the sliotar to the net. Nothing Eibhear Quilligan could do to prevent this one, Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows and Roland Garros all rolled into one for the former two-time Young Hurler of the Year.
Graigue Ballycallan’s Billy Ryan pointed to move the Cats six clear with less than ten minutes left to the interval, all was looking good for Derek Lyng’s outfit. Aidan McCarthy and his club mate David Fitzgerald tagged on efforts for Brian Lohan’s team, but TJ and Billy Ryan registered for the Marble City men to leave them five points up at the short whistle, 1-10 to 0-8.
When The Banner returned for the second period, they did so with a spring in their step, and no doubt a sharp word from their leader Lohan, who was probably happy to be only five behind. The boys in blue reeled off the first three scores after the restart, with a free from Aidan McCarthy added to with efforts from Peter Duggan and the enigmatic Shane O’Donnell. Young Ireland’s Mikey Carey got the Cats moving in the second half with a well taken effort from distance, but Clare hit back immediately via David Fitzgerald’s second score of the afternoon. TJ then nailed a lovely sideline cut from under the Cusack Stand to put his side three clear, but things were about to get a whole lot better for Derek Lyng’s men.
TJ sent a long testing delivery into the Clare square but keeper Eibhear Quilligan fumbled his catch and under pressure from Mossy Keoghan, the ball squirmed away from the Feakle man and the alert Billy Ryan picked it up, swiveled and fired to the net, Kilkenny six clear after 47 minutes of action in Croker. It Looked like The Banner had shot themselves in the foot after reducing the Cats lead to just 2 points in the early stages of the half, but they struck the next two points, courtesy of the quiet Tony Kelly and another placed ball from Aidan McCarthy.
John Donnelly who was on the periphery of the game, then sent over a quality point from under the Hogan as he tried to become more involved in proceedings, but again Clare tagged on a couple of scores, McCarthy again and one from Scariff’s Mark Rodgers. TJ then found himself in space and punished the opposition by splitting the posts but Lohan’s charges went up the field and notched a fine score from David Reidy, after good approach play by sub Ryan Taylor. Placed ball specialist McCarthy was then denied a certain goal, thanks to a cracking save from Glenmore’s Eoin Murphy, as the warning signs increased for Kilkenny.
Clooney-Quin’s Peter Duggan was then stopped in his tracks, illegally and McCarthy stroked over the resulting free. Another of Kilkenny’s key men who was having a quiet afternoon by his standards, Adrian Mullen, then turned over Adam Hogan as he tried to break out of defence. The sliotar was worked to John Donnelly and he obliged by striking over. The Cats made their first change of the game, with Walter Walsh replacing Mossy Keoghan with about 14 minutes remaining in the semi-final.
TJ was then fouled by Kilmaley’s Conor Cleary and the Shamrocks man popped over the free to leave the Noresiders up by four points. Clare struck next, Peter Duggan with a fine catch from the restart then laid the ball off to Tony Kelly and the Ballyea man rifled over a stunning effort to the delight of The Banner support in attendance. David McInerney then sent a ball towards sub Ian Galvin and the Clonlara man did well to collect it before firing over. Galvin was then fouled, and Aidan McCarthy did the needful with the free to make it a one-point game with about eight minutes left at Croker.
The Cats then sent on Conahy’s Tom Phelan for Adrian Mullen as they sought to get an attacking foothold in the closing stages of the semi-final. Clare scored the next point, to deadlock matters, a great effort from distance by Mark Rodgers as their fans made themselves heard at the Jones’s Road stadium. Erin’s Own’s Conor Fogarty was then thrown on in place of Billy Ryan, but it didn’t halt The Banner’s momentum as Richie Reid was blown-up for a foul on Eire Og’s Shane O’Donnell. Aidan McCarthy wasn’t about to miss, and he didn’t and Lohan’s men took the lead for the first time in the game as the contest entered the final minute of normal time.
TJ then was off target from a free as three minutes of additional time were announced. There was to be no equalising score for Kilkenny. Clare worked the sliotar to Tony Kelly and the Ballyea man rifled over from way out the pitch to leave his side two points clear. Richie Reid floated in a late free, knowing that a goal was needed, but Clare emerged with the ball and Liam Gordon sounded the long whistle, and the long journey home for the Cats. Final score from Croke Park, Clare 0-24, Kilkenny 2-16.
Scorers for Kilkenny: T.J. Reid (0-7, 4 frees, 1 65, 1 sideline); B. Ryan (1-2); E. Cody (1-0); C. Kenny, J. Donnelly (0-2 each); P. Deegan, D. Blanchfield, M. Carey (0-1 each).
Scorers for Clare: A. McCarthy (0-11, 9 frees); D. Reidy, T. Kelly (0-3 each); D. Fitzgerald, M. Rodgers (0-2 each); P. Duggan, S. O’Donnell, I. Galvin (0-1 each).
KILKENNY: E. Murphy; M. Butler, H. Lawlor, T. Walsh; D. Blanchfield, R. Reid, M. Carey; C. Kenny, P. Deegan (c); A. Mullen, T.J. Reid, B. Ryan; M. Keoghan, J. Donnelly, E. Cody.
Subs for Kilkenny: W. Walsh for M. Keoghan (58); T. Phelan for A. Mullen (63); C. Fogarty for B. Ryan (67).
CLARE: E. Quilligan; A. Hogan, C. Cleary, C. Leen; D. Ryan, J. Conlon, D. McInerney; T. Kelly (c), C. Malone; D. Fitzgerald, S. O’Donnell, P. Duggan; D. Reidy, A. McCarthy, M. Rodgers.
Subs for Clare: I. Galvin for S. O’Donnell (temp 24-26); R. Taylor for C. Malone (50); I. Galvin for D. Fitzgerald (56); A. Shanagher for D. Reidy (61); D. Lohan for P. Duggan (70+2).
Referee: L. Gordon (Galway).
