Cork 0-23 Clare 0-15

A second half which saw Clare restricted to just four points was the platform which helped Cork reach their first Munster hurling final since 2006. Trailing by three points at half-time Cork would have been very confident emerging for the second half with a strong wind in their favour. They took no time at all to reel in the lead as points from Jamie Coughlan, Patrick Horgan and William Egan had the teams level at 0-11 apiece with just five minutes gone in the half.

The Rebels weren’t to look back from there as they took the game by the scruff of the neck. Indeed it took the Banner 17 second half minutes to get their first score after the break and by that stage, Cork led 0-16 to 0-12.

It had all looked so good for Clare in the early exchanges with Colm Galvin and Nicky O’Connell winning the midfield battle and their half-back line marginally on top. Darach Honan was causing Stephen McDonnell all sorts of trouble at the edge of the square and Paudge Collins was very sharp, ending the game with five points from play. They were dealt a blow early on though when the influential John Conlon had to be taken off with a shoulder injury after a heavy collision.

A professional foul by Conor O’Sullivan only minutes in presented Tony Kelly with a chance from a 21 metre free. Kelly opted to go for goal but found Anthony Nash in the Cork goal to be more than up to the challenge. Colin Ryan pointed the resulting 65’ and a Colm Galvin point in the 10th minute put Clare 0-3 to 0-1 ahead and they were causing a lot of headaches for Cork.

A criticism of Clare from the league was their wastefulness in front of goal and this was to be evident throughout the game on Sunday. Two Honan points were sandwiched by a Daniel Kearney effort, as Clare led 0-5 to 0-2. Points from Luke O’Farrell and Seamus Harnedy cut the gap to just one as Cork took advantage of nearly every attacking foray they managed. Clare managed to bring the lead back to three points by the 25th minute, but one felt they really needed to kick on given the strong wind in their favour. A superb solo run by Colm Galvin saw him get his second point of the game to make the score 0-10 to 0-6 in his side’s favour. Conor Lehane, who had been well shackled, got Cork to within three again with a point after good work from substitute Jamie Coughlan, who had come on to replace the disappointing Stephen Moylan. Both sides added a point before the break to leave the score at 0-11 to 0-8 in Clare’s favour.

Cork exploded out of the blocks in the second half and points from Coughlan (2), Patrick Horgan (3), William Egan, debutant Seamus Harnedy and Cian McCarthy put them five points ahead, before Paudge Collins got Clare off the mark for the second period. They failed to kick on from that score though and continued to be very profligate in front of the posts, while their opponents through Horgan, O’Farrell and Lehane cruised into a 0-19 to 0-12 lead.

Daniel Kearney and Christopher Joyce had taken over midfield at this stage while William Egan, Brian Murphy and Shane O’Neill were excelling in the backline and behind them, Anthony Nash dealt with everything that came his way as well as distributing well and landing two points from frees. McDonnell had also got to grips with Honan by now. The tactic of moving Murphy out the field to pick up Tony Kelly worked a treat, as the young Clareman hardly got a puck all day. Up front Seamus Harnedy was outstanding on his debut, making sure the Clare halfback line didn’t have the influence they had enjoyed in their quarter-final victory over Waterford. Cian McCarthy and Conor Lehane were also reasons for this, working themselves to a standstill. Inside, Horgan, O’Farrell and Coughlan after his introduction were very lively, showed well and took their chances when they got them. Both sides exchanged points for the remainder of the contest with Patrick Horgan landing Cork’s 23rd point and the final score of the game much to the delight of the Rebel fans in attendance.

This victory could prove to be a monumental day for Cork hurling. Jimmy Barry Murphy’s decision to trust his youngsters paid off with the players showing no lack of determination, fight and most importantly skill. There is still a long way to go in their development but this victory will help in no small part to a successful future. Considering that captain Patrick Cronin could only make an appearance from the bench and Paudie O’Sullivan and Lorcan McLoughlin were also absent through injury, Cork hurling may not be as far away from the Kilkenny’s and Galway’s of this world as was first thought. It is still important not to read too much into the win, we don’t exactly know where Clare are in their development and on another day, they could have had two or three goals only for Anthony Nash and poor finishing. They have only beaten Waterford as well who are the poorest team competing in the province at the moment.

Limerick will provide a much stiffer test for the Rebels in the Munster final. For now it is time for Jimmy Barry and his management team to bask in a victory which has led the county to their first Munster hurling final in seven years. A remarkable barren run for a county with such prestige in the game. In 1999 JBM led Cork to an All-Ireland title after nine years without one, optimistic Cork fans will be hoping for deja-vu in the coming years.

SCORERS

Cork: P Horgan (0-8/0-5fs), S Harnedy (0-3), C Lehane, L O’Farrell, J Coughlan and A Nash (frees) (0-2 each), C McCarthy, D Kearney, W Egan and P Cronin (0-1 each).

Clare: P Collins (0-5), Colin Ryan (0-1f/0-1 65’), C Galvin, D Honan and C McGrath (0-2 each), T Kelly and S O’Donnell (0-1 each).

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