Tipp pay the penalty in loss to Clare

GAA: Munster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

Clare 2-18

Tipperary 1-15

Report: Stephen Barry at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Mark McInerney (Clare)

SCORERS – Clare: Mark McInerney 2-5 (0-2 frees, 0-1 45); Emmet McMahon 0-4; Eoin Cleary 0-3 (1 free); Keelan Sexton, Aaron Griffin 0-2 each; Ciarán Downes, Daniel Walsh 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Seán O’Connor 1-2 (0-1 free); Darragh Brennan 0-4 (1x2pt); Cian Smith 0-3 (2 frees); Paudie Feehan (2pt), Steven O’Brien (2pt) 0-2 each; Mark Russell, Micheál Freaney 0-1 each.

Tipperary are Tailteann Cup-bound after two Mark McInerney goals fired Clare to their first championship victory over the Premier since 2000.

The Éire Óg Ennis star finished with 2-5 as Peter Keane’s side sealed a Munster final berth and Sam Maguire football in front of a 2,893 home crowd.

It was a streaky game as the victors registered bursts of 1-5 and 1-6 without reply midway through both halves.

Tipp will rue Steven O’Brien’s early penalty miss but they never stopped battling. They finished with a 1-4 run to give Clare a scare before two late insurance points.

The return of Seán O’Connor off the bench for the final half-hour was a welcome sight. He poached 1-2 to finish as top-scorer and forced Eamon Tubridy into saving another goal chance.

The warm-up saw Tipp reduced a man as centre-forward Cathal Deely was ruled out and Mikey O’Shea restored to the starting team. Steven O’Brien was fit to start, and, after Darragh Brennan’s persistent turnover, the Tipp captain opened the scoring when launching a two-pointer despite being knocked to the ground. He arose limping.

It almost turned into a dream start when Micheál Freaney drifted into the edge of the square for a high ball. Having claimed possession, he was fouled in the act of shooting for a penalty. O’Brien stepped up but his effort was too high and struck the upright.

With that let off, Clare awoke with Aaron Griffin and Eoin Cleary points before taking the lead by the eighteenth minute. The goal originated from a Ben Comerford slip after claiming a kick-out. Cleary pinched his subsequent backward pass and Mark McInerney was overlapping into space to blast home for 1-2 to 0-2.

They ransacked the Tipp kick-out for the next three points via Keelan Sexton, Emmet McMahon, and Griffin to complete a 1-5 streak which swelled their lead to six.

The teams then traded three points apiece. Cian Smith’s free was cancelled out by Cleary. Freaney followed his point with a brilliant block on McMahon, but McInerney slotted the 45. Then Mark Russell’s curler was nullified by a standout Ciarán Downes point.

The half ended in a welter of excitement, led by Tipp corner-forward Brennan. Micheal Freaney’s floated pass over the top connected with the Ballyporeen clubman, who lashed his goal chance over the crossbar.

Clare worked a quick-passing opening at the other end but Shane Ryan advanced to save from Brian McNamara. Tipp countered to send in another dangerous high pass, which was recycled for Brennan’s second point. They won the kick-out and filtered the ball back to the man with the hot streak for Brennan to dispatch a two-pointer.

That cut the half-time gap to two, 1-8 to 0-9. Extra spice was added with a bout of handbags outside the tunnel, which saw Mark Stokes and Alan Sweeney black-carded on the resumption.

During that period of fourteen aside, McInerney outscored Tipp by 1-2 to a Smith point. The goal arrived in the 44th minute when Clare punished a handling error with a slick counter-attack as Manus Doherty knifed into space to feed the dangerman.

A series of fine points featuring braces for McInerney and McMahon, plus a sublime Daniel Walsh kick, extended their scoring streak to 1-6. Eamon Tubridy protected that momentum by saving from Sean O’Connor.

After O’Connor and Cleary traded points, Clare led by double scores, 2-16 to 0-11, entering the final five minutes.

Tipp then came with a burst of 1-4. Paudie Feehan kicked a two-pointer off his left before O’Connor punched in a goal from Brennan’s delivery on seventy minutes.

It was the keeper’s last involvement due to a previous injury. Tipp added quickfire frees from Smith and O’Connor. The deficit was four, but Clare escaped the press to tag on insurance points from Sexton and McMahon.

TEAMS – Clare: Eamon Tubridy; Ronan Lanigan, Cillian Brennan (Capt), Manus Doherty; Fionn Kelleher, Cillian Rouine, Alan Sweeney; Brian McNamara, Emmet McMahon; Dermot Coughlan, Aaron Griffin, Ciarán Downes; Eoin Cleary, Mark McInerney, Keelan Sexton.

Subs: Daniel Walsh for Downes (44); Shane Griffin for A Griffin (57); Gavan Murray for Cleary (64); Rory McMahon for Kelleher (68); Tristan O’Callaghan for Tubridy (70 inj).

Tipperary: Shane Ryan (Clonmel Commercials); Jason Madigan (Clonmel Commercials), Jimmy Feehan (Killenaule), Jack Harney (Moyle Rovers); Mark Stokes (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Luke Boland (Moyle Rovers), Paudie Feehan (Killenaule); Mark Russell (Aherlow), Kieran Costello (Thurles Sarsfields); Micheál Freaney (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Steven O’Brien (Ballina, Capt), Ben Comerford (Grangemockler/Ballyneale); Cian Smith (Clonmel Commercials), Mikey O’Shea (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone), Darragh Brennan (Ballyporeen).

Subs: Emmet Moloney (Portlaoise) for Comerford (25); Manus McFadden (Grangemockler/Ballyneale) for Boland (42); Seán O’Connor (Clonmel Commercials) for O’Shea (42); Jack O’Neill (Ardfinnan) for O’Brien (51); Jack Nevin (JK Brackens) for Stokes (61).

Referee: James Molloy (Galway).