All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship Semi-Final
Antrim 1-16
Clare 0-18
CLARE’S dream of taking their place on an All-Ireland final stage at Croke Park was denied in the most agonising fashion imaginable this afternoon at O’Connor Park in Tullamore, as they fell one point short at the end of two separate periods of extra time against Antrim, writes Ivan Smyth.
For the opening 20 minutes, Clare looked to be a nervy shadow of themselves, conceding a sloppy goal to corner forward Dearvla Cosgrove and falling 1-4 to 0-3 behind. Even as they drew level by half-time, 1-4 to 0-7, they were far too dependent on dead ball scores, with six frees from Shauna Canny and one from Kate O’Gorman making up their tally.
That changed after half-time however as they worked their way back into the game, and excellent points from play from Aoife Anderson and Abby Walsh showed a different side to their game.
Victory looked to be in the grasp of Conor Dolan and John Carmody’s side as Canny stood over a free on the terrace side of the ground with just 30 seconds of the four minutes of added time played at the end of normal time, with the Banner girls a point to the good at that stage, 0-14 to 1-10.
Even as Canny’s free was pushed wide of the near post, all Clare had to do was to defend the next puckout. Instead Antrim won possession at midfield and were able to force an equaliser through Claire Kearney.
At the end of the second period of normal time, the tables were turned. Antrim had led by two points midway through the additional time, but Canny’s second point from play and her 11th overall cut the gap to one point with 79 minutes on the clock. Aoife Anderson missed one good chance to equalise and when Grace Carmody ran into a crowd of bodies on the edge of the attacking arc, it looked as if the Kilmaley player had lost possession.
Instead referee Barry Nea deemed that there had been a pull on Carmody’s jersey, and so Canny had the chance to level the game. Visibly exhausted, she mishit her strike and a simple catch and clearance from Antrim’s Sinéad Cosgrove would have been enough to win the game.
However the sliotar fumbled from the wing back’s grasp and drifted over the end line, allowing Sarah Loughnane to demonstrate incredible focus and resolve under pressure to point the 45 and bring about two further periods of five minutes each.
Megan McGarry overcame her aching limbs to send a long range free over the bar in the first period of extra extra time, and that ended up carrying the day – but not without more heartstopping moments.
Clare’s supporters were particularly animated by Aisling Cooney’s shot from 40 metres which dropped short and was parried by Áine Grahan, but then swept clear just as the two umpires looked at each other to confirm that the ball hadn’t crossed the plane of the goal-line.
By such moments small margins are memorable games like this decided, and when Clare reflect, they will no doubt think of hundreds of them.
Antrim: Áine Grehan; Maria McLarnon, Elis Kearns, Enya McShane; Sinéad Cosgrove, Megan McGarry, Caitlin Crawford; Claire Kearney, Emma Laverty; Tara O’Neill, Bríd Magill, Caoimhe McNaughton; Anna McNeill, Ellen Leech, Dearvla Cosgrove. Subs: Fionnuala Kelly for O’Neill (22); Orlaith Laverty for McNeill (41); Nuala Devlin for Leech (41), Erin Trainor for Laverty (60), Bronach Magill for S Cosgrove (60+2); A McNeill for Kearney (68); Lally for Trainor (h-t in e-t); Caitlin Hegarty for Crawford (75); Bríd Magill for Kelly (84); Crawford for Hegarty (87).
Scorers: D Cosgrove 1-5 (3f, 1 45); Bríd Magill 0-3; E Laverty 0-2; C McNaughton 0-1;E Leech 0-1; C Kearney 0-1; O Laverty 0-1; F Kelly 0-1; M McGarry 0-1f.
Clare: Lauran Solon (Whitegate); Rebecca Crowe (Ruan), Michelle Powell (Truagh Clonlara), Sinéad Hogg (Truagh Clonlara); Róisín Powell (Truagh Clonlara), Kate O’Gorman (Kilkishen), Sinéad O’Keeffe (Kilmaley); Rachel Kelly (Sixmilebridge), Abby Walsh (Scariff-Ogonelloe); Grace Carmody (Kilmaley), Ellen Casey (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Aoife Anderson (Ruan); Shauna Canny (Feakle-Killanena), Niamh Mulqueen (Broadford), Olivia Phelan (Sixmilebridge) Subs: Aideen Hickey (Whitegate) for Mulqueen (37); Siobhán Lenihan (Kilkishen) for Carmody (45); Finia O’Brien (Sixmilebridge) for Phelan (51); Sarah Loughnane (Sixmilebridge) for O’Gorman (59); Caoimhe Lally (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for Crowe (f-t); Carmody for Anderson (h-t in e-t), O’Gorman for O’Brien (75), Aisling Cooney (Parteen) for Canny (AET); Regan Conway (Feakle-Killanena) for Carmody (84); Mulqueen for Casey (88); Canny for Hickey (90+2).
Scorers: S Canny 0-11 (9f); A Anderson 0-3; K O’Gorman 0-1f; R Kelly 0-1; A Walsh 0-1; S Loughnane 0-1 45.
Referee: Brian Kearney (Kildare)