Clare ladies outclassed by Rebelettes

Cork  3-19

Clare  1-2

THE scoreline suggests securing a place in the Munster Senior Ladies’ Football final was a simple task for Cork and it was very straightforward. Their 23-point defeat of Clare in Clarecastle was as comprehensive as the final score indicates.

Were it not for lax finishing and some excellent goalkeeping from Emma O’Driscoll, Clare could have been hammered by much more.
The gulf in pace and class between the Division 1 and Division 3 league winners was very evident in the opening half, during which Clare failed to score.
Come half-time Cork led 1-11 to 0-0. The nearest Clare came to scoring was when Niamh O’Dea kicked their only first-half wide.
Cork played the game at a furious pace. Their support play was superb and Clare just couldn’t handle the potency of their attacking threat from Valerie Mulcahy, Grace Kearney and Nollaig Cleary.
Mulcahy scored four first-half points for Cork while Cleary also slotted over four from play. Full-forward Rhona Ní Bhuachalla scored the reigning Munster champions’ goal in the opening half.
As hard as Clare tried, they just couldn’t handle the speed, intensity, movement and finishing of Cork.
Clare at least made something of a fist of it early in the second half. They won the throw-in and Eimear Considine pointed immediately from play, while Ailish Considine was unlucky not to hit the net. Louise Henchy then set up Eimear Considine for a nice goal following a superb run from the Banner midfielder.
It looked as if Clare might rally and provide the fairly sizeable home support with something to talk about but Cork stepped it up and hit Clare for 2-7 to 0-1 in reply in the 28 minutes that remained.
Grace Kearney scored a soft Cork goal when she got her hand to a Valerie Mulcahy free 10 minutes into the second half. Now 2-12 to 1-2 behind, the best Clare could hope for was to keep the score reasonably respectable.
To their credit, they kept trying right until the end and Clare could not be faulted for the honesty of their efforts.
While Cork have a Munster final to look forward to, Clare must prepare for an All-Ireland qualifier that if they lose, their season finishes.
They will hope not to meet a team of Cork’s class in their next game and perhaps take the opportunity to build up confidence if they can win that game.

Clare: Emma O’Driscoll (Banner); Claire Hester (Fergus Rovers), Lorraine Kelly (Fergus Rovers), Sinéad Eustace (Coolmeen); Carmel Considine (Liscannor), Eimear O’Connor (Coolmeen), Louise Woods (Banner); Marie Considine (Banner), Colette Corry (Shannon Gaels); Louise Henchy (Banner), Niamh Keane (Banner, captain), Fiona Lafferty (Miltown); Eimear Considine (Kilmihil), Ailish Considine (Kilmihil), Niamh O’Dea (Banner).
Subs: Laurie Ryan (Banner) for Lorraine Kelly, Róisín McMahon (Newmarket) for Eimear O’Connor, Naomi Carroll (Banner) for Ailish Considine, Áine Burke (Liscannor) for Fiona Lafferty, Carol O’Leary (Newmarket) for Niamh Keane.
Scorers: Eimear Considine 1-1, Louise Henchy 0-1.
Wides: 4; frees won: 14; 45, 1.
Cork: Aisling Barrett; Ann Marie Walsh, Angela Walsh, Deirdre O’Reilly; Briege Corkery, Bríd Stack, Geraldine O’Flynn; Juliet Murphy, Annie Walsh; Nollaig Cleary, Maireád Kelly, Grace Kearney; Valerie Mulcahy, Rhona Ní Bhuachalla, Amy O’Shea (captain).
Subs: Rena Buckley for Annie Walsh, Orlaith Farmer for Briege Corkery, Laura McMahon for Nollaig Cleary, Áine Sheehan for Geraldine O’Flynn.
Scorers: Grace Kearney (1-4), Valerie Mulcahy (0-5), Nollaig Cleary (0-4), Rhona Ní Bhuchalla (1-1), Mairéad Kelly (1-0), Juliet Murphy (0-2), Amy O’Shea, Rena Buckley, Orlaith Farmer (0-1 each). 
Wides: 14; frees won: 12; 45, 1.
Referee: Richie O’Connor (Tipperary).