Clare U-16s bow out of Munster competition

Kerry 5-10  Clare 5-5

CLARE were beaten by Kerry in the Munster U-16A Championship on Monday in Doonbeg. With both Clare and Kerry falling previously to Cork, this game decided the Munster finalists.
Clare played with a strong breeze in the opening half. Despite an earlier missed free, Kerry midfielder Laura Rogers pointed first. Clare spent most of the opening quarter on the Kerry 20m line and scored 1-3 with points from Katie Connole, Shauna Harvey (captain) and Niamh Carrucan. A superb goal from Aoife O’Gorman followed but Clare failed to convert a lot of possession that they would rue later on.
The outstanding Laura Rogers poached a further point for the Southerners, followed by an Erin O’Driscoll goal taken at speed for the Kingdom but they then failed to register two frees on the scoreboard against a strong wind. The Banner finished the half on a strong note as Orla Devitt bore down on the Kerry custodian, Katie Cronin to take a fine goal and Orlaith Lynch pushed Clare into a 2-4 to 1-3 lead at half-time.
In the second half, Clare faced the wind and as expected, Kerry wasted no time in counter-attacking. O’Driscoll kicked her second goal of the day within minutes of the restart, while more Kerry pressure resulted in a disallowed goal for a fouled hand pass. Clare knew they couldn’t defend against the Kerry onslaught and carried the play up both wings via Marie Foran to Shauna Harvey and Niki Kaiser and Laura Egan to Aisling Corbett and Niamh Carrucan on the other wing.
In a fantastic passage of play, captain Shauna Harvey pointed Clare’s first score of the second half, which was cancelled by a Kerry response. Harvey then found herself scoring two rapid penalties for an illegal foot block and a foul on Orla Devitt in the square as she prepared to notch up her second goal of the day. Clare were seven points up and looking like they were in control. Before Clare had a chance to gather themselves, Kerry’s Rogers was back with an immediate goal and they stuck another in a minute later, four goals in as many minutes. Two more points followed by Kerry sub, Shine and Lynch from a free. A further goal and another point from Shine stunned the Clare girls in a period of minutes and Clare found themselves seven points behind and with a mountain to climb.
When they could have lay down and called it a day, the Clare girls stayed positive, never gave up and were smothering the Kerry defence in a frenzy to score when the ball came down off the green and gold crossbar from a Shauna Harvey free. It fell to Aishling Corbett, who then rifled it to the top corner of the net. As the ball rebounded back into play and was cleared, bedlam ensued until referee Jason Mullins then consulted with the umpire and awarded the goal to the Banner, which brought them back to a two-point deficit with five minutes to go. However, a converted 45’ and two further points from a cool Kerry team sent them through to the Munster final on a scoreline of 5-10 to Clare’s 5-5.
Clare will regret not capitalising on the first-half wind advantage as Kerry outshot Clare by a wider margin in the second half. However, manager Kieran Harvey and his selectors will be very proud of their team as they repeated their spirited attitude and performance that nearly toppled Cork in the previous game.

Clare: Ciara O’Malley (Fergus Rovers); Róisín Considine (Liscannor), Gráinne Harvey (West Clare Gaels), Marie Foran (West Clare Gaels); Laura Egan (Kilmihil), Aoife Clohessy, (Fergus Rovers), Emer Hillary (Liscannor); Aisling Corbett (Clooney-Quin), Shauna Harvey (captain, West Clare Gaels); Niamh Carrucan (Burren Gaels), Aoife O’Gorman (Cooraclare), Niki Kaiser (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Orla Devitt (Éire Óg), Orlaith Lynch (Banner Ladies), Katie Connole (Burren Gaels).
Subs: Sinéad O’Keeffe (Banner Ladies), Laura Rynne (Miltown Malbay), Theresa Shannon (Liscannor), Tara Comber (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Fiona Loughman (Burren Gaels), Rachel O’Toole (Wolfe Tones), Fiona Touhy (Doora-Barefield), Joanne Howley (Burren Gaels), Maria Hehir (Clooney-Quin), Aoife Sheehan (Éire Óg), Laura Rynne (Miltown Malbay), Aisling McCann (Coolmeen), Kate McCarthy (Clooney-Quin), Becky Devine (Doora-Barefield), Sinéad Burke (Cooraclare), Sophie Hannon (Éire Óg), Fionnula Nagle (Fergus Rovers), Sarah Meaney (Coolmeen), Aoife Sheehan (Éire Óg), Molly Brannock (Doora-Barefield), Karen Roche (Banner Ladies) and Aoife O’Neill (Doora-Barefield).
Management: Kieran Harvey (manager), Johnny Hayes, Joe Reidy, Lisa Hart, Trudy Davenport and Marie Louise Kaiser.