Competitive Clare come up short

BEING able to introduce players of the experience and quality of Declan and Seamus Prendergast and Ken McGrath proved decisive as Waterford overcame Clare in the first of this season’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals.

In a tie played before a very disappointing attendance at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Monday, red-hot favourites Waterford experienced many anxious moments before booking a place in next month’s final against either Cork or Limerick.
The small Clare following had travelled more in hope than in confidence and while they left the famed grounds disappointed with the result, they were clearly pleased with the performance given by a new-look Banner outfit.
After a most disappointing league campaign, there were fears that Clare would suffer a heavy defeat come championship time. With their best performance of the season, Clare frightened the life out of the favourites and, with a little luck, could have been preparing for a Munster final appearance.
The importance of having a strong panel was highlighted again in the tie as the Prendergast brothers and Ken McGrath all got on the score sheet for the winners after their introduction. Between them they contributed 0-6, a very impressive return, considering that they only saw action in the second half. Indeed, Declan Prendergast’s performance earned him the man of the match award from the RTÉ Monday game team.
His introduction at the start of the second half was crucial. He came in at wing-back and succeeded in curbing Seán Collins, who had been rampant in the opening half against Jamie Nagle. In addition, he fired over three superb points.
Clare elected to play with the aid of the wind in the opening half and they looked a little nervous in the early stages as Waterford took a two-point lead. Three points in two minutes, one each from the half-forwards Seán Collins, Jonathon Clancy and John Conlon saw Clare take the lead. They should have gone further ahead in the 11th minute but Colin Ryan surprisingly tried for a goal from a 20m free and his effort was stopped and cleared.
With Pat Donnellan, Nicky O’Connell and the half-forwards sparkling at this stage of the game, Clare opened a five-point lead, 0-8 to 0-3, by the 21st minute. Waterford were struggling to cope with the Clare challenge and when they did manage to attack, they found the Banner full-back trio of Pat Vaughan, Cian Dillon and Conor Cooney in magnificent form.
With four minutes of the half remaining, Waterford had the leeway down to two points. Then Darach Honan sent the Clare crowd wild when he broke through and crashed an unstoppable shot past Clinton Hennessy for the game’s only goal. Colin Ryan followed with a point and Clare were six clear as half-time approached. In injury time, Waterford added a brace of points to leave the half-time score at 1-10 to 0-9 in Clare’s favour.
Clearly Waterford needed to improve in a number of areas and they returned with Declan Prendergast at wing-back. It was to prove a masterful move and he was inspirational as his side fought back into contention.
Two points inside the opening minute of the half served notice of what was to come and by the ninth minute they had drawn level, 1-11 to 0-14. In the next 14 minutes points were exchanged four times, leaving the teams still level with 10 minutes to play.
Declan Prendergast, with his third point, put Waterford into a one-point lead and this was still the position with a minute remaining. A draw looked likely but, in the final minute of normal time, Brian Gavin penalised Conor Cooney for picking the ball off the ground and Eoin Kelly converted. It was a harsh call as from the press box it appeared that the ball bounced up into the corner-back’s hands.
Substitutes Ken McGrath and Seamus Prendergast added points in injury time to give the Déise outfit a flattering four-point winning margin.
There were many excellent performances by Clare players. Cian Dillon, Conor Cooney, Pat Donnellan, Nicky O’Connell, Seán Collins and Darach Honan were outstanding. Diarmuid McMahon’s performance at centre-back, particularly in the second half, was impressive. Donal Tuohy, Pat Vaughan, Jonathon Clancy, particularly in the first half, and John Conlon were others who stood out, particularly in the first half, while substitutes Cormac and Domhnaill O’Donovan also impressed.
Declan Prendergast and veteran Tony Browne stood out in the second half for Waterford. Indeed, it was their displays as they curbed the threat of Seán Collins and Jonathon Clancy, who had been outstanding in the opening half, which turned this game in Waterford’s favour.
Waterford: Clinton Hennessy; Noel Connors, Liam Lawlor, Eoin Murphy; Tony Browne, Michael Walsh, Jamie Nagle; Shane O’Sullivan, Ritchie Foley; Kevin Moran, Maurice Shanahan, Eoin Kelly; John Mullane, Dan Shanahan, Stephen Molumphy.
Subs: Declan Prendergast for Nagle (half-time), Seamus Prendergast for M Shanahan (50 minutes), Shane Walsh for D Shanahan (60 minutes), Ken McGrath for Moran (62 minutes) and Eoin McGrath for Molumphy (71 minutes).
Scorers: Eoin Kelly (0-6, 4f), Stephen Molumphy, John Mullane and Declan Prendergast (0-3) each, Kevin Moran, Maurice Shanahan and Seamus Prendergast (0-2) each and Ken McGrath (0-1).
Frees for: 11; Wides: 12
Bookings: Liam Lawlor ((52 minutes) and Seamus Prendergast (71 minutes).

Clare: Donal Tuohy; Pat Vaughan, Cian Dillon, Conor Cooney; Brendan Bugler, Diarmuid McMahon, Pat Donnellan; Brian O’Connell, Nicky O’Connell; Seán Collins, John Conlon, Jonathon Clancy; Darach Honan, Fergal Lynch, Colin Ryan.
Subs: Cormac O’Donovan for Ryan (45 minutes), Domhnaill O’Donovan for B O’Connell (50 minutes), David Barrett for Lynch (56 minutes) and Alan Markham for Clancy (64 minutes).
Scorers: Darach Honan (1-3), Nicky O’Connell (1f) and Jonathon Clancy (0-3) each, Seán Collins (0-2), John Conlon, Colin Ryan, Cormac O’Donovan and David Barrett (0-1) each.
Frees for: 8; Wides: 11; 65s: 1
Bookings: Darach Honan (37 minutes).
Referee: Brian Gavin, Offaly.

Sparrow proud of Banner men
WHILE moral defeats aren’t much good, Clare will take a lot of heart out of Monday’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship semi-final loss to Waterford. That’s the view of team boss Ger O’Loughlin who would like to think that down the road this game will bring a lot of maturity to the team.
The Clarecastle man said he was proud of the players who wore the saffron and blue.
“We will take an awful lot of heart out of this. We introduced an awful lot of new lads this year and they did us proud today. They gave everything.”
Agreeing that they had a chance, he went on to say that the wind was a big factor.
“We probably got more goal chances that they did. Donal Tuohy did not have a save to make whereas Darach (Honan) was unlucky not to have had a second goal in the second half. He got a point out of it but if you are rattling the net with those, it eases the pressure. We have to learn from this,” he said. “In a tight game they are the ones you need to put away,” he added.
Asked what effect playing in Division 2 of the league had on the performance, O’Loughlin said, “I don’t think it affected us today. It hadn’t a bearing on the game. We are where we are in Clare and that’s Division 2.”
He continued, “We upped the intensity ourselves. We played Division 1 teams over the last month. We knew the pace of the game. If anything we were fitter than Waterford. We gave them some awful scores and you just can’t do that against more experienced teams and expect to win. Division 2 hurling doesn’t do Clare any good but that is where we are at. We weren’t good enough to get out of it this year and we have to try again next year,” he said.
For the next two weeks, players will concentrate on preparations for the second round of the club championship before getting back to training ahead of the qualifiers, the draw for which will be made next week.
Selector Danny Chaplin felt that the end result was very disappointing. “We should have been further ahead at half-time. We really went at them in the first half. We showed them no respect and went for everything. They hurled like we know these fellas can hurl and probably, for the first time this year, showed what they can do. We had enough possession in the first half. We missed a few chances and went for a goal when we probably should have put it over the bar,” he said.
The Sixmilebridge man was disappointed with referee Brian Gavin’s handling of the game.
“We got one free inside the 65’ in an hour and 10 minutes’ hurling. Don’t tell me Waterford were more disciplined than us. We were every bit as disciplined as them. We seemed to be pulled for things that they weren’t. Four points is flattering to them and we didn’t deserve to be beaten by four points.”
Chaplin said, “The lads can walk out of here with their heads held high,” before going on to say that they want to have a run in the qualifiers now. “We want to get through and get to the quarter-finals. Who knows, we could meet Waterford again,” he concluded.