Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-7
Cratloe 0-9

KILMURRY Ibrickane squeezed into their sixth senior county final since 2002, just about holding off Cratloe in rain-drenched Lissycasey last Saturday evening.

In what was their second successive one-point championship win over Cratloe, having beaten them in the 2010 quarter-final, Kilmurry will feel that kicking 10 wides and five into the goalkeeper’s hands, clearly indicates they should have won by more. Yet, had Padraig Chaplin been more composed eight minutes from time, Cratloe could have goaled. Instead of laying it off to a better-placed colleague, Chaplin blazed wide. A green flag at that juncture would have tested every facet of Kilmurry’s resolve.
However, it was their bench that won it for John Kennedy’s team. Johnny Daly and Niall Hickey were introduced six minutes from full-time and two minutes from the end, Hickey found Daly with a lovely pass. Showing his experience and class, Daly floated over a superb score, into the dressing room end in Lissycasey. The move for the match-winning point started at the far end of the field, when Kilmurry goalkeeper Peter O’Dwyer held and distributed the fourth ball kicked by Conor McGrath to drop short.
Exactly halfway through the opening half hour, nobody would have believed that just a point would divide the teams at full-time. Completely dominant in the first quarter, Kilmurry led 1-3 to 0-1 after 14 minutes. Kilmurry’s support play was excellent, while inside forwards Noel Downes and Michael O’Dwyer were giving the Cratloe full-back line the run-around. Although Enda Coughlan nominally started in the full-forward line, he played all of his football in the half-forward line. Evan Talty started in Coughlan’s regular centre-back slot, with Declan Callinan back from injury at wing-back.
Noel Downes kicked the game’s opening score in the third minute, while Liam Markham equalised four minutes later, after Podge Collins was fouled.
Shane Hickey man-marked Conor McGrath, while Martin McMahon shadowed Cathal McInerney all through, with the Kilmurry defenders keeping the Cratloe danger men scoreless from play.
Following the early exchange of points and missed chances at both ends, Michael O’Dwyer calmly goaled in the 10th minute, picking up a cleverly broken ball from Noel Downes. Ian McInerney pointed a close-in free minutes later, after Cratloe’s Brendan Bugler initially appeared to have been pushed in the back.
Now 1-3 to 0-1 up, Kilmurry were flying but their level of intensity dropped off after that. Cathal McInerney pointed a brace of frees, won by himself and Seán Collins, as half-time approached.
In injury time, Mark McCarthy kicked Kilmurry four points ahead, 1-4 to 0-3, as the winners won yet another Cratloe kick-out. They lost five of their nine kick-outs in the first half.
The talk at half-time was how much Kilmurry would win by. The anticipated clash of the best West Clare has to offer with Cratloe’s emerging flyers wasn’t materialising.
The opening minutes of the second half didn’t bode well for Cratloe. Michael O’Dwyer shot just wide, after Kilmurry won the throw-in, while Ian McInerney pointed his second free after Noel Downes was fouled. Cratloe had been in possession but lost it, allowing Kilmurry to launch a lightening counter attack, culminating with the foul on Downes. Now 1-5 to 0-3 up, Kilmurry were in control, if not quite coasting.
McInerney pointed another free, won by Seán Collins, before Mark McCarthy kicked a sublime score, largely thanks to a perceptive Stephen Moloney cross. Five points ahead, five minutes into the second half, it will be of huge concern to the West Clare aristocrats that they only added a single point in the remaining 25 minutes. They did shoot six wides though, with Peter O’Dwyer, Ian McInerney and Evan Talty among those to miss the target. Kilmurry also landed five point efforts into Jamie Joyce’s lap during the hour.
Slowly, Cratloe ground their way to parity, with McInerney and Liam Markham unerring from frees. McInerney’s fourth pointed free, seven minutes from time, tied the teams at 1-6 to 0-9. The Cratloe corner-forward had been fouled, having been located by a long delivery from Damien Browne.
Those who thronged into the stand in Lissycasey and the umbrella-sheltered crowd opposite were by now enthralled as a county final place was delicately poised.
Kilmurry supporters winced when Mark McCarthy was blocked down, after he had played a quick one-two from a free, won by Niall Hickey. A minute later, Hickey combined with Johnny Daly to set up the winner, which ultimately secured Kilmurry’s place in the October 16 final.
Cratloe didn’t give in though and it took superbly disciplined defending from Shane Hickey to keep Cathal McInerney goal side of him, while shortly after that, Liam Markham shot wide from play, when perhaps Cratloe should have tried to hold possession and work another free.
Stretched at times, the Kilmurry full-back line held up well, even if they gave away some scoreable frees. Peter O’Dwyer was the pick of the midfielders on view, muscling Conor Ryan out of it and showing that experience mixed with work rate is a potent force.
Mark McCarthy scored two lovely points, Michael Hogan worked exceptionally hard for Kilmurry in the half-forward line, while Michael O’Dwyer finished his goal very coolly. Noel Downes started well but faded, while Daly and Niall Hickey combined to win it from the bench. Kilmurry have yet to move fluently this year and their 10 wides tally underlines where their problem is. Still, it’s not a bad problem to have as they prepare for Sunday week’s final.
Liam Markham gave it everything for Cratloe, driving forward frequently from wing-back, while Seán and Podge Collins came much more into the game in the second half.
Cathal McInerney and Markham’s free taking was flawless on a day when Cratloe didn’t step back from the challenge but just couldn’t obtain sufficient space in which to inflict game winning damage.

Kilmurry: Peter O’Dwyer; Shane Hickey, Darren Hickey, Martin McMahon; Ian McInerney, Evan Talty, Declan Callinan; Paul O’Connor, Peter O’Dwyer (captain); Mark McCarthy, Michael Hogan, Stephen Moloney; Enda Coughlan, Noel Downes, Michael O’Dwyer.
Subs: Keith King for Ian McInerney (48), Johnny Daly for Noel Downes (54), Niall Hickey for Michael O’Dwyer (54) and Michael O’Dwyer for Stephen Moloney (60).
Scorers: Michael O’Dwyer (1-0), Mark McCarthy (0-2), Ian McInerney (0-2f), Noel Downes, Enda Coughlan and Johnny Daly (0-1 each).
Wides: 10; frees won: 17; 45s: 0
Yellow cards: Noel Downes, Michael Hogan and Mark McCarthy.

Cratloe: Jamie Joyce; Seán Chaplin, Barry Duggan, David Ryan; Óige Murphy, Michael Hawes, Liam Markham; Conor Ryan, Brendan Bugler; Wes Deloughrey, Seán Collins, Seán Hynan; Cathal McInerney, Conor McGrath, Podge Collins.
Subs: Padraig Chaplin for Wes Deloughrey (38) and Damien Browne for Seán Hynan (48).
Scorers: Cathal McInerney and Liam Markham (0-4f each) and Podge Collins (0-1).
Wides: 5; frees won: 20; 45s: 0
Yellow cards: Barry Duggan and Podge Collins.

Referee: Rory Hickey (Éire Óg).

McMahon highlights wide count

KILMURRY Ibrickane corner-back Martin McMahon was part of a defence that conceded just one point from play. However, Cratloe pointed eight frees, five of which were converted in the second half.
Four points up and in control at half-time, Kilmurry ended up scraping over the line. A repeat of their second-half display won’t be enough to beat Doora-Barefield in the county final, McMahon believes.
“It’s the same as usual with us. We just can’t seem to come out in the second half. In the first half we seem to be able to put a decent performance together but then we fall away,” he said of Kilmurry’s quarter-final and semi-final displays.
“We started fairly well in the second half. In the first five minutes we were going strong again. Then Padraig Chaplin came up the field and nearly got a goal. It just seems to happen us that we let things go. I think we’ve to do a lot of work before the county final,” the diminutive defender added.
Kilmurry’s 10 wides is also a source of concern for McMahon.
“It was not only the forwards today. They missed a few but a few of our lads came up as well and missed a few. So I think we need to work on that. We seem to be getting the chances but converting is our problem. But Cratloe are coming and you can’t take anything away from them. It’s just our second-half performance, we just seemed to let the intensity drop and that’s not going to be good enough for a county final,” McMahon said.
He was not surprised that Johnny Daly, set up by Niall Hickey, kicked the winner. Their introduction was testament to Kilmurry’s panel depth.
“That was a great score to win it. But who better to come to win it?” McMahon asked.
He felt their dual status may have impacted upon Cratloe.
“They had a few injuries coming in and maybe the hurling has taken a bit from them. We’ve been lucky. Any lads who have got injured are coming back fresh and we’ve a county final to look forward to now,” McMahon concluded.
Cratloe manager Colm Collins was disappointed that his side didn’t play for the hour, yet still only lost by a point.
“We didn’t play well in the first half and went in four points down. We played reasonably well in the second half but made too many simple errors. We thought we could have got a draw out of it but that’s the way it goes,” he said, adding that Kilmurry played excellent football in the first half.
“They’re very comfortable on the ball. They have a lot of excellent players there. They can use the ball and they can keep it. We knew who we were up against but I think we contributed a good bit to our own downfall with basic errors,” Collins suggested.
Winning was always going to be tricky, with Cratloe scoring just once from play.
“One point from play is very disappointing. We dropped a lot of ball short. There’s no excuse for that really. But it just happened and that was it. It is very disappointing but you just have to keep going,” the Cratloe manager sighed.
Although his side are more used to playing in Cusack Park, Collins said the venue wasn’t a factor in deciding outcome.
“Lissycasey is a fine venue. We can’t blame the venue. It’s a top-class pitch and everything was run very smoothly,” he observed.