Dunning chips in with an all-action display

WOLFE Tones’ Chris Dunning ran himself into the ground in Tullamore last Sunday afternoon. The Shannon wing-forward used his fitness and mobility to unselfish affect for Clare, working deep for much of the game and also kicking a classy 29th minute point.
Substituted after 23 minutes against Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon on February 10, Dunning responded with a very honest, mature display against Offaly.
While Clare should really have won much more comfortably, the manner in which they reacted to Offaly’s goals was impressive. Niall McNamee’s 28th minute goal was followed by Dunning’s point and equally well-manufactured scores from Shane McGrath and Enda Coughlan.
Offaly scored their second goal 19 minutes into the second half. It put them into a 2-4 to 0-9 lead but they could only add one further score while Clare responded with a trio of points from play and a David Tubridy ’45.
“Straight away, we turned around and got the next few scores after they got their goals. They were blows but we always talk about that recovery and who is going to score the next one,” ‘Chippy’ told The Clare Champion after the game.
“The scoreboard doesn’t really reflect how dominant we were. We destroyed them in midfield. Cathal O’Connor had a great game. We still have plenty to work on though. Our shooting can improve and our defence can improve.
“Those two goals were soft goals to give away. A long ball in and a man coming through the middle; it’s easy to stop. We just have to work on it,” the Clare wing-forward reflected.
Dunning feels Clare were fitter and fresher than Offaly, who looked leaden and low on match sharpness.
“We had a tough session on Tuesday night. Thursday wasn’t so tough but we came good in the second half today. The subs that came on did a great job. Shane Ryan and Podge McMahon won every ball that was given to them. In the second half, Offaly were putting on pressure but there was nothing coming from it. We were just breaking out and they weren’t able to stay with us at all. The second-half performance was brilliant against that breeze,” he said.
Having won successive games in Carrick-on-Shannon and Tullamore, Clare play Tipperary in Ennis on Saturday at 2pm.
Dunning is confident Clare will be equally focused this weekend. A third win and they’ll be back in the midst of the promotion race.
“There’s a six-day turnaround. We start from here. We’ve a big game against Tipperary.
“There’s no talk about promotion or anything in this camp. It’s great at the moment. Two back-to-back away wins are great to have in the bag,” the Wolfe Tones man concluded.