Clare SHC: Eire Óg 1-18 Cratloe 0-15
1-11 from Danny Russell helped Eire Óg through to the Clare SHC quarter-finals as the Townies set up a last eight showdown with Feakle.
With 38 minutes on the clock, Cratloe led by 0-14 to 0-8, but from here to the final whistle, they mustered just one further score as Matthew Shannon’s side dominated the closing stages.
The comeback was sparked by Danny Russell’s opportunist 40th minute goal as he whipped on a breaking ball in the square to flash the ball past Gearoid Ryan and sparked a period where Eire Og outscored last year’s beaten finalists by 1-10 to 0-1 in a 12 point turnaround.
The return of David Reidy to the midfield engine room was a boost for Eire Óg while Russell’s movement up front caused problems throughout. Cratloe also lost full-back Mikey Hawes to a leg injury early in the game and his absence from the defence in the closing stages was noticeable.
Cratloe had the aid of a strong wind in the opening half and belied their recent layoff as they built a 0-9 to 0-3 lead approaching the break and looked well in control. Shane Neville (2) along with the Collins trio of Podge, Sean and David got on the board while Shane Gleeson, Conor McGrath and a Liam Markham “65 put Cratloe into a commanding position, and it could have been even moreso only for a brilliant flying save by Philip Walsh to deny Rian Considine from close range.
Eire Óg were wasteful at times with seven first half wides, but the last three scores before the half-time whistle saw them just three behind with the wind to come. Shane O’Donnell was deployed closer to the danger zone and it began to pay dividends as the dual threat with Russell was starting to tell.
Cratloe’s lead was stretched further in the early stages of the second period with Shane Neville and Podge Collins along with two Rian Considine’s frees putting them six clear. The tide began to turn when a quick free from Reidy dropped into the square and Russell was quickest to react as he lashed home to the net.
From here to the final whistle, it was all about Eire Óg as a run of three in row from Russell (2) and Shane O’Donnell restored parity to the contest, but Conor McGrath edged Cratloe back in front.
It proved to their last score of the game with the Townies reeling off 0-7 without reply with Russell (3), Reidy (2), Nathan Murray and Niall O’Connor sealing the six point win.
Eire Og: Philip Walsh; Conor O’Halloran, Ciaran Russell, Tadgh Connellan; Niall McMahon, Liam Corry, Aidan McGrath; Tom Downes, Michael Moloney; David McNamara, David Reidy, Kevin Brennan; Darren O’Brien, Shane O’Donnell, Danny Russell.
Subs:
Nathan Murray for Brennan, Gavin Cooney for O’Halloran, Niall O’Connor for Danny Russell
Scorers:
Danny Russell (1-11, 7f), David Reidy and Shane O’Donnell (0-2 each), Nathan Murray, Niall O’Connor and David McNamara (0-1 each).
Cratloe: Gearoid Ryan; Sean Chaplin, Mikey Hawes, Shane O’Leary; Damien Browne, Diarmuid Ryan, Liam Markham; Sean Collins, David Collins; Shane Gleeson, Conor McGrath, Luke Healy; Podge Collins, Shane Neville, Rian Considine
Subs: Ogie Murphy for Hawes (inj), Cathal McInerney for Healy
Scorers: Rian Considine (0-4, 4f), Shane Neville (0-3), Podge Collins and Conor McGrath (0-2 each), Sean Collins, Shane Gleeson and David Collins (0-1 each), Liam Markham (0-1, 1 “65).
Ref: Chris Maguire (Wolfe Tones)
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.