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Footballers out of minor championship

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Seánie Malone was prominent in the Clare defence during their minor championship match against Tipperary. Photograph by Declan MonaghanCLARE’S involvement in the 2010 Munster Minor Football Championship ended at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Saturday evening where they failed to produce anything like the form they had shown when beating Waterford five days earlier.

This was a poor contest, with all of excitement reserved for the final quarter. The failure of the Clare forwards to make any serious impression on the home side’s defence proved costly on the evening.
All of Clare’s scores in the tie came from placed balls and were scored by midfielder Aidan Malone, who was guilty of some missed chances in the opening half.
The tie was effectively decided in a five-minute spell early in the final quarter. Clare had taken the lead a minute into the quarter when Malone converted a penalty awarded after referee Martin Collins judged that Tony Kelly had been fouled in the square. This score sparked the Premier outfit to life and they hit back with two pointed frees to tie up the game with nine minutes remaining.
Clare were then dealt a major blow when team captain Paudge Collins picked up a second yellow card and his dismissal ended any hopes of a Clare victory.
However, the better team on the evening won through to the semi-final next week, where they will play Cork.
There were queries over the referee’s decisions in the tie, considering he awarded a total of 48 frees, 25 of which went to Clare and his decision to yellow card team captain Collins, particularly on the first occasion, surprised most of the handful of spectators.
Clare went into the tie without the injured Enda Boyce and the loss of the Cratloe teenager was a major blow. Seánie Malone, who switched from wing-forward to fill the centre-back position, was outstanding but his absence from the forward line was sorely felt.
The first half was a particularly drab affair, which produced just four scores, three to the winners. It was 0-2 to 0-1 at the end of the opening quarter when the visitors had strong claims for a penalty turned down. Tipperary corner-back, Paddy Dalton, arguably the man-of-the-match, appeared to handle the ball on the ground but the match official didn’t agree.
It was 0-3 to 0-1 at half-time and while Tipperary had looked the better side in the opening half, Clare had every reason to be confident that they could progress. Inside the first minute of the second half, they were unlucky not to go ahead but Tipperary goalie Paul Nolan made a fine save from Darragh Sexton.
A foul on Paudge Collins resulted in Aidan Malone pointing a 35m free, which closed the gap to the minimum as early as the second minute but the Clare attack was struggling to make an impression and this was particularly true of Niall Hickey and Tony Kelly, both of whom had excelled against both Cork and Waterford.
It was 0-4 to 0-3 when Malone’s penalty gave Clare the lead for the only time in the game but once Collins was sent off, it was an uphill battle. Tipperary played their best football in the remaining time and a goal from Liam Treacy after Graham Johnson had lost possession, six minutes from the end, sealed Clare’s fate.
Seánie Malone and Oisín Vaughan were always prominent in the Clare defence but elsewhere, with the exception of Paudge Collins, Clare struggled.
Paddy Dalton was outstanding for Tipperary, who also had good performances from Bill Maher, Liam Treacy and Donagh Leahy.

Tipperary: Paul Nolan; Paddy Dalton, Conor O’Sullivan, Padraig O’Meara; Bill Maher, Michael O’Sullivan, Shane Taylor; Liam Treacy, John O’Callaghan; Donagh Leahy, Billy Hewitt, Shane Leahy; Liam Boland, Benny Harkin, Liam McGrath.
Subs: Bill Walsh for Shane Leahy and Keith Kennedy for Taylor.
Scorers: Billy Hewitt (0-3, 1f), Liam Treacy (1-0), Donagh Leahy (0-2) Bill Maher, Liam Boland (free) and Benny Harkin (0-1 each).
Clare: Darren Sexton (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); Jarlath Colleran (Doora-Barefield), Graham Johnson (Kilmurry-Ibrickane), Oisín Vaughan (Ennistymon); Stan Lineen (Kilmihil), Seánie Malone (Miltown), Wesley de Loughrey (Cratloe); Ronan Linnane (Ennistymon), Aidan Malone (Kilfenora); Conor O’Reilly (Doora-Barefield), Paudge Collins (Cratloe), Anthony Downes (Kilmihil); Darragh Sexton (Kilmurry-Ibrickane), Niall Hickey (Kilmurry-Ibrickane), Tony Kelly (Clondegad).
Subs: Kieran O’Leary (Corofin) for Colleran (half-time), Darren Malone (Corofin) for Downes, 44 minutes, Adrian Murrihy (Kilmurry-Ibrickane) for D Malone, 55 minutes and Fionn Clancy (Corofin) for O’Reilly (60 minutes).
Scorer: Aidan Malone (1-3, all frees).
Referee: Martin Collins, Cork.

 

Sending off questioned
Michael Considine’s disappointment at the final whistle in Thurles on Saturday evening was understandable.
The Clare manager is one of the most passionate people involved in Clare football and defeat is never easy.
“They are a magnificent bunch and I am gutted for them. They gave me everything they had,” he said.
It was well into 2010 before Considine was handed the task of managing the 2010 county minor football squad and in that time he has worked extremely hard to get a squad together for the championship.
He was particularly upset about the decision to send off the Clare captain, Paudge Collins. “When you train hard all year and a ref gives a decision like that, something has to be done. We have to look at video evidence because it’s a joke, your whole year gone down the swanee. We were after going ahead with a goal from a penalty and we should have had a penalty in the first half but it wasn’t given. Those are the breaks and we always seem to be at the wrong end of them in Clare,” the Kilmurry-Ibrickane secretary said.
While he admitted that the standard of football in the first half was disappointing, he said, “We went out with the plan to keep it tight against the wind and to only concede three points against the wind. I thought at half-time that we would win the game. We didn’t play negative in the second half. We pushed on and got ahead and I thought if we went ahead we would win. Look, I am disappointed but fair play to Tipperary and the best of luck to them from here on,” he said.
While he didn’t make an issue about the fact that Clare had to play three championship games in 10 days, he did ask why the championship cannot be started in March and two games played in March and one in April.
“We have three dual players who are expected to play hurling championship next Wednesday and if they lose, they are out again the following Saturday. It’s absolutely crazy and it can’t continue. They are on about burnout and they are contributing to it themselves,” he said.
The Clare boss said, “Enda Boyce was a huge loss this evening but Seánie Malone was absolutely outstanding at centre-back. However, if we could have had him in the forwards, well… that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Enda got hurt and it’s going to happen that players will pick up injuries. We lost Jarlath (Colleran) with a hamstring injury, another big loss, but that the way it goes. We will keep going and keep the flag flying,” he concluded.

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