Clare         0-10
Limerick   0-9
ON February 12, Clare wilted when Fermanagh turned up the heat in Brewster Park. That defeat meant Clare had to beat Limerick in Cusack Park last Sunday if they were to mount a sustained promotion challenge. In winning, they picked up two invaluable points and, as significantly, when they had to dig deep, several Clare players displayed the leadership capabilities absent in Enniskilleen.

When Ian Ryan pointed Limerick to within two points of Clare seven minutes from time, it seemed probable that a repeat result was in the offing. At that stage, Clare led 0-9 to 0-7, having led 0-8 to 0-3 11 minutes into the second half. Limerick had the momentum and a gusty breeze behind them.
Knowing Clare needed a lift if they were to avoid capsizing, Gary Brennan embarked on an inspirational run, broke the tackle and pointed Clare 0-10 to 0-7 ahead. 
Ger Collins and Stephen Kelly kicked late Limerick points but Brennan’s score had visibly lifted Clare and provided them with a lead to fight for and hang on to. That type of leadership was not evident against Fermanagh.
Wing-back Martin McMahon and centre-forward Shane McGrath were Clare’s most impressive players throughout the 70 minutes, with both making incisive contributions. McMahon took several knocks but kept coming back for more, while his reading of the play was immaculate. McGrath excelled when moved to centre from full-forward. He also kicked two second-half points, the second with the outside of the right foot, while his movement and ability to find attacking colleagues was hugely influential in helping Clare to victory.
As upbeat as all of that sounds, there is no disguising the exceptionally poor quality of the opening 35 minutes.
Clare played with the wind in that half but made virtually no inroads until injury time. Ger Quinlan and Michael O’Shea points helped them into a 0-5 to 0-3 half-time lead.
Graham Kelly scored Clare’s first point, while David Tubridy kicked the remaining first-half scores from frees. Clare kicked nine wides in the opening half, while their kicking, support play and movement up front were very poor.
Luckily, Limerick were worse and only Ian Ryan scored for them in the first half.
Perhaps if Clare had played with a target man (Timmy Ryan or David Russell) for a spell in this half, it might have helped them play a more direct style with the breeze. Both David Tubridy and Rory Donnelly started in the half-forward line. Surely they would have been more dangerous inside, while, as it turned out, Shane McGrath is far more effective at centre-forward than on the edge of the square.
Those late points at least gave Clare something to hold on to in what was an Arctic-like Cusack Park, such was the cutting breeze.
Clare emerged with more vim and enthusiasm after half-time, though early Limerick wides from Seamus O’Carroll, Barry Fitzpatrick and Ian Ryan helped them.
Points from McGrath and David Tubridy eased Clare into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead. Limerick looked finished at this stage and began picking up a succession of yellow cards. Eventually though, they began to play a bit better and reeled off three successive points, with Ger Collins beginning to look dangerous at corner-forward.
A free won by McGrath was pointed by Tubridy, leaving Clare 0-9 to 0-6 up. The closing minutes were a bit jittery from a Clare viewpoint but Gary Brennan’s run and point was a seminal moment in securing the win for Micheál McDermott’s team.
Joe Hayes was solid in goal and most of his kick-outs were retained by Clare. The full-back line looked shaky at stages, although Barry Hartnett settled after a dicey start, while Shane McNeilus emerged with a couple of important possessions late in the game.
Ger Collins scored two second-half points off Laurence Healy, who at least didn’t let the Limerick corner-forward get goal side of him. Martin McMahon was outstanding at wing-back, while Gordon Kelly was steady in the centre. John Hayes wasn’t as involved offensively as Clare would like, although his direct opponent made no impact.
Gary Brennan made a number of crucial contributions, while Ger Quinlan worked hard and did the simple things effectively.
Shane McGrath was the best of the Clare attack. For much of the second half, the full-forward division lined up in a straight line in front of their own goal, looking to use the space left or right if decent ball was delivered.
Although Clare scored 10 points, they will need to up their game in attack and start scoring a goal or two. Clare have raised just one green flag in their three league games to date.

Clare: Joe Hayes; Barry Hartnett, Shane McNeilus, Laurence Healy; Martin McMahon, Gordon Kelly, John Hayes; Gary Brennan, Ger Quinlan; Graham Kelly, David Tubridy, Rory Donnelly; Michael O’Shea, Shane McGrath, Alan Clohessy (captain).
Subs: Shane Brennan for Graham Kelly and Timmy Ryan for Rory Donnelly.
Scorers: David Tubridy (0-4f), Shane McGrath (0-2), Graham Kelly, Michael O’Shea, Ger Quinlan and Gary Brennan (0-1 each).
Frees for: 31; wides: 15
Yellow cards: Gordon Kelly, Graham Kelly and Shane McNeilus.

Limerick: Brian Scanlon; Lorcan O’Dwyer, Johnny  McCarthy, Stephen Lavin; John Riordain, Stephen Lucey, Pa Ranahan; Seán Buckley, Barry Fitzpatrick; John Cooke, Eoghan O’Connor, James O’Meara; Ger Collins (captain), Seamus O’Carroll, Ian Ryan.
Subs: Stephen Kelly for James O’Meara, Eoin Barry for Stephen Lucey, Ian Corbett for John Cooke and Graham O’Connell for Seamus O’Carroll.
Scorers: Ian Ryan (0-5, 4f), Ger Collins (0-2), Pa Ranahan and Stephen Kelly (0-1 each).
Frees for: 13; wides: 6
Yellow cards: Barry Fitzpatrick, Lorcan O’Dwyer, Seán Buckley, Seamus O’Carroll, Stephen Lavin and Stephen Kelly, Ger Collins.
Red card: Barry Fitzpatrick.
Referee: Brian Tyrell (Tipperary).

McDermott urges Dempsey to rest star players

CLARE travel to Dr Cullen Park in Carlow on Sunday (2.30pm throw in) for their fourth game in what Carlow manager Luke Dempsey believes is an exceptionally competitive division. This will be Clare’s second successive trip east, having lost 1-11 to 1-10 there last March. Clare didn’t help themselves that day with John Hayes and Mark Tubridy red carded.
“It’s an outrageously competitive league,” Dempsey believes. “For that reason, Sunday’s match is going to be very competitive. We’ve been watching with interest the Clare players’ great performances on the Munster team.
“They really have excellent forwards and that’s where we’d worry a bit. Our full-back is out injured and two of our wing-backs are out so we’re struggling for defenders,” he revealed.
The Carlow manager also let slip that Clare manager Micheál McDermott was trying to play some psychological war games this week.
“I’m good friends with Mick McDermott. The two of us had a bit of banter on Tuesday. He was looking to know where we stayed in London. I said to Mick he’ll have four easy points for Clare with Carlow and London coming up. He was saying he hopes we rest some of our players.
“But that’s the great nature of being involved in the game. The banter is good. The two us are doing our best to get the counties out of Division 4,” Dempsey said.
While Clare beat Limerick at home last weekend, Carlow defeated London 2-6 to 0-4 in Ruislip, which is not a result that Dempsey is receiving too much credit for.
“Division 4 has that anomaly with Kilkenny and London in it. You’re on a hiding to nothing playing both of them. If you beat London, it’s still London and if you beat Kilkenny, well what are you at if you can’t beat Kilkenny?
“It’s back to a level playing field now on this Sunday and every subsequent, bar the Kilkenny game. It’s an important match. In the last few years the matches have been very close and Sunday will be no different I imagine,” Dempsey predicted. 
He reiterated his belief that escaping the nine-team division is an onerous task.
“You’ve seven teams in Division 4 who would all have ambitions to get out of it. The unfortunate thing is only two will get out, whereas five of the counties would definitely compete very well in Division 3,” he maintains.