Clare 0-18
University of Limerick 1-7

ON top of kicking 13 points from play, in Doonbeg on Sunday, Clare gave full debuts to three players and showed that their early season conditioning is well ahead of previous Januarys.

Goalkeeper Peter O’Dwyer, Podge Collins and Eoin Troy, one of four O’Curry’s players to feature, started their first game for Clare. Management partnered the rather more experienced David Russell and Ger Quinlan in the middle of the field. Clare completely dominated this sector in the opening 35 minutes of the McGrath Cup preliminary round and took over again for most of the last 20. Worryingly for UL, their midfielder Anthony Maher buckled having been hit by a perfectly timed, bone-shaking David Russell shoulder in the 17th minute. The Kerry man left Doonbeg stooping gingerly with a suspected broken collarbone.
Clare picked up a couple of less serious but nonetheless unwanted injuries, with both Graham Kelly (back) and David Tubridy (groin) substituted. Kelly left the field four minutes before half-time, while Tubridy’s groin problem flared up with just a couple of minutes left to play.
Up front, the point-scoring of Gary Brennan and Rory Donnelly was the high point of Clare’s display with Brennan (five) and Donnelly (four) kicking nine points from play between them. Both excelled in the central attacking positions, with Brennan’s ball winning and Donnelly’s running the fulcrum of the Clare attack.
Clare led 0-10 to 0-4 at half-time, having played with the wind into the scoreboard end at Shanahan McNamara Park. Donnelly kicked three points in that half, with Brennan notching two, while he was fouled for two of David Tubridy’s three pointed frees. Podge Collins and Tubridy kicked the remaining first-half points from play for the home county.
The pick of these scores was Donnelly’s first, which was created by a clever Peter O’Dwyer kick-out to David Russell. He linked up with the marauding Graham Kelly, who picked the Cooraclare man’s run. Colin Dempsey scored three of UL’s first half points, with wing-forward Mark Cahalane kicking the fourth.
Ger Quinlan and Gary Brennan increased Clare’s advantage (0-12 to 0-4) by the fourth minute of the second period. UL then upped their work rate and took over around the middle for about 15 minutes. James O’Donoghue, Dempsey and Michael Geaney kicked three points on the spin for the Limerick university, before Donnelly replied in the ninth minute with a perfectly timed run, taking a popped pass from Gordon Kelly before firing his fourth score. During this dominant UL spell, Peter O’Dwyer saved smartly from Paul O’Donoghue but he couldn’t do much when Edmund Walsh held off Martin McMahon and goaled for UL 13 minutes from time.
Any hint of a meaningful UL comeback was stifled, however, as Clare kicked four closing points without reply. Their goal turned out to be UL’s last score. The students had James O’Donoghue red carded five minutes from time, following a tangle with Kevin Hartnett, who was yellow carded and blood subbed.
While UL were not the most testing of opponents, Clare’s 18-point tally was impressive, although they will hope to be more clinical with goal chances. Shane Brennan, in particular, had a couple of chances to rattle the net, one of which resulted in a good save from Joe Lyster six minutes before half-time.
Peter O’Dwyer was very calm and measured on his debut, with his kick-outs regularly finding Clare men. Until injured, Graham Kelly launched several Clare attacks from wing-back, while his brother Gordon was solid at centre-back. Russell and Quinlan ruled midfield, while Rory Donnelly and Gary Brennan excelled in attack, where the work rate of all six forwards was evident, particularly when UL had possession.
Clare will play Cork in Sunday’s quarter-final at 2pm at Pairc Uí Rínn.

Clare: Peter O’Dwyer (Kilmurry Ibrickane); Kevin Hartnett (Meelick), Shane McNeilis (Kildysart), Martin McMahon (Kilmurry Ibrickane); Eoin Troy (O’Curry’s), Gordon Kelly (St Joseph’s, Miltown), Graham Kelly (St Joseph’s, Miltown); David Russell (Kilkee), Ger Quinlan (O’Curry’s); Diarmuid Daly (Corofin), Rory Donnelly (Cooraclare), Shane Brennan (Clondegad); Podge Collins (Cratloe), Gary Brennan (Clondegad), David Tubridy (Doonbeg, captain).
Subs: Dara Blake (Liscannor) for Graham Kelly (31 mins, inj), Michael Foran (O’Curry’s) for Podge Collins (55 mins), Stephen Tierney (St Breckan’s) for Eoin Troy (55 mins), Seán Haugh (O’Curry’s) for Kevin Hartnett (65 mins) and David Murphy (Ennistymon) for David Tubridy (69 mins, inj).
Scorers: David Tubridy (0-6, 4f, 1 45’), Gary Brennan (0-5), Rory Donnelly (0-4), Ger Quinlan (0-2) and Podge Collins (0-1).
Wides: 5; frees won: 28; 45s: 1
Yellow cards: Eoin Troy, Diarmuid Daly and Kevin Hartnett.

UL: Joe Lyster (Kildare, captain); Matt Culloty (Kerry), Donagh O’Sullivan (Cork), Padraic O’Connor (Kerry); Fionn Fitzgerald (Kerry), Michael Geaney (Kerry), Jonathan Lyne (Kerry); Anthony Maher (Kerry), Alan Rockett (Tipperary); Paul O’Donoghue (Kerry), David Niblock (Cork), Mark Cahalane (Cork); James O’Donoghue (Kerry), Colin Dempsey (Mayo), John O’Rourke (Cork).
Subs: Thomas Ladden (Kerry) for Anthony Maher (17 mins, inj), Jack Sherwood (Kerry) for David Niblock (16 mins), James O’Brien (Leitrim) for Alan Rockett (half-time), Edmund Walsh (Kerry) for John O’Rourke (47 mins).
Scorers: Colin Dempsey (0-4, 2f), Edmund Walsh (1-0), Mark Cahalane, James O’Donoghue and Michael Geaney (0-1 each).
Wides: 8; frees won: 19; 45s: 0
Yellow cards: Paul O’Donoghue, Jonathan Lyne, Padraic O’Connor and Jack Sherwood.
Red card: James O’Donoghue (65 mins).

Referee: Brian Tyrell (Tipperary).

McDermott pleased with winning start

CLARE manager Micheál McDermott felt his side benefited from their off-season gym programme on Sunday. Clare looked fit and strong, although it must be noted that UL appeared disjointed and didn’t have the time to prepare, as they would have preferred.
“We haven’t really done much on the pitch yet but you can see that their winter programme in the gym has stood to them because they finished very, very strong in the last 10 or 15 minutes. But we’re under no illusion that UL hadn’t really prepared well for this match and it probably showed in the game today,” he told The Clare Champion.
McDermott reflected on a steady display from debutante goalkeeper Peter O’Dwyer.
“He was very clever between himself and Shane Brennan, who won a lot of his kick-outs. It’s good to give Peter the run and it’s good to put a bit of pressure of Joe (Hayes) as well for the number one spot,” McDermott said.
While keen to give a run to more players, the Cavan man was happy with how some of his new players fared.
“It’s very important that we look at the whole panel between now and February 5 to see what our options are because it’s important that come then we have our best team taking the field. But you have to be fair to the lads that performed today. It will give them confidence. It was Podge Collins and Stephen Tierney’s first games, Shane Brennan is U-21 and Eoin Troy was in a new position at wing-back. They all acquitted themselves very well,” he noted.
David Tubridy and Graham Kelly were both substituted carrying injuries.
“It’s a groin that has been bothering David for the last couple of weeks and it’s just unfortunate today that it went on him. He worked really hard and didn’t shirk his responsibility of being captain for the day on his home pitch. Hopefully a bit of cryotherapy will have him right in two weeks because ultimately for us the most important date is the first week in February,” the manager stated.
“Graham (Kelly) fought through the pain barrier for the first 25 minutes and played a tremendous game for the period he was on the field. Dara Blake came in and that’s the good thing about today; we got to look at 20 players and a number of our other players weren’t available today through college matches, while Alan Clohessy was off sick and John Hayes was injured,” McDermott explained, adding that he was delighted with Gary Brennan’s innings at full-forward.
“He hadn’t trained all week and came off a flight from America this morning. He put in a great shift. Around the middle, David Russell and Ger Quinlan have a lot of experience and the one thing about them in the middle of the field, they’re not going to be bullied,” McDermott maintained.
Meanwhile, Clare selector Liam McHale professed himself content with the “maturity” of Clare’s display.
“It’s early days and we haven’t done a lot of ball work. What I was happy about there was there was a maturity to them. Maturity in that Gary (Brennan) came out from full-forward and caught a ball or two. We didn’t tell him to do that but that’s what we’ve been working on for the last few years. He’s only 23 years of age but said ‘it’s time I came out here and did something’. He got us up the field and we got a score or two to settle us after their goal.
“We’re three years at it now and we’d be expecting that. We’re a little bit disappointed that we had a lot of goal chances that we didn’t finish. We’re very good at that normally but again we have to work on that,” he said.
“It’s great for a Division 4 team like Clare to be playing Cork next Sunday. No matter what team Cork put out, it’s a good team. It’s a build-up now for the Waterford game,” the Mayo man added.