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Clondegad 3-8 Kilrush 0-13
Both Clondegad and Kilrush were short some regulars when they clashed in the final of the Garry Cup (Division 2) football league at Cooraclare on Saturday evening.
As reported in last week, Clondegad were without Clare captain Gary Brennan due to injury and also without his brother, Shane, who is in the US. Kenneth Kelly is ruled out due to injury while Eoin Griffin wasn’t available for Saturday’s final. Inter-county defender John Hayes was absent from the Kilrush line-up while they also lined out without free-scoring Jim Young. On the credit side, they welcomed back veteran Donal O’Sullivan for his first game of the season.
Goals win games and Clondegad scored three in this tie and these proved decisive. The first came as early as the second minute when full-forward Colm Quinlivan won possession from a Ciaran Browne delivery before blasting to the net. Eoin Donlon had opened the scoring in the first minute when he pointed from a free.
Kilrush had their first score in the third minute when Padjoe McGrath converted a free.
Clondegad restored their four-point lead in the 10th minute when team captain Brian Carigg came upfield from centre-back to land a point. Matthew Moloney then came up from the half-back line to point for Kilrush before Clondegad struck another major blow. Another delivery from Ciarán Browne was added to by full-forward Quinlivan for his and the teams’ second goal with just 12 minutes played.
Padjoe McGrath and Paudge McMahon exchanged points before David O’Shea and McGrath had Kilrush points to leave the score at 2-3 to 0-5.
When the half-time whistle sounded, a goal separated the sides, with Clondegad leading on a score of 2-5 to 0-8.
Kilrush made the better start to the second half and points from Rory O’Connor and McGrath left the minimum between the sides. Twelve minutes into the half, the winners struck again and this time Quinlivan turned provider for Paudge McMahon to give Tony Burke in the Kilrush goal no chance with a powerful shot.
A brace of points from Rory O’Connor left just two between the sides, 3-6 to 0-13, at the three-quarter stage.
Kilrush piled on the pressure in search of a goal but Clondegad goalie Declan O’Loughlin came to his side’s aid with an impressive double save five minutes from time.
A foul on Colm Quinlivan presented Paudge McMahon with a close in free, which he converted before repeating the feat for the final score of the game. Five minutes of injury time followed, during which Clondegad had Francie Nealon and Ciarán Browne dismissed on second yellow cards.
After the game, Joe Garry presented the cup, which commemorates his father, Michael to Brian Carigg in the presence of board chairman, Bernard Keane.
Clondegad: Declan O’Loughlin; Flan Enright, Paddy O’Connell, Cormac Ryan; Francie Nealon, Brian Carigg, Conor Gavin; Kieran Browne, James Murphy; Tadhg Lynch, Francis O’Reilly, Gearóid O’Connell; Paudge McMahon, Colm Quinlivan, Eoin Donlon.
Subs: Brian Murphy for Enright, Pat Coffey for G O’Connell and Paddy Breen for C Quinlivan;
Scorers: Colm Quinlivan (2-0), Paudge McMahon, (1-4), Eoin Donlon (0-2), Tadhg Lynch, Brian Carigg (0-1) each.
Kilrush: Tony Burke; Niall Gilbride, Chris Dixon, Niall Clancy; Matthew Moloney, Cian Muray, Con O’Brien; Danny Lynch, Donal O’Sullivan; Calum Bond, Padjoe McGrath, Stephen Sweeney; Rory O’Connor, David O’Shea, Daragh Bolton.
Subs: Liam Madigan for D O’Shea, Eoin O’Kelly for O’Brien, Jim Young for Bolton and Con Prendeville for Sweeney.
Scorers: Padjoe McGrath (0-7), Rory O’Connor (0-4), Matthew Moloney, David O’Shea (0-1) each.
Referee: Barry Kelly, Miltown.
