Bord Gais Energy GAA Hurling All Ireland U21 A Championship Final – Clare 2-28 Antrim 0-12

Clare defeated Antrim by 2-28 to 0-12 in the Bord Gais Energy GAA Hurling All Ireland U21 A Championship Final on Saturday at Semple Stadium Thurles.

Clare cashing in on winning mentality

Clare 2-28 Antrim 0-12

By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Semple Stadium was a sea of saffron and blue at the end of this All-Ireland U21 hurling final, with thousands of enthused Clare supporters in the 11,148 crowd covering the pitch and acclaiming their heroes after yet another great day for the county. Though this was a facile win, Antrim doing their limited best but never at the races against a Clare side backboned by eight players (four starters, four panellists) from Sunday’s drawn SHC final in Croke Park against Cork.

It took Clare just 12 minutes to unlock the crowded Ulster men’s defence, at which point they led by just two points (0-4 to 0-2). Once they found the key it became a rout and when they led by 18 points at the break (2-16 to 0-4), a record win looked on the cards. Seven minutes after the resumption, however, having extended their lead by four, the Clare management duo of Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor hauled the big guns ashore, David McInerney, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly and Podge Collins all leaving the field to a massive ovation. In the remaining 23 minutes Antrim managed an honourable draw, seven more points apiece, free-taker Ciaran Clarke doing most of their scoring, corner-forwards Cathal O’Connell (11 points) and Davy O’Halloran (1-4) doing the damage for Clare.

Overall though it was a total mismatch, Clare’s title before a ball was pucked. “The final was probably in Walsh Park, against Waterford,” admitted O’Connor. “That was the toughest test we have faced in a long time and we must acknowledge the work going on down there. They pushed us to the very limit and the resolve we gained from that, the test we got, really stood to us in the second half against Tipperary when they came back at us (Munster final), and in the first half against Galway (semi-final) here a few weeks ago.”

This has been a team in the making however for a lot longer than that. “I call this the class of 2010 and we lost the All-Ireland minor final in pretty harrowing circumstances against Kilkenny that year. We felt we left it behind us and in the dressing room afterwards — through tears, and we don’t remember a whole pile of the words that we uttered but we remember the hurt and the pain and the anguish — we made a pact as a group that if we ever got the opportunity to win an All-Ireland together, we would. It probably came a year sooner than expected (Clare also won last year) but these guys have been training and preparing for today for the past four years.

“While the result might appear facile, the performance we wanted to give, we gave, in the first half. We wanted to give a top-class professional performance that reflected a team that had been training for four years. People have been surprised how well a young team like Clare performed in Croke Park on Sunday but these guys have a winning mentality, they know nothing else other than winning. That’s a huge advantage to have going into any game — they expect to win, fear nobody but respect everybody.”

The senior guys are an inspiration to the others, reckons O’Connor, not a prima donna among them, just settled straight back into the U21 set-up. “It’s being reported in the media that 14 of these guys are on the (extended) senior panel but the reality is that only four of them are playing day in, day out. The biggest challenge we had was to ensure our training was of a high enough intensity to bring the guys who weren’t playing last Sunday up to speed. It gives you a taste of the mentality of these guys that on Tuesday night Podge Collins had a puss on him because he couldn’t train! That’s the way they are; they love playing hurling, they love the way Paul Kinnerk has them playing, they enjoy it — this was a huge and a wonderful opportunity for them to express themselves.”

It’s going to work in their favour now too going into the senior replay, reckons Donal Moloney. “I think from a Clare perspective there is an unwarranted level of despondency (after the draw) — I think they are really set up to win the replay. This will help them, absolutely. The enthusiasm they will go back in with will be palpable — that will help the rest of the guys to push over the line. We may never see this again in Clare, everything possible has to be done to finish the year on a high.”

Scorers for Clare: C O’Connell (0-11, nine frees); D O’Halloran (1-4); S O’Donnell (1-0); C Galvin (0-3); T Kelly (0-3); S Morey (0-2); C Malone (0-2); A O’Neill (free), J Colleran, E Boyce (0-1 each).

Scorers for Antrim: C Clarke (0-7, five frees, one s/l); C McCann, S McAfee, J McGreevy, C McGuinness, M Bradley (0-1 each).

Clare: R Taaffe; P Flanagan (c), D McInerney, J Browne; S Morey, A O’Neill, S O’Halloran; C Galvin, T Kelly; P Duggan, P Collins, C Malone; C O’Connell, S O’Donnell, D O’Halloran.

Subs for Clare: J Colleran for Kelly (33); K Lynch for McInerney (33); E Boyce for Galvin (37); N Arthur for Collins (37); A Cunningham for O’Donnell (50).

Antrim: G Dixon; C Morgan, M Donnelly, T Coyle; T Ó Ciaráin, P McNaughton, C McGuinness; J McGreevey (c), E Campbell; S Dooey, S McAfee, N McKenna; D McKernan, C McCann, C Clarke.

Subs for Antrim: D Kearney for Ó Ciaráin (22); M Bradley for Donnelly (30); S Beatty for Dooey (30); M Dudley for McKernan (40); D McGuinness for McCann (54).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

Clare 2-28 Antrim 0-12

Report from the RTE.ie web site

Clare captain Paul Flanagan with the trophy Clare’s Davy O’Halloran scores his sides first goal Clare claimed back-to-back Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland Under 21 hurling titles, following a 2-28 to 0-12 win over Antrim at Semple Stadium. The Banner County led throughout, and held a 2-16 to 0-04 interval advantage with Davy O’Halloran and Shane O’Donnell netting their goals. Clare opened up a 22-point lead inside seven minutes of the restart, and although Antrim worked hard with scores from Chris McGuinness, Ciaran Clarke and Niall McKenna, the reigning champions weren’t going to be beaten. Cathal O’Connell led the charge for the Munster outfit with 11 points, including ten from placed balls.

Antrim made one change to their side from the semi-final win over Wexford, with Chris McGuinness coming into defence in place of St John’s Ciarán Johnston. Clare opted for the same line-up named midweek, with four of the side which started the drawn All-Ireland Senior final against Cork last weekend handed starts. David McInerney, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly and Padraic Collins were all included in the Banner line-up. A crowd 11,148 watched on in a game where Galvin and Kelly proved to be impressive in the midfield, scoring three points each, including two each in the opening half.

Clare ran at the Antrim defence from the off, with full-back Matthew Donnelly and Chris McGuinness handed yellow cards inside the opening three minutes, as the Saffrons rearguard found it hard to cope in the initial stages. Antrim went two points in arrears after five minutes, with O’Connell firing two early frees over for Clare. Conor McCann opened Antrim’s account after seven minutes, and although the scoreline stood at 0-04 to 0-02 after 11-and-a-half minutes, the Saffrons failed to score again for a further 13 minutes as Clare exerted firm control.

Antrim’s use of the short puck-out strategy was not proving fruitful with the Saffrons particularly caught in the 20th minute, as Davy O’Halloran controlled possession from Ger Dixon’s puck-out and fired the reigning champions to a 0-13 to 0-02 lead. O’Halloran’s score came in a spell which saw Clare score 1-10 without reply, with O’Connell deadly accurate from placed-balls, while O’Halloran fired the Banner’s opening goal in the 23rd minute. The Éire Óg Ennis clubman left Conal Morgan in his wake as he bore down on goals and bounced the ball, before giving Antrim goalkeeper Ger Dixon little chance as Clare moved 1-13 to 0-02 ahead.

Tony Kelly edged Clare further ahead a minute later, and although Ciarán Clarke replied after good work by Saffrons skipper Jackson McGreevey, Clare continued to pile on the pressure. O’Connell and Galvin added further points, before Shane O’Donnell’s 27th minute goal gave Clare a 2-16 to 0-03 lead. Antrim worked hard in the closing minutes of the half for a score and were eventually rewarded, with Clarke slotting over a sideline cut before the break, to ensure a 2-16 to 0-04 half-time scoreline.

Antrim were caught napping after the break, Kelly and O’Halloran firing a point each inside a minute of the restart. A Stephen McAfee point settled the Saffrons, but they still found it hard to cope with a pacey Clare attack. Clarke showed great pace of his own in the 35th minute, as he forced Clare keeper Ronan Taffe to make a fine save, after a rasping goal shot. Scores from O’Connell and O’Halloran handed Clare a 22-point lead in the 37th minute, but Antrim failed to give up.

Clarke, Chris McGuinness and Niall McKenna pegged back points for the Saffrons, while at the opposite end it could have been worse for the Ulster side but for the brilliance of Dixon who pulled off fine saves in the 46th and 56th minutes. The Cuchulanns clubman denied Cathal Malone at the start of the second quarter, while the inrushing Seadna Morey was also rebuffed with three minutes left on the clock. Half-back Morey was one of Clare’s outstanding players in this game, with two excellent points from play. Morey’s second point handed Clare a 2-25 to 0-10 lead.

Antrim worked hard late on with Clarke and substitute Michael Bradley taking scores, but it was too little too late as Clare powered to a 22-point win. After the game GAA President Liam O’Neill presented Clare captain Paul Flanagan with the Cross of Cashel trophy, while corner-forward Davy O’Halloran claimed the Man of the Match award.

Clare: R Taffe, P Flanagan, D McInerney, J Browne, S Morey (0-02), A O’Neill (0-01, 1f), S O’Halloran, C Galvin (0-03), T Kelly (0-03), P Duggan, P Collins, C Malone (0-02), C O’Connell (0-11, 10f), S O’Donnell (1-00), D O’Halloran (1-04).

Subs: K Lynch for Kelly (33), J Colleran (0-01) for McInerney (33), E Boyce (0-01) for Galvin (36), N Arthur for Collins (36), A Cunningham for O’Donnell (49).

Antrim: G Dixon, C Morgan, M Donnelly, T Coyle, T Ó Ciaráin, P McNaughton, C McGuinness (0-01), J McGreevey (0-01), E Campbell, S Dooey, S McAfee (0-01), N McKenna (0-01, 1f), D McKernan, C McCann (0-01), C Clarke (0-06, 4f, 1sl).

Subs: D Kearney for Ó Ciaráin (22), S Beatty for Dooey (HT), M Bradley (0-01) for Donnelly (HT), M Dudley for McKernan (39), D McGuinness for McCann (54).

Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)

Fixture Details

14.09.2013 (Sat)

Bord Gais Energy GAA Hurling All Ireland U21 Championship Final

Semple Stadium Thurles 17:00

Aontroim v An Clár

Referee: Colm Lyons (Corcaigh)

(E.T. if Necessary)

Match Coverage

This game will be shown live on TG4

Team News

CLARE (U21H v Antrim): R Taaffe (Tubber); P Flanagan (Ballyea), D McInerney (Tulla), J Browne (Ballyea); S Morey (Sixmilebridge), A O’Neill (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), S O’Halloran (Clarecastle); C Galvin (Clonlara), T Kelly (Ballyea); P Duggan (Clooney-Quin), P Collins (Cratloe), C Malone (Ennistymon); C O’Connell (Clonlara), S O’Donnell (Éire Óg), D O’Halloran (Éire Óg)

Cathal Malone of Ennistymon comes into the side at left half-forward instead of the injured Aaron Cunningham in a side otherwise unchanged from that which beat Galway in the semi-final. David McInerney, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly and Podge Collins all started for the Banner senior side in last Sunday’s drawn All-Ireland senior final against Cork.

Antrim: G Dixon; C Morgan, M Donnelly, T Coyle; T Ó Ciarain, P McNaughton, C Johnson; J McGreevey, E Campbell; S Dooey, S McAfee, N McKenna; D McKernan, C McCann, C Clarke.