McGrath Cup Football – Clare 1-10 Tipperary 1-9

Clare defeated Tipperary by 1-10 to 1-9 in the first round of the McGrath Cup Senior Football competition on Sunday January 3rd at Miltown Malbay.

Late goal by Kieran Malone caps Clare comeback

By Gerry Quinn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Clare 1-10 Tipperary 1-9: A late goal by local star Kieran Malone earned Clare victory over Tipperary in the opening round of the McGrath Cup yesterday.

Clare’s Keelan Sexton opened the scoring, from a fifth-minute free, before Tipperary’s Brian Fox and Eoin Cleary exchanged scores.

Then, Liam Kearns’ visitors took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored 1-5 in a devastating ten-minute spell. Kevin O’Halloran was the goal-scorer. He cheekily lobbed Clare goalkeeper, Pierce De Loughrey, who was off his line. At half-time, Tipperary had a 1-6 to 0-4 lead.

On the restart, Clare scored two valuable points, from Sexton and sub, Gary Brennan, to reduce the deficit to three. However, with seven minutes remaining, Tipp led 1-9 to 0-8, but another Clare sub, David Tubridy, kicked two points from play, before turning provider for the in-rushing Malone, who rifled home from close range. Tipp had chances to tie the game, but poor shooting let them down.

Scorers for Clare: K Sexton (0-4, 3 frees), K Malone (1-0), D Tubridy (0-2), E Cleary (f), C O’Connor (’45), G Brennan, S O’Donoghue (0-1) each.

Scorers for Tipperary: K O’Halloran (1-3, 2 frees), B Hewitt (0-2), B Fox, A Moloney, C Sweeney, C O’Shaughnessy (0-1) each.

CLARE: P De Loughrey, M Malone, K Harnett, M McMahon, S Haugh, E Coughlan, P Lillis, C O’Connor, S O’Donoghue, C O’Dea, S Collins, K Sexton, M O’Leary, A O’Neill, E Cleary.
Subs: G Brennan for O’Dea (28), K Malone for O’Leary (half-time), E Ralph for O’Neill (49), D McMahon for Haugh (51), D Tubridy for Cleary (56).

TIPPERARY: C Kendrick, J Feehan, A Campbell, C O’Shaughnessy, J O’Callaghan, R Kiely, S Leahy, A Moloney, M Dunne, B Fox, C Sweeney, J Keane, K O’Halloran, L Casey, B Hewitt.
Subs: N O’Donovan for Moloney (54), D Leahy for Keane (61), L Boland for S Leahy (62), G Cronin for D Leahy.

Referee: S Mulvihill (Kerry).