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2022 McGrath Cup Football Group A Round 2 – Cork 2-9 Clare 0-10
Cork defeated Clare by 2-9 to 0-10 in Round 2 of the 2022 McGrath Cup Football Group A on Saturday January 8th at Hennessy Memorial Park Miltown Malbay.
Brian Hurley inspires Keith Ricken's Cork to a winning start away to Clare https://t.co/dqlK6C9sDA
— EchoLive.ie (@echolivecork) January 8, 2022
Keith Ricken’s new look Cork hit the ground running
Report by Eoghan Cormican for the Irish Examiner newspaper
McGrath Cup Group A
Cork 2-9 Clare 0-10
A 1-6 tally from Brian Hurley handed new Cork football manager Keith Ricken his first competitive victory in this McGrath Cup Group A opener.
Cork had victory effectively wrapped up at the break as they led by two turning around for the second period despite having played into a West Clare gale for the opening 35 minutes.
Aside from Hurley’s scoring exploits and a fine full-back effort from Sean Meehan, the other main takeaway from Cork’s first outing of the 2022 season was the debuts handed to Joe Grimes (Clonakilty), Daniel O’Connell (Kanturk), Rory Maguire (Castlehaven), Fionn Herlihy (Dohenys), Paudie Allen (Newmarket), Cillian O’Donovan (Mallow), David Buckley (Newcestown), Diarmiud Phelan (Aghada), and Luke Fahy (Ballincollig).
O’Connell provided Cork’s first-half goal, while Maguire, another of the four starting debutants, showed well at times.
Clare, as mentioned, played with an Atlantic gale in the opening half and yet it was the visitors to Miltown-Malbay who led at the break by 1-6 to 0-7.
Clare enjoyed the majority of possession in the early exchanges but failed to make either their ownership of the ball or the incredibly strong elements behind them count as Colm Collins’ charges registered five wides inside 14 minutes, with a further couple of efforts from Mark McInerney and Aaron Griffin dropping short.
The hosts held a 0-5 to 0-3 lead approaching the half-hour mark, with the aforementioned McInerney and Griffin supplying a pair each, but it was to prove the last occasion Clare would hold the inside lane as Cork moved in front thanks to a Daniel O’Connell palmed goal on 30 minutes.
The visitors followed this green flag with arguably their outstanding score of the half as patient build-up play across the 45-metre line ended with Colm O’Callaghan feeding debutant Rory Maguire who split the posts with a sweet right-footed kick.
Thereafter, McInerney landed his third of the opening 35 minutes to reduce the Cork lead to the minimum approaching the break. Cork, though, were becoming better at playing into a gale that had by now developed into a battering hail shower and finished the half with points from Mark Cronin and Brian Hurley (free).
The latter was responsible for the opening 1-2 of the second period, his 43rd minute goal a well-worked passage of play involving Paul Walsh and Colm O’Callaghan.
Mark Cronin’s second point of the afternoon shoved Cork’s lead out to eight, 2-9 to 0-7. That, however, was their last score of the game, with Cork finishing with 14 following a second yellow shown to sub Tadhg Corkery.
Clare’s opening score of the second-half didn’t arrive until the 66th minute, a Keelan Sexton free ending their 32-minute wait for a score.
Scorers for Cork: B Hurley (1-6, 0-3 frees); D O’Connell (1-0); M Cronin (0-2, 0-1 free); R Maguire (0-1).
Scorers for Clare: K Sexton (0-2 frees), M McInerney (0-2 frees), A Griffin (0-3 each); E McMahon (0-1).
CORK: C Kelly; K Crowley, S Meehan, P Ring; R Maguire, S Powter, C Kiely; J Grimes, P Walsh; D O’Connell, F Herlihy, C O’Callaghan; M Cronin, B Hurley, D Gore.
Subs: D Buckley for O’Connell, P Allen for Ring (HT); B Murphy for Gore, T Corkery for Crowley (both 40); C O’Donovan for Walsh, K O’Donovan for Kiely (both 50); L Fahy for Maguire (57); K Cremin for O’Callaghan, D Phelan for Powter (all 60).
CLARE: S Ryan; D Conneely, E Collins, C Morrissey; C O’Dea, A Sweeney, D Walsh; D Bohannon, D O’Neill; E McMahon, K Sexton, C Downes; M McInerney, J McGann, A Griffin.
Subs: T O’Brien for Ryan, R Lanigan for Conneely, M Doherty for Morrissey, C O’Connor for O’Neill, A Shannon for Walsh, D Keating for McMahon, P Kelly for Downes, M Byrne for J McGann (all half-time); B McNamara for Bohannon, J Sheedy for E Collins, T McDonald for McInerney (all 53).
Referee: S Mulvihill.
Ticket Information
Tickets for this game must be purchased in advance. Adults €10, Under 16s Free.
Live Streaming Information
Clare GAA will provide Live Streaming of this game at a cost of 10 euro.
Click here to watch Clare v Cork Live Streaming
Team News
Cork team to play Clare in McGrath Cup has been announced https://t.co/2jmP8beu0s pic.twitter.com/kUmzfmdnoX
— Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) January 7, 2022
CORK: Christopher Kelly (Éire Óg); Seán Powter (Douglas), Sean Meehan (Kiskeam), Paul Ring (Aghabullogue); Cian Kiely (Ballincollig), Diarmuid Phelan (Aghada), Tadhg Corkery (Cill na Martra); Shane Merrit (Mallow), Joe Grimes (Clonakilty); Danial O’Connell (Kanturk), Brian Hurley (Castlehaven), Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg); Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers), Daniel Dineen (Cill na Martra), Damien Gore (Kilmacabea).
Clare Senior Football team to play Cork in McGrath Cup https://t.co/gJZCyH7eZM
— Clare Gaa (@GaaClare) January 7, 2022
CLARE: Stephen Ryan; Ciaran Morrissey, Eoghan Collins, Darragh Connelly; Daniel Walsh, Alan Sweeney, Cian O’Dea; Darren O’Neill, Darragh Bohannon; Emmet McMahon, Keelan Sexton, Ciaran Downes; Mark McInerney, Joe McGann, Aaron Griffin.
