Clare 3-21
Waterford 2-14
Eoin Brennan reports from Cusack Park
MARK RODGERS LIT up Clare’s display for the second time in seven days with 2-3 against Waterford, but this time it proved a winning contribution as the home side got off the mark at the second attempt in the Munster MHC this afternoon.
In their opening bout, the Scariff player’s handsome tally was dampened by a late Cork surge that saw them bypass the Banner County. However, there would be no such late drama from visitors Waterford as Clare finished with a 1-3 rally to flesh out the final margin.
That said, for long periods, only a goal separated the sides, with Clare finding it difficult to brush off the stubborn challenge of the championship debutants. But a five point boost from their bench allied to Rodgers’ clinching goal ensured that Clare avoided any potential dogfight.
Waterford welcomed the conditions for the opening half but started with full-forward Kevin Mahony as a sweeper, a tactic that was soon discarded when Clare raided for two goals inside the opening eleven minutes to open up an eight point advantage.
A Ciaran Keating opening point after only 30 seconds was quickly wiped out as the hosts fired four of the next five points through captain Darragh Healy, Kealan Guyler, Jack Minogue and Shane Meehan by the sixth minute.
Gathering momentum, two goals in the space of a minute altered matters irrevocably to lift the audible home support as first a foul on Rodgers offered Kealan Guyler the opportunity to billow the net with a eighth minute penalty before the Scariff forward grabbed one himself in the next passage of play at 2-5 to 0-3.
Waterford admirably bounced back off the ropes with a Caolan MacCraith goal only three minutes later following good work from Aidan Organ, with additional points from Keating and Organ lowering the arrears to three by the 18th minute.
And that margin would be maintained until the break as Waterford, mainly through Paddy Leevy frees matched home points from William Halpin (2), Rodgers and Shane Meehan to see the Banner hold a 2-9 to 1-9 interval lead.
That pattern would be replicated in the third quarter before substitutes Conner Hegarty and Robin Mounsey lifted Clare to a seven point cushion by the 55th minute.
Tensions rose once more when Waterford substitute Oisin Ó Ceallaigh set up James Power for a goal at the other end a minute later.
However, Rodgers would put the result beyond any doubt on the hour mark when benefitting from a superb Hegarty block down to raid for Clare’s third goal and kickstart their hopes of a return to the decider for the second successive year.
Scorers for Clare: Mark Rodgers 2-3; Kealan Guyler 1-4 (1-0 Pen, 3f); Darragh Healy (3f), Conner Hegarty 0-3 each; William Halpin, Shane Meehan, Robin Mounsey 0-2 each; Jack Minogue, Aidan Moriarty 0-1 each
Scorers for Waterford: Paddy Leevy 0-7 (6f); Caolan MacCraith 1-1; James Power 1-0; Ciaran Keating, Aidan Organ 0-2 each; Christopher Kavanagh, Oisin Ó Ceallaigh 0-1 each
Clare
1. Cillian O’Brien (Clonlara)
2. Jack Enright (Newmarket-on-Fergus)
3. Adam Mungovan (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
4. Mike Gough (Smith O’Brien’s)
22. Conor Carrig (Wolfe Tones)
6. Dylan McMahon (Clonlara)
7. Darragh Healy (Clarecastle)
9. Fionn Slattery (Bodyke)
10. Aidan Moriarty (Clonlara)
14. Kealan Guyler (Inagh-Kilnamona)
11. Gearoid O’Grady (Kilmaley)
12. William Halpin (Tulla)
13. Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
17. Jack Minogue (Bodyke)
15. Shane Meehan (Banner)
Subs:
8. Jason Griffin (Inagh-Kilnamona) for Slattery (21)
18. Conner Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona) for Minogue (40)
5. Tony Butler (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Carrig (46)
21. Robin Mounsey (Ruan) for O’Grady (51)
24. Paddy Donnellan (Broadford) for Enright (63)
Waterford
1. Dean Beecher (Tallow)
2. Gavin Fives (Cappoquin)
3. Rory Furlong (Roanmore)
4. Jack Ó Floinn (An Rinn)
5. Sam Fitzgerald (Clashmore/Kinsalebeg)
6. Cian Wadding (Roanmore)
7. Michael Kiely (Abbeyside)
8. Ryan Tierney (Ferrybank)
9. Aidan Organ (Brickey Rangers)
10. Ciaran Keating (Ardmore)
11. Paddy Leevy (Ballygunner)
12. Oisin O’Gorman (Lismore)
13. Caolan MacCraith (An Rinn)
14. Kevin Mahony (Ballygunner)
15. James Power (Clonea)
Subs:
22. Christopher Kavanagh (Butlerstown) for Kiely (17, inj)
17. Oisin Ó Ceallaigh (An Rinn) for O’Gorman (HT)
23. Sean Henley (Tallow) for Furlong (HT)
18. Gavin Corbett (Ballygunner) for Organ (50)
Referee: John McCormack (Tipperary)
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