WITH THE SWEAT barely dry on his brow following yesterday’s Munster SHC semi-final defeat, Clare midfielder Colm Galvin called it as it was.
The Banner County dynamo admitted that a much-talked about system badly malfunctioned in the second half as Waterford forced Clare down blind alleys and another Munster championship assault went up in smoke.
It’s a telling statistic that Clare have won just one championship game since winning the All-Ireland in 2013, and that was a qualifier victory over Offaly last year.
Still, the feeling is that Clare are better equipped and simply have too much talent not to make an impact through the back door this year.
Of course, Clare took the scenic route to glory three years ago but that was with a carefree bunch who are now, in contrast, carrying the baggage of qualifier exits to Wexford in 2014 and Cork last year.
As our hurling analyst Tommy Dunne has pointed out in today’s column, it was Waterford who learned more lessons from the Allianz Hurling League final replay.
They shut down Clare’s main danger-men, Conor McGrath and Tony Kelly, and devised a system that allowed Austin Gleeson to flourish in various positions.
Clare manager Davy Fitzgerald and coach Donal Óg Cusack pride themselves on tactical nous but Waterford boss Derek McGrath was superior on the sideline yesterday.
There’s even an argument to be made that McGrath made the better tweaks between the drawn League final and replay, even if Clare won by a point.
Waterford were six points up in the replay but this time, they didn’t take their foot off the pedal.
Down the home straight, a series of stoppages and good game management saw Waterford home but they targeted Clare’s full-back line early, playing a three-man inside line, and profited.
Goals are a rare commodity when systems like those employed by Clare and Waterford collide and Maurice Shanahan’s early strike was gold-dust.
But when Clare look back on three goals conceded in their last two outings against Waterford, they’ll feel with some justification that all of them were avoidable.
So, it’s not all doom and gloom for Clare but Waterford seem to have figured them out and when Clare’s default option didn’t work, there was no plan B.
After their first half puck-out strategy let them down, when they elected to go long for the most part, they reverted to shorter ones in the second half.
With little or no pressure applied further forward by Waterford, Clare gained primary possession in deep areas but the middle third was effectively clogged up by the Déise and Clare had no room in which to operate.
They resorted to route one deliveries but time and time again, Waterford swarmed their opponents and came away with the ball.
Now, Clare find themselves in a dangerous situation. They know only too well from the last two seasons that the qualifier road is paved with danger and it’s another case of ‘one strike and you’re out.’
Exiting the All-Ireland series early would be a disaster for Clare. Not many people will remember their League title as the game’s biggest counties are judged on what they achieve when the ground hardens and the ball flies.
Speaking before the game, Fitzgerald referenced the prospect of defeat and how Clare would react positively if they did lose. But talk is cheap and now it’s up to Fitzgerald, Cusack, the other backroom staff and most importantly, the players, to show that they’re up to the task.
Fitzgerald and Cusack are knowledgeable guys and the return of Paul Kinnerk was seen as the final piece of the jigsaw. To be fair, injuries have hit Clare hard as Patrick Donnellan, Conor Ryan and David McInerney would have been considered summer starters.
McInerney came on in the second half on Sunday, wearing the number 26 that had been assigned to Shane Golden in the match programme, and he’ll slot back into a defensive role as the summer progresses.
But Clare must, at the very least, reach the last four of the All-Ireland series or the year will be considered a failure.
It’s a task certainly not beyond them and you couldn’t rule out the prospect of Clare meeting Waterford again before the end of the campaign.
As for Waterford, this was some statement of intent. Their graph has been on an upward curve since they suffered relegation from Division 1A in McGrath’s first season at the helm but this was their most notable championship victory to date under his stewardship.
Not only does the victory move Waterford into a Munster final on 10 July, it also guarantees them an All-Ireland quarter-final slot at the very least. Win the Munster final, and they’re straight through to the All-Ireland semi-finals and 140 minutes away from the Holy Grail – that first Liam MacCarthy Cup success since 1959.
The county’s 5-time All-Star John Mullane was so energised by Waterford’s display that he tipped them for September success on RTÉ Radio and in his morning newspaper column.
We’ve seen so often through the years, of course, that Waterford fans can lose the run of themselves on the back of some good results but there’s real substance to this team.
Look at how they defend and there’s real cause for optimism. The challenge for McGrath was to make them a little more clinical in front of goal but the emergence of young guns Patrick Curran and Shane Bennett made them a better attacking force automatically, and Pauric Mahony’s return from injury is another huge boost.
Even with Curran and Bennett enduring off-days yesterday, Waterford still managed to rack up 1-21 and taking all of their results into consideration in League and championship this year, they’re averaging 21 points per game.
“We sort of played into Waterford’s hands in a way. That just didn’t help us,” Galvin said yesterday.
“That’s one thing that struck me in the second half – we lost our shape around the middle third and half-forward line, we were dragged all over the place.
“I don’t know if it was tiredness or a lack of concentration. There was a lot of space around there and they just seemed to have men there.”
But that’s what Waterford to, flood key areas with bodies and hunt down the opposition.
It’s a template that’s brought them to two successive League finals and now, a second Munster decider in a row with McGrath at the helm.
And if they continue as they’re going, it could yet bring them the biggest prize of all. Clare and Waterford at Croke Park in September, anyone?
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