Clare 5-18
Waterford 0-20
ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Clare soared to the top of the Division 1A table and within touching distance of a place in the quarter-finals, thanks to a masterful first half display in Cusack Park, Ennis this afternoon.
Waterford actually opened the scoring with a brace of Pauric Mahony points by the fourth minute but they would be obliterated in the next 30 minutes as Clare remarkably grabbed 4-14 without reply.
The incessant siege centred around the playmaking skills of returning duo Podge Collins and Shane O’Donnell, and hammered home by goals from captain Patrick Donnellan, Collins, O’Donnell and Peter Duggan on their way to a 4-15 to 0-4 interval cushion.
Now with the wind at their backs, the only way was up for the visitors and they did respond with the first five points of the new half, only to be floored by a second O’Donnell goal in the 45th minute to restore Clare’s 20 point lead.
While the result was beyond doubt, Waterford kept chipping away at the deficit, mainly through Pauric Mahony dead balls but without a goal, it was essentially a pride restoration exercise as the home side eventually prevailed by 13 points.
Scorers for Clare: Colin Ryan 0-6 (0-5f), Shane O’Donnell 2-2, Podge Collins 1-2, Peter Duggan 1-1, Patrick Donnellan 1-0, Cathal McInerney 0-2, Conor McGrath ,Brendan Bugler, Conor Ryan, Tony Kelly, Patrick O’Connor 0-1 each.Scorers for Waterford: Pauric Mahony 0-8 (0-6f), Brian O’Sullivan 0-4, Maurice Shanahan 0-3 (0-2f), Stephen Molumphy 0-2, Kevin Moran, Ryan Donnelly, Stephen Roche 0-1 each.
CLARE: Donal Tuohy (Crusheen); Domhnall O’Donovan (Clonlara), Cian Dillon (Crusheen), David McInerney (Tulla); Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Conor Ryan (Cratloe), Patrick O’Connor (Tubber); Patrick Donnellan (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Colin Ryan (Newmarket-on-Fergus); John Conlon (Clonlara), Pádraic Collins (Cratloe), Peter Duggan (Clooney/Quin); Cathal McInerney (Cratloe), Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg), Conor McGrath (Cratloe)
Subs: Tony Kelly (Ballyea) for Conlon (30), Paul Flanagan (Ballyea) for Dillon (60), Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge) for Colin Ryan (63), David Reidy (Éire Óg) for McGrath (67), Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara) for C. McInerney (71)
WATERFORD: Stephen O’Keeffe (Ballygunner); Noel Connors (Passage), Shane Fives (Carrigtwohill), Tadgh Bourke (Clashmore/Kinsalebeg); Jamie Nagle (Dungarvan), Kevin Moran (De La Salle), Philip Mahony (Ballygunner); Jake Dillon (De La Salle), Shane O’Sullivan (Ballygunner); Brian O’Sullivan (Ballygunner), Pauric Mahony (Ballygunner), Stephen Molumphy (Ballyduff Upper); Ray Barry (Lismore), Seamus Prendergast (Ardmore), Ryan Donnelly (Dungarvan).
Subs: Maurice Shanahan (Lismore) for Barry (25), Barry Coughlan (Ballygunner) for Fives (26), Stephen Roche (Mount Sion) for Donnelly (45), Killian Fitzgerald (Passage) for Pauric Mahony (60 mins), Shane McNulty (De La Salle) for Nagle (63)
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)