Good afternoon and welcome to Part II of a blockbuster weekend of hurling.
If Limerick set the standard last night — not to mention the last four years — it’s over to Kilkenny and Clare now to prove that they can rise to that challenge, and earn the right to end the Treaty’s four-in-a-row bid when we come back here in a fortnight’s time.
Throw-in is at 4pm; this should be a belter.
TEAM NEWS: One late change to the named Clare team — Seadna Morey comes in, and despite some pre-match speculation that Mark Rodgers could be the one to miss out, it’s Ian Galvin who will sit this one out.
Clare
1. Éibhear Quilligan (Feakle)
2. Adam Hogan (Feakle), 3. ConorCleary (Kilmaley), 4. Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones)
5. Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe), 6. John Conlon (Clonlara), 7. David McInerney (Tulla)
8. Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge), 9. David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona)
10. Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin), 11. Tony Kelly (Ballyea, captain), 12. Ryan Taylor (Clooney-Quin),
25. Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge), 14. Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg Ennis), 15. Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
TEAM NEWS: Kilkenny are expected to line out as named, which means that both Richie Reid and Adrian Mullen are fit to start.
Kilkenny
1. Eoin Murphy (Glenmore)
2. Mikey Butler (O’Loughlin Gaels), 3. Huw Lawlor (O’Loughlin Gaels), 4. Tommy Walsh (Tullaroan)
5. David Blanchfield (Bennetsbridge), 6. Richie Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 7. Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels)
8. Conor Fogarty (Erin’s Own), 9. Adrian Mullen (Ballyhale Shamrocks)
10. Tom Phelan (Conahy Shamrocks), 11. Martin Keoghan (Tullaroan), 12. John Donnelly (Thomastown)
13. Billy Ryan (Graigue-Ballycallan), 14. TJ Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 15. Eoin Cody (Ballyhale Shamrocks)
Clare are marginal — marginal — pre-match favourites to book their return to a first All-Ireland final since 2013, and set up a trilogy match against Limerick.
Who are you going for?
We’re just about to get underway in Headquarters, but first, Amhrán na bhFiann.
THROW IN: Referee Colm Lyons of Cork gets us underway, and Clare mount the first attack towards the Canal End.
1 min – David Fitzgerald tries to open the scoring, but it’s Clare’s first wide of the day.
2 mins — Kilkenny 0-1 Clare 0-0: Eoin Cody wins the first free of the day, fouled by Rory Hayes, and TJ Reid points as expected.
3 mins – Eoin Cody drops way out the field, and tries his luck with a monster effort from close to the halfway line, but it drops into the paw of Éibhear Quilligan.
3 mins — Kilkenny 0-1 Clare 0-1: Ryan Taylor peels away towards the Hogan Stand touchline and splits the post for his opening score.
4 mins – Huw Lawlor has trapped Shane O’Donnell’s arm as the two of them vie for possession, and it’s rightly whistled as a Clare free.
5 mins – Nervy start for Mark Rodgers; he’s put that free wide.
6 mins — Kilkenny 0-2 Clare 0-1: Fine score from Eoin Cody to restore Kilkenny’s early advantage.
6 mins — Kilkenny 0-2 Clare 0-2: Super score by Peter Duggan who has Tommy Walsh in close attention but gets up well above his marker to win clean possession, turns, and scores.
8 mins — Kilkenny 0-3 Clare 0-2: TJ Reid points a simple free.
8 mins — Kilkenny 0-3 Clare 0-3: Marvellous bit of play by Tony Kelly who scoops up a loose ball and then uses some clever stickwork to wriggle free from the Kilkenny defenders and find some space. He finds David McInerney, who scores.
9 mins — Kilkenny 0-4 Clare 0-4: Paddy Deegan picks out Tom Phelan, who is allowed the time and space to turn and score. At the other end, Shane O’Donnell responds immediately to bring Clare back level.
11 mins — Kilkenny 0-5 Clare 0-4: David Blanchfield is fouled by Conor Cleary as he tries to escape from a cluster of bodies in midfield. No bother for TJ Reid; he points the free.
12 mins — Kilkenny 0-6 Clare 0-4: Cathal Malone is chased down and blocked down by Adrian Mullen, who makes no mistake in turning the turnover into a score.
13 mins — Kilkenny 0-6 Clare 0-5: The ball goes behind for a Clare 65, and after missing with his first dead-ball, Mark Rodgers makes no mistake at the second time of asking.
14 mins – Clare sweeper Seadna Morey ventures up the field, and should score, but his shot tails off wide.
15 mins — Kilkenny 0-7 Clare 0-5: With Morey out of position, Kilkenny move it quickly; David Blanchfield picks out Billy Ryan, and Ryan does the rest.
16 mins — Kilkenny 0-8 Clare 0-5: Cathal Malone can’t stop Huw Lawlor, even by fouling him. With advantage being played, Lawlor shrugs off Malone’s tug of his jersey, and booms over a point.
17 mins – Super save from Éibhear Quilligan! Conor Cleary bats a long ball down, but only as far as Billy Ryan, and when he finds TJ Reid, you expect to start reaching for the green flag. Reid drives in a low shot but Quilligan does brilliantly to get a boot on it and put it behind for a 65.
18 mins — Kilkenny 0-9 Clare 0-6: TJ Reid points the 65 to open up a four-point advantage for Kilkenny, but Tony Kelly gets his first of the day from play as an immediate response.
20 mins — Kilkenny 0-10 Clare 0-6: Tony Kelly is LIVID at Colm Lyons for a free given against him, and looking at the replay, you can see why: Mikey Butler ended up on his backside but it was a slip, rather than anything of Kelly’s doing. TJ Reid jogs back and points the long-range free to add insult to injury.
20 mins — Kilkenny 0-10 Clare 0-7: David Fitzgerald keeps Clare in touch.
22 mins – Kilkenny 0-11 Clare 0-7: Seadna Morey wraps up Tom Phelan just outside the 20m line, which is as clear a foul as you’ll see, but as there are covering defenders there, it’s a yellow card for Morey and nothing more. It leaves Reid with a free to point, which he does — and that’s the score that sees him overtake Patrick Horgan as the all-time leading scorer in the hurling championship.
23 mins — Kilkenny 0-11 Clare 0-8: What a stop by Conor Fogarty to deny Mark Rodgers a certain goal! He made up huge ground to stretch his hurl out and get the block in – superb stuff.
25 mins — Kilkenny 0-12 Clare 0-8: Rodgers converts the 65, but Reid responds with another free.
26 mins — Kilkenny 0-13 Clare 0-9: Eoin Cody at one end, Cathal Malone at the other; still a four-point game.
28 mins – Tony Kelly has a go with a free from inside his own half, but it’s always heading right and wide.
30 mins – We’ll have a short break in play here while Ryan Taylor gets treatment for a knee injury.
31 mins – Taylor is okay to continue and we’re back underway.
33 mins –Kilkenny 0-14 Clare 0-9: Super skill by TJ Reid who uses his strength to hold Conor Cleary off while flicking the ball from his hurl into his hand. He’s fouled by one of the three Clare defenders around him, and points the free.
34 mins — Clare substitution: Ryan Taylor is unable to continue; David Reidy comes in on in his place.
35 mins – TJ Reid is back in defence now, scooping up possession and winning a free to allow Kilkenny to relieve possession.
There’ll be two additional minutes at the end of this half.
35+1 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-9: Rory Hayes loses his hurl as he tries to block Eoin Cody’s route to goal. Cody settles for a point which puts Kilkenny six up.
35+2 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-10: Super fielding from Shane O’Donnell who goes up against David Blanchfield and wins. Play is brought back for a foul on O’Donnell, which allow Mark Rodgers to point the final score of the half.
HALF TIME: Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-10
Colm Lyons brings the first half to a close and it’s Kilkenny who’ll go in at the break the happier of the two sides and five points to the good.
Back in a few.
SECOND HALF: We’re back underway — one change for Clare with Ian Galvin coming in for Seadna Morey.
36 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-11: Peter Duggan finds Mark Rodgers in space, and Clare are quickly up and running in this second half.
37 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-12: John Conlon picks out Mark Rodgers with a good delivery, and Rodgers wins clean possession before feeding David McInerney who scores.
38 mins – Save by Eoin Murphy! Shane O’Donnell barrelled his way through the middle — with a few additional steps, it must be said — before going for goal, but Murphy gets his stick on it, and Huw Lawlor scrambles it behind for a 65.
39 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-13: Mark Rodgers points the 65. Two points in it now.
40 mins – Now Quilligan with the save! Magnificent stickwork from Eoin Cody, who has goal on his mind from a long way out, but Quilligan gets behind it to save at the near post.
41 mins — Kilkenny 0-16 Clare 0-13: We’re coming back for a Kilkenny free — Adam Hogan has been booked for a wild pull across the legs of Eoin Cody as he bore down on goal there. TJ Reid points it.
Some anxious moments there for Clare as John Conlon needed treatment following a collision with Tom Phelan. It was a heavy collision, but he’s okay to continue.
43 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-14: Ian Galvin and Adrian Mullen trade points.
45 mins – TJ Reid has a go with a long-range free, but it’s a rare miss, right and wide.
46 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-15: Clare have the ball in Eoin Murphy’s net but the goal won’t stand. It was a long ball in by Peter Duggan, who was fouled by David Blanchfield in the process, and Colm Lyons is playing advantage. It looks as though Huw Lawlor has won clean possession — and at that point, Lyons whistles for the free — but Clare are incensed then when Lawlor spills the ball and it’s scrambled to the net.
After their protestations, Rodgers points the free.
48 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-16: Rodgers points another free. One in it.
50 mins – A ferocious passage of play ends with a free for Paddy Deegan. We’re in for a grandstand finish here.
51 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-17: All square! Mark Rodgers draws Clare level with a point from play.
52 mins — Clare 0-18 Kilkenny 0-17: David Reidy! Clare lead!
53 mins — Clare 0-19 Kilkenny 0-17: Richie Reid is penalised for a foul as himself and Ian Galvin scramble for possession. There’s not much in that, and when Reid questions the decision, the free is brought inside. Rodgers converts.
55 mins — Clare 0-19 Kilkenny 0-18: That’s Kilkenny first point in 12 minutes to finally end the run that Kilkenny have on them. Super work by Cian Kenny to set it up for Paddy Deegan.
GOAL FOR KILKENNY! Kilkenny 1-18 Clare 0-19 (Cody, 55′)
What a huge moment in this game — Eoin Cody strikes for the game’s opening goal, and after being a distant second best for a lot of this second half, Kilkenny are back in front! Clare are their own worst enemies here; Rory Hayes is caught by Billy Ryan as he tries to run it out from the back, TJ Reid scoops up the ball, picks out Cody with a precision pass, and Cody rattles the net.
57 mins – We wait on HawkEye — and it’s a Kilkenny wide. Still two between the sides here.
59 mins — Kilkenny 1-18 Clare 0-20: Fine play by Clare; Galvin feeds it back inside to David Fitzgerald who has time and space to split the posts.
Here comes Richie Hogan, on to replace Tom Phelan for the final 10+ minutes.
61 mins — Kilkenny 1-19 Clare 0-20: Take a bow, TJ. He cuts over a magnificent sideline to push Kilkenny two clear.
62 mins — Kilkenny 1-20 Clare 0-20: Clever by Kilkenny. Paddy Deegan chips a short sideline to TJ Reid, Reid finds Cian Kenny, and Kenny scores.
GOAL FOR CLARE! Kilkenny 1-20 Clare 1-20 (O’Donnell, 63′)
O’Donnell levels it for Clare! He shows magnificent strength to shrug off the covering tackle of Tommy Walsh, and then rocket the ball past Eoin Murphy, who had no chance. We’re all square!
65 mins — Kilkenny 1-21 Clare 1-20: If Clare are to dig this one out, they’ll have to stop giving TJ Reid scoreable frees. He points Kilkenny back into the lead.
66 mins – Richie Hogan and John Conlon play cat-and-mouse as Hogan tries to work the space for a score. The mouse eventually gets caught, but it’s by an illegal shoulder from Diarmuid Ryan who gets a yellow card.
67 mins — Kilkenny 1-22 Clare 1-20: Reid points again, and Kilkenny lead by two again.
68 mins – Mark Rodgers isn’t far outside the 45m line — in his own half — as he sizes up a free. With the wind behind him, he just about has the distance, but not the accuracy. Wide.
69 mins — Kilkenny 1-23 Clare 1-20: Paddy Deegan leads Eoin Cody to the outside with a well-placed pass, and Cody drifts away from Adam Hogan like he simply doesn’t exist. Three-point game.
70 mins – There’ll be three additional minutes. Clare have a 65 to cut the gap to two points.
70+1 mins — Kilkenny 1-23 Clare 1-21: Rodgers points the 65. It’s all on the next few possessions.
70+2 mins — Kilkenny 1-24 Clare 1-21: Brilliant running by Mullen, and Cody points. Clare surely need a goal now with time running out.
Kilkenny 1-24 Clare 1-22: EOIN MURPHY. OH MY GOD. ONE OF THE GREAT SAVES.
You’ll need to see this one to believe it. With the game on the line, Peter Duggan pulls on the ball in the air; Murphy flies through the air to somehow get his stick on it and flick it on to the crossbar!
Diarmuid Ryan points for Clare in the aftermath, but that really should have been the goal they needed. Outstanding goalkeeping.
70+3 mins — Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22: Pádraig Walsh! That’s a tiny bit of breathing space for Kilkenny. Time is just about up.
Free to Clare. Last play…
We’re into the fifth minute of the three allowed.
FULL TIME: Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22
It’s all over — what a brilliant contest, but it’s Kilkenny who are back into the All-Ireland final, a rematch against Limerick, and a chance to deny the Treaty their four-in-a-row. How desperately Derek Lyng and his side would love to do that.
That Eoin Murphy save. My days.
Eoin Cody is named Player of the Match, and it’s hard to argue with that after a brilliant 1-5 from play.
You can save the date now: Sunday 23 July, it’ll be Limerick against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling final.
That’s all that we’ve time for at the moment, but we’ll have plenty more reaction and analysis over the course of the evening. Thanks very much for reading.
