60 SECONDS AFTER Aron Shanagher’s 81st minute goal sent Clare into the lead for the first time against Galway, Colm Galvin launched another diagonal ball into the danger area.
This time it was John Conlon who controlled it and turned Daithi Burke on the 14m line with goal on his mind. But John Hanbury, who had been beaten in the air for Shanagher’s strike moments earlier, came across to make an all-important block on Conlon and deflect the ball out for a 65.
For that brief moment when Conlon drew back the trigger, his team-mate Patrick O’Connor thought it was destined for the net.
“I thought we had it, I thought we had it,” said O’Connor. “When John went through then I was just waiting for the net to bulge but it didn’t. Those are the things that happen. It’s all about reacting.
“Galway reacted, we reacted, Galway reacted again and we had the last shout.
“When your goalkeeper goes down with cramp it’s been a stressful evening! Sore bodies, lads were cramping, it’s just a sign of the conditioning of both teams.
“Just knowing our set up and knowing what the lads have done with it, the conditioning side and the medical side, you couldn’t speak highly enough of them to drag the bodies through 90 minutes of an All-Ireland semi-final.”
The move to switch Galvin back as a sweeper was a pivotal one for Clare as they recovered from a disastrous start where they fell 1-7 to 0-1 behind in the first quarter.
“I think the key was composure. There was no panic. We had analysed how we would get at Galway and you have to hand it to Galway, they’re an exceptional team. They started like a train on fire but we came into it.
“We’re in the last four now, teams are very good and will have their purple patches. We felt we made our purple patches count and they made theirs count. I suppose the one at the start was obviously a disappointment and the first-half of extra time, we were wasteful in those two periods.”
Seven wides in the first period of extra-time might have proved costly for the Banner, but Shanagher’s goal accompanied by late scores from Peter Duggan (free), Shane O’Donnell and substitute Jason McCarthy sent the tie to a replay.
Clare’s management double-act of Gerry O’Connor and Donal Moloney have a decision to make over the positioning of Galvin from the start on Sunday. Should he start in the sweeper role in Thurles given Galway have had a week to prepare for it this time?
Galvin acted as an effective shield in front of his full-back line and a playmaker from deep, but in the second period of extra-time he was pushed back up to midfield as Clare went after the victory.
He played the ball inside for Shanagher’s extra-time goal and Conlon’s goal chance a minute later.
“Credit again when they knew to push him out because he played a lot of hurling out around the middle as well so it was a balancing act,” said O’Connor.
“Credit to Colm as well the way he played it, it needs a performance out of him too when he goes back there and he did exceptionally well.
“We had 90 minutes to look at each other there, we’ll know an awful lot about each other and I’m sure next weekend won’t disappoint again.
“Hurling was the big winner. Some outstanding performances from individuals out there on both sides. Galway are an exceptional team.
“We’re trying to reach their level and we haven’t got there yet because we haven’t them beaten but we’ll go back and we’ll look at it, learn a few things and we’ll give it one hell of a shot again next week.”
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