Cork live dangerously but bank two precious points in Ennis
Brian McNamara of Clare is tackled by Maurice Shanley of Cork during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Clare and Cork at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Hard work. Cork were in control and then they weren’t. Cork were six in front and then they were level. Cork lived dangerously on a two-point lead five minutes into injury-time.
They got there, eventually. Hard work, though. Very hard work.
Performance aside, the start they wanted sees two precious points banked in Sam Maguire Group 3. Unless Clare can upset Tyrone or Donegal, Cork at the very least will be involved in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
Ahead by 1-6 to 0-4 turning around, the visitors registered only two points in the 26 minutes after half-time. It wasn’t for the want of opportunities.
Brian O’Driscoll palmed a goal chance off the crossbar. Brian Hurley had two frees taken down by Stephen Ryan. Daniel O’Mahony hit the post. Conor Corbett kicked wide.
Up the far end, Daniel Walsh kicked Clare’s opening point from play of the evening 14 seconds upon the restart. Then he added another.
An Aaron Griffin goal on 43 minutes had the gap to the minimum, 1-7 to 1-6. A Ciaran Downes ‘45 had them level on 57 minutes. 1-8 apiece.
The smidgen of composure left in Cork’s play kept them from falling behind. Tommy Walsh ended a 16-minute wait for a Cork score. Sub Steven Sherlock came up with a huge point from distance four minutes later. Another sub, Mark Cronin, contributed a pair. They needed every one of them.
Cork ‘keeper Chris Kelly touched over a dangerous Dermot Coughlan delivery. Clare within two. They could not find a winning goal.
Cork got the start they craved. How they got it left plenty to be desired.
Clare did not score from play in the entirety of the first half. And yet the cause they came back out to chase was absolutely not a lost one.
The hosts lacked completely for penetration in the opening half. Cork had watched the Munster final video. Then they rewatched it. They blocked off the centre channel. They filled the channel where centre-forward Dermot Coughlan and centre-back Ikem Ugweuru had shown such creativity and drive against Kerry.
Here, Clare spent so much time going back and forth across the opposition 65-metre line without ever wearing the look of a side about to break a line and spark panic.
By the time Ciarán Downes kicked their opener from the placed ball on 11 minutes, the visitors already had three white flags raised.
Conor Corbett possessed and displayed the inventiveness to see and make scores happen. He stepped inside Alan Sweeney and Darragh Bohannon for their opener.
The Cork goal on 16 minutes to shove them five in front was a sliding doors moment. Ikem Ugweuru’s pace took him inside the red cover and in along the endline. His handpass across the square was shoved away from danger and a potential green flag. Emmet McMahon gathered the breaking ball, his point attempt blocked.
A Cork hand secured possession. Cork hands held onto possession. They set forward. Chris Óg Jones to Colm O’Callaghan to Seán Powter. The latter cleverly palmed up and over onrushing ‘keeper Stephen Ryan.
An Ian Maguire turnover ending in a Brian Hurley point in the ensuing play had the scoreline reading 1-4 to 0-1.
Cork’s final product got a touch sloppy in the second quarter. Clare had no imprint in the game. But they continued to have a pulse. Brian Hurley kicked a run-of-the-mill free wide. Tommy Walsh had another.
Three Emmet McMahon frees got Clare to 0-4 at the break. It was a desperately poor total. But it was not the scoreboard troubling them. A 1-6 to 0-4 scoreline had them in contention, just. Their blunted endeavours were the concern.
They improved immeasurably in the second period. It was not, though, enough.
B Hurley (0-3, 0-1 free); S Powter (1-0); S Sherlock (0-1 free), M Cronin (0-1 free), P Walsh (0-2 each); T Walsh, C O’Callaghan, C Óg Jones, C Corbett (0-1 each).
E McMahon (0-5, 0-5 frees); A Griffin (1-0); C Downes (0-1 free, 0-1 45), D Walsh (0-2 each); D Coughlan, J Stack (0-1 each).
C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; M Shanley, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; C Óg Jones, C Corbett, B Hurley.
M Cronin for Powter (56); S Sherlock for Jones, R Deane for Corbett (both 59); E McSweeney for Hurley (66); J O’Rourke for P Walsh (74).
S Ryan; C Brennan, M Doherty, R Lanigan; I Ugwueru, C Rouine, A Sweeney; B McNamara, D Bohannon; G Murray, D Coughlan, D Walsh; E McMahon, A Griffin, C Downes.
M Garry for Sweeney (32); E O’Connor for G Murray (52); J Stack for Downes (57); J McGann for A Griffin (67); M McInerney for Rouine (74).
S Lonergan (Tipperary).
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