Clare 3-26
Offaly 0-15
Eoin Brennan reports from Cusack Park, Ennis
CLARE’S ROAD TO redemption took its first step with a comprehensive victory over Offaly on home soil.
In what was the second half of an All-Ireland Senior Qualifier double header with the county’s footballers, 14,268 were in attendance to witness a welcome return to winning ways for the Banner County, amazingly their first championship victory since the 2013 All-Ireland Final replay 21 months ago.
Both teams had points to prove after disappointing opening losses, however it proved all too easy for Davy Fitzgerald’s side who powered to a facile 20 point win.
The scoring spree would commence from the outset as Clare opened up a 1-5 to 0-1 lead after only eight minutes, the goal coming from a Conor McGrath bullet in the seventh minute.
Offaly did hit back with three points in a row through chief scorers Shane Dooley and Shane Kinsella but while Clare hit nine first half wides, they always seemed threatening throughout, with McGrath and Tony Kelly on song as they build up a 1-13 to 0-09 half-time advantage.
Indeed, it could have been more only for Shane O’Donnell to hit the crossbar while Colin Ryan also had an effort saved by goalkeeper James Dempsey.
There would only be one team in the second half however, as a John Conlon goal on the restart appeared to take the wind out of Offaly once more.
Instead, Conor Ryan (2) and Tony Kelly (2) added to their tallies while the latter set up O’Donnell for Clare’s third goal in the 43rd minute to effectively put the result beyond any doubt.
Clare even had the opportunity to take off O’Donnell and Conlon with 20 minutes to go and still extend their margin as Tony Kelly maintained his scoring rampage with another four final quarter points.
Colm Galvin also made a welcome return to the county side after his returning to the panel recently, as Clare eased into the second round of the qualifiers next Saturday.
Scorers for Clare: Tony Kelly 0-8 (2f); Conor McGrath 1-4; John Conlon 1-2; Colin Ryan 0-3 (2f); Shane O’Donnell 1-0; Darach Honan, Conor Ryan 0-3 each; Shane Golden 0-2; Patrick O’Connor 0-1
Scorers for Offaly: Shane Dooley 0-6 (6f); Shane Kinsella 0-4; Sean Cleary 0-2; James Mulrooney, Paddy Murphy, Joe Bergin 0-1 each
Clare
1. Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona)
4. Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge)
3. Cian Dillon (Crusheen)
2. David McInerney (Tulla)
5. Brendan Bugler (Whitegate)
8. Patrick O’Connor (Tubber)
7. Jack Browne (Ballyea)
6. Conor Ryan (Cratloe)
11. Tony Kelly (Ballyea)
10. John Conlon (Clonlara)
9. Colin Ryan (Newmarket-on-Fergus)
12. Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge)
15. Conor McGrath (Cratloe)
14. Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg)
22. Darach Honan (Clonlara)
Subs
Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones) for O’Donnell (52)
David Reidy (Éire Óg) for Conlon (52)
Paul Flanagan (Ballyea) for Dillon (59)
Domhnall O’Donovan (Clonlara) for Browne (59)
Colm Galvin (Clonlara) for Honan (62)
Offaly
1. James Dempsey (Kinnity)
3. Dermot Shortt (St Rynagh’s)
2. Niall Wynne (St Rynagh’s)
4. David King (Coolderry)
5. Éanna Murphy (Seir Kieran)
6. Colin Egan (Belmont)
18. Gary Conneely (St Rynagh’s)
8. Emmet Nolan (Birr)
11. Dan Currams (Kilcormac/Killoughley)
12. Paddy Murphy (Ballinamere)
19. Shane Kinsella (Kinnitty)
14. Joe Bergin (Seir Kieran)
13. Shane Dooley (Tullamore)
10. James Mulrooney (Seir Kieran)
15. Brian Carroll (Coolderry)
Subs
Sean Cleary (Shinrone) for Nolan (HT)
Sean Ryan (Birr) for Conneely (41)
Pat Camon (St Rynagh’s) for Shortt (51)
Stephen Wynne (St Rynagh’s) for Currams (57)
Dermot Mooney (Seir Kieran) for Murphy (60)
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow)
Mike Ditka is an idiot. His response was entirely predictable.
Unsure where this protest is going. Aside from anything else, it’s been fun to see the likes of Ditka, Jerry Jones etc. get their knickers in a twist.
It really is quite scary how jingoistic some old people in America are. It’s a feckin national anthem lads, get over yourselves. There are things bigger than you or it.
Kapernick is fast turning into an absolute hero. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your country and it’s military, but putting a flag and some quaint old song ahead of people’s lives has no place in today’s society.
Think the whole thing a class issue rather than a racial issue. The entire protest is a load of codswallop.
@ET PHONE HOME: Class and race go hand in hand in America
Facts please Stephen.
Not your opinion!
It’s marked as an opinion piece…
Hi Eddie,
A) It’s an opinion piece as Redzone has been for five years now.
B) It’s clearly marked as opinion piece.
C) As for facts, Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, Mike Ditka is an idiot and Colin Kaepernick has right on his side. Not sure what more ‘facts’ you need.
D) Have a nice evening.
Oooooo, that’s a deep burn Eddie….
Are those Eddie’s options? I would go with E. Read the piece first before commenting! I ain’t no journalist writer type person but it’s always best to leave out such things as calling someone ‘an idiot’, regardless of how true it may be, it just stoops to a level it doesn’t need to go. ‘The moral high ground to which you aspire could turn into into a slippery slope.’ As for my option… I’m gonna pick D.
Another fact might be that he had a gun and disobeyed both the police officer and his relative who were shouting at him to stop multiple times. Another fact might be that 5 white men were also shot dead by police the same day. Another fact might be that not one of those shootings resulted in race riots where black people were getting attacked by vicious mobs of whites, looting stores, destroying public and private property. A reactive opinion on those facts might be that were such riots were to take place the people perpetrating them would not be mollycoddled by the media and referred to as “protesters”. There are 2 sides to every story. I respect your opinions and thank you for writing the article but my personal assessment of the facts leads me to a conclusion different to yours. Which I am sure you will respect also.
What the some of the cops have been doing is totally wrong but there are 30 shootings plus a week in Chicago black/black crime and there has never been any protests about it.
They are all on the bandwagon at this stage. CK tryna be relevant because he hasn’t been that on a football field in almost 3 years
Colin Keapernick is performing a peace civil protest designed to engage. It’s worked, it seems blacks aren’t allowed to protest peacefully or with violence without criticism. Fyi, there have been many many protests about crime in Chicago and beyond. You just don’t hear about it, why? Because their black and Noone gives a chit….. until those protests are about the white establishment.
I think one thing everyone can probably agree on is that the race issue and trouble at the moment in the US is one hell of a complex , emotive and deeply polarising subject. Rights , wrongs , double standards and hypocrisy on both sides.
YouTube Shannon Sharpe he’s brilliant at explaining. You will understand it after.