Feakle 1-17
Sixmilebridge 0-13

Páraic McMahon reports from Cusack Park, Ennis

DESERVING WINNERS OVER the hour, Feakle were the harder working side but played the much smarter hurling to overcome the favourites, and fifteen-time champions, Sixmilebridge in Sunday’s Clare SHC decider.

Underfoot conditions were soft in Cusack Park with the Shinty International plus the Clare senior football and senior ladies football final having taken place at the Ennis venue over the preceding 48 hours.

An attendance of 6,557 watched a hungry Feakle prevail and their victory was fully deserved as they led from start to finish in a contest that they dominated.

Early on they sent high direct ball into full forward Martin Daly who caused plenty of problems for the Sixmilebridge defence, he picked off their second score after Eibhear Quilligan launched the sliotar into his hand with wing back Eoin Tuohy picking off the opening point of the game inside two minutes. This approach also created goal chances which the East Clare side didn’t capitalise on.

A blitz of four points in succession had Feakle 0-7 0-2 ahead by the sixteenth minute. Captain Oisin Donnellan, top scorer Shane McGrath, wing forward Steven Conway and defender Killian Bane splitting the posts.

Fresh from his heroics in their penalty shootout semi-final win over Inagh/Kilnamona, Bridge netminder Derek Fahy produced a tremendous save to stop a Shane McGrath penalty on twenty three minutes. It seemed to inspire Sixmilebridge who had the next two scores via David Kennedy and Alex Morey to reduce the deficit to two points but crucially Feakle responded with Patrick Daly and Conway pointing to hold a four point interval advantage.

Sharpshooter McGrath had three of the first four scores on the restart to see Feakle lead 0-13 0-7 by the thirty sixth minute.

They received a major lift when substitute Owen McGann raided for goal, four minutes after his introduction with a well-taken effort on forty one minutes to make it 1-13 0-7.

With some of their side chasing a sixth Clare SHC medal, Sixmilebridge’s final know-how needed to come to the surface, it did for a limited window as they responded to McGann’s goal with the next four points.

However Feakle were not going to roll over and they hit back with points from Donnellan and McGrath while Eibhear Quilligan produced a remarkable diving save to prevent Seadna Morey raiding for goal and the winners tapped on the final two points of the day via McGrath and Eoin Tuohy who had the distinction of scoring the first and last point in the county final.

Feakle are the 2024 TUS Clare SHC winners after beating Sixmilebridge by 1-17 to 0-13 pic.twitter.com/zs0E63x233

— Clare FM (@ClareFM) October 28, 2024

Sixmilebridge, managed by the duo of Tommy Liddy and Stiofan Fitzpatrick, had already dethroned Clonlara in this year’s campaign but struggled for large parts of the final, they were comprehensively beaten in the middle third. For them, Brian Corry, Colm Flynn and Derek Fahy did best while Seadna Morey kept McGrath scoreless from play and stuck to his task but was not as impactful himself as a result.

Feakle had leaders all over the field and apart from a small window where they began to panic following McGann’s goal they were very composed. Coached by Galway man Ciaran Callanan and managed by Ger Conway, Feakle performed on the big day and claimed the biggest honour in club hurling in Clare, fitting considering some of the newly crowned champions tasted the pain of relegation but bounced back with promotion in 2018.

Conn Smyth, Ronan O’Connor, Steven Conway, Martin Daly, Oisin Donnellan, Adam Hogan, Shane McGrath and Eoin Tuohy excelled for the winners.

Scorers for Feakle: S McGrath (0-8 6f 2’65), O McGann (1-0), O Donnellan (0-2), E Tuohy (0-2), S Conway (0-2), M Daly (0-1), K Bane (0-1), P Daly (0-1)

Scorers for Sixmilebridge: A Morey (0-5 5f), B Corry (0-2), S Golden (0-2), L Fitzpatrick (0-1), D Kennedy (0-1), J Shanahan (0-1), B Carey (0-1).

Feakle:

1: Eibhear Quilligan;

4: Oisin Clune, 5: Adam Hogan, 3: Eoghan Daly;

2: Killian Bane, 6: Conn Smyth, 9: Eoin Tuohy;

11: Enda Noonan, 7: Ronan O’Connor;

13: Patrick Daly, 10: Oisin Donnellan, 17: Steven Conway;

8: Shane McGrath, 12: Martin Daly, 15: Oisin O’Connor.

Subs:
22: Owen McGann for O O’Connor (37)
14: Raymond Bane for P Daly (46)
18: Enda Madden for Noonan (54)
20: Fiachra Donnellan for M Daly (58)

Sixmilebridge

1: Derek Fahy

2: Colm Flynn, 3: Barry Fitzpatrick, 8: Seadna Morey;

5: Conor Deasy, 17: Noel Purcell, 6: Paidi Fitzpatrick;

10: Jason Loughnane, 18: Matthew O’Halloran;

14: Lorcan Fitzpatrick, 11: Jamie Shanahan, 12: Shane Golden;

13: Brian Corry, 15: Alex Morey, 24: David Kennedy;

Subs:
20: Caimin Morey for Deasy (24)
9: Brian Carey for Loughnane (37)
21: Alan Mulready for Kennedy (37)
4: Fiachra Ó Briain for A Morey (59)
7: Leon Kelly for Purcell (61)

Referee: Joe Mullins (Clonlara)