Mark Rodgers, Clare, and Matthew O'Hanlon, Wexford, in All-Ireland SHC Quarter-Final action at FBD Semple Stadium. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
All-Ireland SHC Quarter-Final
Clare 2-28 Wexford 1-19
By Kevin Egan at FBD Semple Stadium
Clare’s rehabilitation was completed this afternoon in Semple Stadium as they cruised into the last four of the All-Ireland championship thanks to a comprehensive win over Wexford.
The Wexford contingent in the crowd of just over 30,000 supporters had their hopes raised when Lee Chin’s penalty and a run of points helped them to draw level approaching half-time, but a second yellow card for Rory O’Connor blunted a lot of their attacking edge and left them unable to compete with their slicker opponents after the break.
There were portents aplenty in the first couple of minutes, with Clare settling into the game with an early free, Conor Cleary winning the first ball in the battle of the talismans against Lee Chin, while Rory O’Connor picked up his first yellow. The ease with which Clare would find scores, Clare’s dominance of the much-vaunted Wexford inside line, and O’Connor’s cards were all key ingredients in this comfortable win.
Any stains from their disappointing Munster final defeat had clearly been washed away over the last fortnight, as Clare looked sharp in every sector of the field, crisply working the ball into scoring positions from which David Reidy, Tony Kelly and Aron Shanagher quickly moved the Banner into an 0-4 to 0-1 lead.
Wexford finally showed some sign of life in the form of a powerful run from O’Connor which ultimately yielded a point, though the big St. Martin’s man wanted more, but was undone by a fantastic block from Diarmuid Ryan.
Clare picked up where they left off, striking the next two points, and they continued to build up their lead until the 24th minute, when Rodgers made it 0-12 to 0-5 with another free. There was lots of good play on the side of the Munster finalists to bring this about, in particular John Conlon’s typically masterful positional play, but no less consequential was Wexford’s poor use of the ball, where their delivery into the forwards all too often was gathered under no pressure from a Clare player in space.
Then out of nowhere, there was a contest. Rory O’Connor hit the target from distance, Cian Byrne got out in front and finished well after a crafty shimmy, and when David McInerney dragged down O’Connor to draw a black card and a penalty, Lee Chin’s powerful low finish left just a point between the sides.
Two magnificent scores from distance from Conor Foley, either side of another Rodgers free, put the sides on level terms, but O’Connor’s foul on David Reidy completely shifted the balance of the game.
Kelly’s third from play helped push Clare two up by half-time and while Wexford drew level after the break, once McInerney returned to the field, the Banner County quickly took control of proceedings again, firing off three points in quick succession and then doubling their lead through Shane O’Donnell’s superb solo goal.
A free from Chin and a quick sideline into the hand of Cian Byrne for another Wexford point mitigated some of the damage, but with an extra man now available to them, Clare seemed to win ball even easier, and the injection of pace that came with the introduction of Cian Galvin in front was soon to put Wexford’s challenge to bed.
Much like Robbie O’Flynn did in the opening game, Galvin made a statement of intent after coming on with two fine scores, the first of which was a turn, run and precision finish for a goal, and Clare now had all the cushion that they needed.
It took some excellent saves from Eibhear Quilligan, as well as a near miss from a Conor McDonald kick to ensure that they didn’t concede a second goal of their own, though that was mirrored by top-quality stops at the other end from Mark Fanning to deny Tony Kelly, Patrick Crotty and Shane Meehan.
It was all academic, however, with only the margin of victory up in the air. Shane O’Donnell’s fourth point, the product of yet more trickery from the Ennis maestro and man of the match, made it an even 12, and after a further exchange of points, that was how it finished.
Scorers for Clare: Shane O’Donnell 1-4, Mark Rodgers 0-6f, Tony Kelly 0-6 (1f), Ian Galvin 1-1, David Reidy 0-3, David Fitzgerald 0-2, Diarmuid Ryan 0-2, Aron Shanagher 0-1, Conor Leen 0-1, Shane Meehan 0-1, Aidan McCarthy 0-1 (65).
Scorers for Wexford: Lee Chin 1-6 (1-0 pen, 5fs), Conor Foley 0-3 (1 sideline), Rory O’Connor 0-2, Cian Byrne 0-2, Mark Fanning 0-1 (f), Conor McDonald 0-1, Conor Hearne 0-1, Cathal Dunbar 0-1, Kevin Foley 0-1, Séamus Casey 0-1.
Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Adam Hogan, Conor Cleary, Conor Leen; David McInerney, Diarmuid Ryan, John Conlon; Cathal Malone, Tony Kelly; David Fitzgerald, Shane O'Donnell, Peter Duggan; Mark Rodgers, David Reidy, Aron Shanagher.
Subs: Ian Galvin for Duggan (46), Patrick Crotty for Fitzgerald (56), Cian Galvin for Conlon (59), Shane Meehan for Shanagher (61), Aidan McCarthy for Rodgers (67).
Wexford: Mark Fanning; Matthew O'Hanlon, Shane Reck, Eoin Ryan; Conor Foley, Damien Reck, Simon Donohoe; Conor Hearne, Liam Óg McGovern; Charlie McGuckin, Richie Lawlor, Rory O'Connor; Cian Byrne, Lee Chin, Conor McDonald.
Subs: Cathal Dunbar for McGovern (44), Kevin Foley for McGuckin (46), Corey Byrne Dunbar for Byrne (56), Darragh Carley for Lawlor (68), Séamus Casey for McDonald (68).
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
