Clare Senior Football Championship Final

Éire Óg 0-9 Ennistymon 0-6

By Eoin Brennan at Cusack Park

Seven days on from losing the hurling version, Éire Óg bounced back in determined fashion to retain their Clare Senior Football crown in front of 4,608 in Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday afternoon.

Completing a perfect ten match winning record along with not conceding any goal in the past two domestic championships, the Ennis side only reaffirmed their position as the premier team in the Banner County. More significantly on Sunday, the holders also proved that they could mix up their style of play and still emerge on top as despite facing an extremely prudent Ennistymon wall throughout, Éire Óg remained patient and disciplined to lead from start to finish.

Crucially, the defending champions could rely on flawless placed ball experts Gavin Cooney (6) and Mark McInerney to guide the Ennis side towards victory, with that seven point haul including three marks.

Following a turgid opening half in which it took newcomers Ennistymon 20 minutes to get off the mark through county senior Brendy Rouine's free, it would be sandwiched by points for captain Cooney (2) and Ikem Ugwueru for Éire Óg to take a 0-3 to 0-1 advantage into the dressing rooms.

Cooney stretched the gap to three on the restart but it was goalkeeper Shane Daniels' 37th minute point blank save to deny Cillian Rouine an equalising goal that would be the real turning point of this novel final. A relieved Éire Óg never looked back as they kicked three of the next four points, two from Cooney, to soar 0-8 to 0-3 clear entering the final quarter.

That five point cushion would be maintained into injury-time as without a goal, Ennistymon's hopes of an upset in only the club's second ever senior final evaporated despite consolation points for Sean and Brendy Rouine.

Bridging a 74 year gap to the last time the club were involved in back-to-back triumphs for the Ennis Faughs (Éire Óg and St Joseph's Doora/Barefield), it was Éire Óg's first as a sole entity which was richly deserved for their dominance over the past two seasons.

Scorers for Éire Óg: Gavin Cooney (0-6, 4f, 2m); Ikem Uqwueru, Mark McInerney (m), Aidan McGrath (0-1 each)

Scorers for Ennistymon: Sean Rouine (1m),Brendy Rouine (2f) (0-2 each); Cillian Rouine, Sean Rynne (0-1 each)

Éire Óg: Shane Daniels; Ronan Lanigan, Aaron Fitzgerald, Manus Doherty; Ciaran Russell, Aidan McGrath, Einne O’Connor; Darren O’Neill, David McNamara; Niall McMahon, Ikem Ugwueru, Oran Cahill; Mark McInerney, Gavin Cooney, Philip Talty

Subs: Jarlath Collins for Talty (44), Conor O’Halloran for McMahon (56), Danny Griffin for Cahill (63, inj)

Ennistymon: Noel Sexton; Ciaran McMahon, Adam Ralph, Joey Rouine; Liam Cotter, Cathal Reilly, Josh Guyler; David McNamara, Brendy Rouine; Cillian Rouine, Eoin Rouine, Tiernan Hogan; Sean Rynne, David Fitzgerald, Sean Rouine

Subs: Brian McNamara for Hogan (HT), Diarmuid Fahy for Cotter (41), Laurence Healy for Guyler (48), Ryan Barry for E. Rouine (53)

Referee: Chris Maguire (Wolfe Tones)