Shane McGrath stars as Feakle crush Crusheen to reach Clare SHC semi
For Feakle 1 Park Playground Barnes/sportsfile In He A As Resounding Pic: To Sam Himself Was Mcgrath’s Playground: Victory Cusack Shane Helped 14
A virtuoso performance by Shane McGrath was integral to Feakle breezing through this quarter-final against last year’s runners-up.
Cusack Park was McGrath’s playground as he helped himself to 1-14 in a resounding victory for Ger Conway’s side to join Monday evening’s semi-final draw.
Feakle may have been surprised by just how easy they had it but their explosive starts to both halves gave them footholds that left Crusheen reeling.
Leading 2-9 to 1-5 at the turnaround, Raymond Bane effectively ended the game as a contest a couple of minutes into the new half with Feakle’s third goal to push them 10 points ahead.
Oisín Donnellan’s delightfully lobbed pass into Bane for the score demonstrated just how much fun he was having as well as McGrath, who Crusheen weren’t unhappy to see leave the field to applause with seven minutes of normal time left.
Then again, it might have felt like pity even if the Feakle management simply wanted to mind their main man who was in unmarkable form.
Crusheen’s heads dropped after that third goal and substitute Steven Conway and Oisin O’Connor plundered further goals for Feakle to crown a most satisfactory win that will send out a signal to the remaining teams.
Feakle were flying from the get-go. Their first two goals came inside the eight minutes and by the time Crusheen themselves troubled the scoreboard their opponents had 2-2 in their account.
After McGrath opened the scoring with a free, Martin Daly availed of a strong Oisín O’Connor run in the fourth minute to bulge the net. Less than two minutes later, McGrath was supplied by Bane and his shot was accurately placed.
McGrath was the perfect foil to the taller Feakle forwards, the Dalys and Bane, and the ball going through to them was of good quality. The same could hardly be said of what was being sent the way of the Crusheen forwards. Too often was the sliotar going one way as their inside line looked for it to be directed the other.
Feakle were 2-4 to 0-1 ahead in the 15th minute when Breffni Horner gave Crusheen a boost against the run of play. Eibhear Quilligan appeared to have Horner’s shot to his inside post covered but the ball trickled over the goal-line and Crusheen’s deficit was cut to six.
The margin was reduced to five points by the 20th minute only for Feakle to turn on the charm once more. O’Connor was denied a clear penalty shout when goalkeeper Donal Tuohy took him out with a sliding challenge but Feakle sent over the next couple of scores, the latter of them a beauty by Donnellan as McGrath had done magnificently to keep the ball in play, hold off his man and hand-pass to his fellow Feakle forward.
McGrath’s fingerprints were on all but one of Feakle’s 11 first-half scores and he added another couple, one from play, before the break. He could have had a second goal too only he was hooked just as he was taking aim from close-range.
S. McGrath (1-14, 8 frees, 1 65); M. Daly, R. Bane, S. Conway, O. O’Connor (1-0 each); O. Donnellan (0-2); E. Tuohy, R. O’Connor, E. Daly (0-1 each).
B. Horner (1-6, 0-4 frees); R. Hayes (0-7, 5 frees, 1 65); O. O’Donnell (0-1).
E. Quilligan; O. Clune, A. Hogan, E. McMahon; K. Bane, C. Smyth, E. Tuohy; R. O’Connor, E. Noonan; O. Donnellan (c), S. McGrath, O. O’Connor; P. Daly, M. Daly, R. Bane.
S. Conway for P. Daly (45); O. McGann for R. Bane (53); F. Donnellan for S. McGrath (53); E. Daly for E. Noonan (57); E. Noonan for C. Smyth (60+1).
D. Tuohy; G. O’Brien, D. Mullins, Éanna McMahon; R. Hayes, T. Dean, C. Dillon (c); C. Mullins, I. O’Brien; G. O’Grady, C. O’Donnell, J. Fitzgibbon; O. O’Donnell, F. Kennedy, B. Horner.
L. Hayes for G. O’Grady (h-t); L. Ketelaar for F. Kennedy (45); Eoghan McMahon for C. O’Donnell (46); C. O’Doherty for Éanna McMahon (56); M McMahon for J. Fitzgibbon (58).
F. O’Brien (Broadford).