Clare SFC: Cratloe cling to Jack Daly as last three winners progress to semis
Luke At Eamon Keane Cratloe's Darren Lissycasey's Griffin For Shivers, Kevin Possession Park And And Picture: Cusack Padraic Ward Vie Collins
The last three Clare SFC winners -- Cratloe (2023), Éire Óg (2021 and ’22) and Kilmurry Ibrickane (2020) -- returned to the final four of this year’s race for the new Jack Daly Cup along with 2021 finalists Ennistymon over the weekend.
Cratloe were presented with the toughest test in what was a battle of the championship and Cusack Cup (Division 1 League) champions against Lissycasey in Cusack Park on Saturday evening. Despite a settling 17th-minute goal for Podge Collins and a five-point haul from chief marksman Cathal McInerney to ease 1-8 to 0-7 clear by the break, Colm Collins’ side were subsequently tested to their optimum by a resilient Lissycasey.
Rian Considine forced Lissycasey goalkeeper Killian Normoyle into an immediate save on the restart but remarkably Cratloe wouldn’t open their second half account until the 47th minute, by which time Lissycasey had regained full parity through Daire Culligan (2), Conor Finnucane and Aaron Griffin at 1-8 to 0-11.
Crucially however, Aiden Moloney’s Lissycasey failed to get their noses in front despite clear momentum on their side as Cratloe utilised all their vast experience to grind out their eighth successive championship win by 1-13 to 0-13.
It was much more clearcut for Kilmurry Ibrickane who surprisingly steamrolled over arch-rivals St Joseph’s Miltown by 2-15 to 0-10 in an anticlimactic derby quarter-final in Doonbeg on Saturday afternoon.
After an even start, the pendulum swung decisively in the ‘Bricks favour when Daniel Walsh and Evan Cahill combined to tee up Keelan Sexton for an unstoppable 19th-minute goal.
Walsh (2) and Sexton carved out a 1-7 to 0-5 interval lead and with the sizeable conditions to come, made light work of Miltown’s flagging challenge only offset by former Clare captain Eoin Cleary who kicked all but one point of their tally. Shane Hickey was fouled for a penalty that Keelan Sexton converted to complete a 1-3 unanswered blitz by the two-thirds mark as Kilmurry Ibrickane powered to an eleven point triumph.
The derby duels continued on Sunday as Éire Óg justified their championship favourite’s tag with a dominant 2-14 to 0-06 triumph over St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield in Cusack Park.
Having been pushed all the way to extra-time at the same stage last year, the Ennis side were far more wary of the Parish this time around, with Colm Walsh O’Loghlen’s 13th minute goal proving significant against a gale as Mark McInerney and Darren O’Brien aided the Townies’ path to a 1-6 to 0-4 half-time cushion.
Eight unanswered points by the hour mark were only split by the dismissal of St Joseph’s defender Fionn Kelleher as Manus Doherty capped off a commanding display to seal Éire Óg’s place in a fourth semi-final in a row.
It was much tighter in Miltown as Ennistymon completed a dramatic six-point second half turnaround to snatch the derby spoils at the death over St Breckan’s by 1-7 to 0-8.
Trailing by 0-7 to 0-3 by the break, the North Clare Magpies welcomed the conditions to kick 1-4 without reply in the new half capped off by a clinching Liam Cotter goal on the hour mark on a day in which another North Clare rival Corofin dropped back down to intermediate level after suffering a 1-6 to 0-4 relegation final defeat to Kilmihil.
Replacing Corofin in next year’s ClareSFC will be one of Clondegad, Kilrush Shamrocks, Wolfe Tones and Naomh Eoin who all progressed to the intermediate semi-finals.