Kilkenny 3-16 Clare 1-9:ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Kilkenny, while rarely having to employ top gear, decisively eased to a 13-point win over bottom-of-the-table Clare at Cusack Park yesterday.
The Cats, with Eddie Brennan, who started on the 40, in fine form, were never troubled. Kilkenny did the basics well and outhurled their opponents at will, especially after the break.
The visitors set down an early marker and raced into a 0-5 to0-0 lead after 11 minutes. Full forward Richie Power grabbed two points inside the first two minutes and further scores by the in-form Aidan Fogarty, Richie Hogan and a pointed free by the returning Henry Shefflin, gave them an early cushion. Clare, whose first-touch let them down throughout, struggled to get to the pace of the game.
They hit four wides before Colin Ryan opened their scoring with a free after 15 minutes. The hosts did enjoy a first-half purple patch of sorts when they landed five scores to reduce the deficit to 0-8 to 0-5 after 30 minutes. Tony Carmody picked off a good point from an acute angle on the left wing but the remainder of their scores all came from free-taker Colin Ryan.
Kilkenny led 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time as Clare racked up a tally of nine first-half wides. Brian Cody indicated his ruthlessness when he replaced Martin Comerford, their only forward not to appear on the score-sheet, with last season’s hurler of the year, Eoin Larkin, from the resumption.
The James Stephens clubman immediately made an impact,breaking through and feeding Fogarty with a good hand-pass to set up the game’s opening goal after only 50 seconds.
Thereafter Clare’s inability to play any sort of fluid hurling allowed Kilkenny to control matters and score at will. The visitors’ second goal fell to Shefflin when, after a goalmouth scramble and some poor defending, Clare goalkeeper Patrick Kelly failed to clear his lines and was deceived by a quick flick by the Shamrock’s man. With 18 minutes remaining, the scoreboard read 2-11 to 0-8.
Clare replaced Niall Gilligan with the experienced Barry Nugent and the substitute was no sooner on the field when he rifled a fine goal from close range. A long-range free by Brendan Bugler was fielded by another substitute Mark Flaherty and he hand-passed under pressure to Nugent who found the net from the edge of the square.
Kilkenny’s reply was immediate; Fogarty hit a second goal and Power quickly added a fine point to make it 3-12 to 1-8.
Michael Grace, Shefflin, the hard-working Brennan and Larkin all added points before the whistle to complete an emphatic victory.
KILKENNY: D Herity; M Kavanagh, B Hogan, J Tyrrell; T Walsh, J Tennyson, J Ryall; M Fennelly, M Rice (0-1); M Comerford, E Brennan (0-2), H Shefflin (1-5, four frees, one 65); R Hogan (0-1), R Power (0-4), A Fogarty (2-1). Subs: E Larkin (0-1) for Comerford (half-time), M Grace (0-1) for R Hogan (55 mins), TJ Reid for Fennelly (61 mins), C Hickey for Kavanagh (66 mins).
CLARE: P Kelly; G O’Grady, C Dillon, C McMahon; J McInerney, B Bugler, P Donnellan; B O’Connell (Capt.) P Vaughan; T Carmody (0-1), D McMahon, J Clancy; C Ryan (0-6, six frees), N Gilligan (0-1, 65), J Conlan. Subs: M Flaherty (0-1, a free) for Ryan (43 mins), B Nugent (1-0) for Gilligan (55 mins), A Markham for Vaughan (66 mins).
Referee: J Ryan (Tipperary).
