This was one of those games where a draw probably would have been a fair result on the day. But Clare's experience won it in the end, writes Eamonn Cregan Hurling analyst

Players like Colin Lynch and Sean McMahon dominated the game like nobody else. This is still a mostly inexperienced Galway team, and though they played tremendously well for certain parts of the game they eventually lost hold of their game plan.

From a hurling point of view it was great second half, particularly for the level of excitement. But Galway started off with a certain game plan in mind, the whole object of which was to hit the ball in low. They had the fast forwards who could run at the Clare defence, and that definitely worked for the first 20 minutes.

So they were well up, 0-6 to 0-1. And it looked like none of the Clare forwards could score.

But the goal that they got definitely brought them back into the game. And it was a brilliant piece of work.

There were two Clare players standing together when the free was taken, and technically you could argue that it shouldn't have been allowed. It could have been a free out, too, but you don't know how referees will react on the day.

Either way, Clare took the free very well. While Jamesie O'Connor was shaping up to take it, suddenly Niall Gilligan came in to take it quickly. It caught the Galway defence totally unaware. But it was an opportunist goal at its best.

I noticed after that that the Clare half-back line suddenly began to dominate. They began to close down on Galway, and Galway seemed to lose their game plan at that stage. The balls were now being pucked out high and Clare were winning those high balls.

So Galway suddenly found themselves only the few points up, when they should have been a lot more ahead. And I think they panicked a little at that stage. They forgot the job they were supposed to do, except for a few minutes before the break.

Still, I thought Clare would be in serious trouble unless their forwards started to score. It looked as if they were going to depend on frees.

The big thing though about these Clare players is their intelligence. They've been around the block a few times and they have an awful lot of experience, and they suddenly realised that by crowding centrefield and the half-back line they would stop a lot of the Galway forwards.

For much of the second half that's exactly what they did.

With that, the Clare forwards started to get confident. Jamesie O'Connor moved and played like the old Jamesie. Davy Fitzgerald's puck outs were going directly to Clare players.

So Clare completely upped their game. In the first half I honestly thought Clare had reached the end of the line, that their best days were behind them. But a lot of them had been to the top before, and probably felt this was their last effort to get there again. And they managed to find one last kick in the horse.

But the way they completely dominated Galway in the second half was very impressive. They did a lot of switching around, too, and in most cases those worked, but the fact that the forwards like Jamesie and Gilligan and then Griffin were scoring meant everything.

Galway also brought on a lot of players but to less effect. Joe Rabbitte did one or two good things but he wasn't the impact substitute they needed. The ball didn't come up to him that much, mostly because the Galway half-backs were starting to lose the ball. Midfield were losing possession too, plus the half-forwards weren't getting the kind of ball they needed. Only the Galway full-backs were holding up then.

All the Galway forwards looked to be a little small. They're certainly not comfortable under high ball, and that allowed McMahon to come back into the game with such force.

Still, any time Clare scored, Galway still managed to fight back. But Clare's whole mental attitude had changed and you could sense that in the last five minutes. The whole Clare team were motoring together again. Brian Lohan came into the game more and Eugene Cloonan went out.

I thought as well Galway had two very stupid wides towards the end. This was where the lack of experience came in. Instead of playing the ball in low, they lost their game plan. I'm sure it was drummed into them, but you can't act out on the field for them. If the players don't listen then the players have to be responsible. The manager can only do a certain amount on the sideline.

Clare believe they can beat Waterford now, and just one game away from an All-Ireland final you wouldn't know what they could do now.