Clarecastle are kings again

"Thank God the good times are back," roared Clarecastle captain Martin Sheedy in his victory speech after yesterday's Clare county final in Ennis had resulted in a ninth title for the Magpies. It is a reflection of the club's state of constant expectation that such a sense of sated yearning greeted the first county title in all of three years. As subsequently mentioned by Sheedy, the experience of losing last year's final to Wolfe Tones when hot favourites shed more light on the Clarecastle reaction. He sympathised with St Joseph's ("we know the feeling") and assured the defeated opponents that "your win is around the corner".

Making their way home to the neighbouring parish of DooraBarefield, St Joseph's might have wondered about that. This is the fourth successive year that they have had their championship terminated by Clarecastle.

They came into this year's final as outsiders but with a great deal of momentum after a stirring semifinal win over 1996 All-Ireland club champions, Sixmilebridge.

Like Clarecastle, they fielded three of the starting 15 which brought home the McCarthy Cup last September - including Hurler of the Year, Jamesie O'Connor. In addition, they had the services of two of the equally successful county minors, Kenneth Kennedy and Colm Mullen.

Yet there was an unevenness to St Joseph's play that left their defence looking more vulnerable and likely to concede goals - which is how the scoreline differentiated the teams - and left the team less penetrative up front, where they never threatened major incisions in the winners' defence.

Assisted by the breeze, St Joseph's started the match well. They fielded a much-revamped attack - with only Fergal O'Sullivan in the right corner remaining in his selected position. Some of the switches were due to Ollie Baker's ankle injury, which reportedly didn't pass a fitness test on Saturday and led the selectors to line him out at full forward.

Ironically, he seldom thrived on the edge of the square - being well marked by Martin Sheedy - but when, in desperation, he moved out the field in the second half, he showed great commitment and his contribution was a lot more significant.

The pivotal confrontation was on the 40, where Jamesie O'Connor switched to from wing forward. Marked by Stephen Sheedy, O'Connor had difficulties combining the demands of being a playmaker as well as being his team's most obvious strike forward.

In an electric nine-minute phase in the first half, he took his man for three fine points from play but afterwards became distracted as St Joseph's strained unconvincingly to chase down an unyielding deficit.

Despte being under the lash for the first quarter, by which stage they trailed 0-1 to 0-6, Clarecastle looked more dangerous in attack and there was a sense of the inevitable when they finally struck for a goal in the 17th minute.

Kenny Ralph, whose 1-5 helped confirm him as the championship's top scorer, slipped in behind the defence, latched on to Pat Healy's long-range free and gave Patsy Fahy little chance from close quarters.

Further points from Pat Healy and Fergie Tuohy pulled the eventual winners right into contention. Tuohy had had little change on the wing and although switching him on to a dominant Sean McMahon didn't appear that promising a move, it worked quite well.

Tuohy scored a quick couple of points and was a severe irritant for McMahon during the rest of the afternoon as he challenged his marker on clearances and loose ball very effectively. This was significant, because McMahon had been so crucial to St Joesph's progress this season and even in defeat, he finished the side's top scorer and was awarded a prize for Player of the Championship.

Afterwards Clarecastle's captain described the match as a "tough, physical game" and this was most in evidence in a 23rd minute scatter which provided something of a turning point.

St Joseph's led by a point, 0-7 to 1-3, when a free that would have been well within either McMahon's or O'Connor's capabilities led to brief breakdown in law and order which caused referee Sean McMahon to cancel the free and throw in the ball.

Within minutes, Clarecastle had rattled over three points, a free from Ralph and points from Tuohy and `Sparrow' O'Loughlin, who conservatively ignored the chance of a goal. St Joseph's were never to regain the lead.

Whatever hope was there for the Doora-Barefield team to do battle on a point-for-point basis evaporated in the 37th minute when goalkeeper Fahy and Kennedy in the left corner got their signals confused and allowed Robert Fitzgerald to run the ball between them into an empty net.

The sense of futility mounted when St Joseph's began to shoot frantic wides. Four in succession featured during a barren 16-minute spell up to the 48th by which stage they trailed by two goals, 2-9 to 0-9.

A last desperate throw of the dice saw the introduction of Christy O'Connor and David Hoey, but no inroads could be made on the scoreboard and only a fine interception by Donal Cahill prevented Fitzgerald from scoring a second goal.

Clarecastle: J Casey; G Canny, M Sheedy (capt.), B Scanlan; P Healy (0-1), S Sheedy, A Daly; V O'Loughlin, J Healy; F Tuohy (0-2), A Neville (0-1), D Scanlan; R Fitzgerald (1-1), K Ralph (1-5, four frees), G O'Loughlin (0-1). Subs: K Morrissey for J Healy (59 mins).

St Joseph's: P Fahy; G Hoey, D Cahill, K Kennedy; C O'Neill (capt.), S McMahon (0-5, three 65s and two frees), L Hassett (0-1); D Daly, N Brodie (0-1); G Baker, J O'Connor (0-4), C Mullen; F O'Sullivan, O Baker, A Whelan. Subs: B O'Rourke for O'Sullivan (33 mins); C O'Connor for Mullen (52 mins); D Hoey for Daly (57 mins).

Referee: S McMahon (Newmarket).