Brennan's brace of goals prove pivotal for Kilkenny

ALL-IRELAND MHC FINAL Kilkenny 2-10 Clare 0-14:SOMETIMES YOU throw everything at Kilkenny. You start with heart, soul, spirit. Then add rocks, tear gas, Molotov cocktails. And still it isn't enough to quash their march on the city. That must be how it is when winning All-Ireland titles feels like your God-given birthright.

So, after taking them on unmercifully and unrelentingly, Clare eventually found themselves overrun, and crushingly so. When it ended, and Kilkenny had just about survived the riotous-like finish, every one of the Clare team fell to the ground across the Croke Park pitch. They’ll recover all right, but it might take a while. Kilkenny will relish their win all the more given how hard-earned it proved.

Without some classic Kilkenny artistry from Michael Brennan, their lively young corner forward who delivered the pivotal two goals (plus two points), this All-Ireland title would be heading further south, against all expectations. Instead it increases to 20 the number of minor titles won by Kilkenny – and fourth in the last nine years.

Indeed whatever about their senior counterparts being unable to handle the pressure of winning five All-Irelands in succession – as later, they were marched over by Tipperary – the expectation on this Kilkenny minor team had also been enormous. Already labelled as the best of their generation, they could be forgiven for thinking all they needed to do was show up. Instead, for the opening half, it was like they didn’t show up at all.

Clare made their intentions clear from the beginning. Revolution was in the air! Or at least in the misty rain. Seeking a first All-Ireland minor title since 1997 – and only a second ever – they faced up to Kilkenny with courage and determination. They beat them at their own game; tackling hard, blocking, refusing to let any man settle, and so found themselves six points clear approaching half-time, 0-9 to 0-3.

Their effort was exceptional throughout the field; Séadna Morey inspiring at corner back, alongside captain Paul Flanagan; Colm Galvin and Tony Kelly lording midfield – even under the high ball; Paudge Collins, Daire Keane and David O’Halloran chipping over scores in neat succession. They were clued in and tuned in, and Kilkenny were hardly able to resist. Crucially, Kilkenny tagged on two key points before the break – a free from John Power, and a first point from Brennan. They weren’t panicking.

Kilkenny had also seen a penalty saved in the first half (it was dubiously awarded to begin with). Truth is the goal threat was always there, and was soon delivered. Five minutes into the second half, Ger Aylward made a beautiful fetch and passed off to Brennan, who placed the ball in the corner.

About seven minutes later, Brennan added his second goal – following a long clearance from corner back Jason Corcoran, this time finishing with his right boot. Substitute Paul Buggy also swept in to help the ball across the line. They were level; 2-5 to Clare’s 0-11.

Clare needed to respond with a goal of their own; instead, that threat remained distinctly limited. Meanwhile Kilkenny added three points without reply, including a terrific score from Aylward. Clare rallied again, substitute Aaron Cunningham closing the gap to the minimal with two minutes to go. But Kilkenny held their nerve. Just about.

“I said this was going to go down to the wire and, nobody was believing me, except Clare and our players,” said Kilkenny manager Richie Mulrooney. “Clare were phenomenal against Waterford in the Munster final. They went eight points to one up on Dublin in the first 16 minutes. So it wasn’t in the least bit surprising. The only place I felt we had an advantage was in that I felt our forwards were more likely to score goals than theirs, and that’s what transpired.

“But our defence and our goalkeeper conceded no goal in this year’s campaign, except one from a placed ball by Offaly in a Leinster semi-final. No goal conceded in open play against Dublin, Offaly, Dublin, Galway and Clare.”

Mulrooney explained that full back Willie Phelan played with a broken collar bone: “Yeah, his bone is broken, so it was mind over matter. We were told by our medical team before the match he is unlikely to last until half-time. He was still there after 64 minutes.”

Both Clare’s joint managers, Gerry O’Connor and Donal Moloney, admitted the conceding of two goals was their ultimate downfall: “The second goal was the crucial one,” said O’Connor. “It gave them the lift they needed, and it came at a crucial time, with a quarter of an hour to go.

“But there was a real stop-start feel to the second half. We had a lot of players injured and a lot of enforced substitutions, which caused us a lot of grief. It came down to the fact they created two goal chances and took both of them and we didn’t create any.

“But to dominate for so much of the game and still lose is difficult to take, but this is an All-Ireland minor final; it’s a big deal, of course it is, but it’s also about looking to the future and if you go through that team out there, well, there has to be six or seven of Clare’s future stars out there – and that’s the key thing for us,” he said.

Moloney, too, could only look to the future: “To say it’s disappointing would be the understatement of the year. Maybe the better team always wins, but I think today we dominated for long periods. But we probably didn’t get enough scorers to justify the dominance we had.

“Still, we’re exceptionally proud of the players we have and the performance they put up. As far as we are concerned, the minors are a development squad for the seniors, and we feel sure we’ve unearthed the future of hurling in Clare.”

KILKENNY: D Walsh; J Corcoran, W Phelan, B Kennedy; P O'Carroll, L Harney, O McGrath (0-2, both frees); K Kelly (0-2), O Walsh; J Power (0-1, free), P Walsh (0-1), C Buckley (capt, 0-1); M Brennan (2-2), G Aylward (0-1), T O'Hanrahan. Subs: P Buggy for O'Hanrahan (37 mins), P Holden for O Walsh (39 mins), R Reid for Holden (56 mins.

CLARE: R Taaffe; 2 H Vaughan, P Flanagan (capt), S Morey; E Boyce (0-1), K Lynch, S O'Halloran; C Galvin, T Kelly (0-2); C Malone, P Collins (0-2), J Shanahan; D O'Halloran (0-5, two frees), N Arthur (0-2, both frees), D Keane (0-1). Subs: A Cunningham (0-1)for Malone, A Mulready for Vaughan (47 mins), D McInerney for Arthur (58 mins).

Referee: Anthony Stapleton(Laois).