ALL-IRELAND SHC QUALIFIERS: Clare totally eclipsed the Wexford challenge at Portlaoise yesterday in round three of the All-Ireland hurling qualifiers, and were in no way flattered by an eight-point margin of victory. John O'Sullivan reports from O'Moore Park
In truth it probably could and should have been a more emphatic win, as early opportunities were spurned as they gradually familiarised themselves with the rhythm of the contest.
It was a wonderful evening for hurling, the brilliant sunshine offering an idyllic backdrop to the proceedings. Only briefly did Wexford threaten to make a contest, scoring 1-3 in the opening exchanges of the second half. It was a brave if brief rally, Clare rattled sufficiently to once again exert a vice-like grip on the match.
At that juncture they led by 1-11 to 1-4 and even when their opponents tagged on another 1-1 through a smashing goal from substitute Rory Jacob and a Paul Codd free, the Banner men responded within a minute through substitute Tony Carmody, the latter flicking a Seán McMahon free to the net.
Indeed Carmody was to have a huge influence on proceedings from the time he was introduced for left corner forward Conor Earlie after 28 minutes. The man from Inagh finished with a tally of 2-1 and was a constant source of irritation to a succession of Wexford markers.
The foundation, though, for Clare's victory was laid by the performance of their backs in the first half. To a man, they offered a tour de force during that period. Flailing timber failed to dent the resolve of Frank Lohan, Brian Quinn, David Hoey and Gerry Quinn but in particular, it was the displays of the inspirational McMahon and captain Brian Lohan that thwarted Wexford's sporadic attacking forays.
McMahon bestrode the half- back line like a colossus, an impenetrable wall on which Wexford foundered. On the rare occasions when the ball was smuggled past, Brian Lohan imperiously dismissed the threat with a flash of a hurl.
One occasion in the first half underlined his mastery. A wonderful catch and clearance by his Wexford counterpart, Darragh Ryan, was disputed by the Clare captain and two Wexford forwards, with Lohan emerging triumphant. It was hardly surprising that Wexford's attack during that period was starved of possession and even when they did manage to secure ball, they lacked the composure to turn it into scores.
In mitigation they were hassled and harried at every turn, the Clare backs hunting in packs to frustrate the ball carrier. A first-half tally of just two points, a free from Codd and a solitary point from play by Rory McCarthy highlighted Wexford's plight.
They started without the two Larrys, O'Gorman and Murphy, both eventually entering the fray during the second half. David O'Brien started at midfield, Martin Furlong at right half forward, Mitch Jordan at full forward and Rory McCarthy in the corner.
A succession of switches impacted negligibly on Clare's dominance in the first half.
Only some wonderfully defiant hurling by Wexford's corner backs, the excellent David O'Connor and Colm Kehoe, and to a lesser extent, Darragh Ryan and Declan Ruth prevented a landslide on the scoreboard.
Clare manager Cyril Lyons also correctly paid tribute to the performance of midfielders John Reddan and Colin Lynch, who contributed 0-3 each.
When the Clare forwards were struggling to translate an abundance of possession into points, it was Lynch and Reddan who kept the scoreboard ticking over until their colleagues finally found the range.
The winners were five points to the good before Wexford managed their first score, a point from a Codd free.
They had extended that advantage to seven points at the interval and when Carmody goaled within a minute of the restart, it appeared that a thrashing was on the horizon. In fairness, Wexford demonstrated character and resilience and by the 52nd minute had reduced the deficit to three points, at 1-12 to 2-6.
A brace of Clare goals, the pick of which was Niall Gilligan's superb finish from an acute angle, effectively dashed any hopes of a rousing finale. Clare could afford the latitude of coasting through the final 10 minutes, with James O'Connor, Tony Griffin and substitute Gearóid Considine adding three points.
Wexford never stopped trying, epitomised by the efforts of Codd, who sent a late free crashing to the roof of the net, with O'Gorman supplementing that score with a point, but it was merely a cosmetic exercise.
Clare were far too sharp and incisive over the 70 minutes, while Wexford looked a little leaden limbed in comparison; hardly surprising when one considers the tremendous efforts of the previous weekend in the Leinster final.
The Banner march on and on yesterday's evidence are still All Ireland final contenders.
HOW THEY LINED OUT
CLARE: 1 D Fitzgerald; 2 B Quinn, 3 B Lohan (capt), 4 F Lohan; 5 D Hoey, 6 S McMahon, 7 G Quinn; 8 J Reddan, 9 C Lynch; 10 J O'Connor, 11 T Griffin, 12 N Gilligan; 13 D Forde, 14 A Markham, 15 C Earlie. Subs: T Carmody for Earlie (28 mins); C Harrison for B Quinn (53 mins); O Baker for Forde (58 mins); G Considine for Griffin (65 mins); A Quinn for Markham (68 mins). Booked: G Quinn (21 mins).
WEXFORD: 1 D Fitzhenry; 2 C Kehoe, 3 D Ryan, 4 D O'Connor; 5 D Stamp, 6 D Ruth, 19 M O'Leary; 8 R Mallon, 21 D O'Brien; 9 M Furlong, 23 N Lambert, 12 P Codd; 13 B Lambert, 15 M Jordan, 10 R McCarthy. Subs: R Jacob for N Lambert (half-time); L Murphy for O'Brien (half-time); L O'Gorman for Jordan (57 mins); B Goff for Mallon (65 mins).
Booked: R Mallon (19 mins)
