FL2: fearless Banner stun Rebels
March 17, 2018
Clare's Eoghan Collins is pursued by Cork's Michael Hurley and Mark Collins
Cork's promotion hopes went up in smoke at freezing Pairc Ui Rinn, where Munster rivals Clare earned a magnificent 0-14 to 0-12 victory.
Last points from Jamie Malone and David Tubridy got Colm Collins' charges deservedly over the line as they moved up level on the table with their opponents, on six points each with one round of games to go.
While this was a brilliant victory for the Gary Brennan inspired Banner County, it was another night that Cork fans would love to erase from their memories. Tubridy was on target four times for the winners, while Maolone, Brennan and Eoin Cleary struck three apiece.
The sides were locked on four points apiece coming up to the half-hour mark but late scores from Cian Dorgan, Mark Collins and John O'Rourke handed Cork a narrow 0-7 to 0-5 interval lead.
Collins opened the scoring in the third minute and the Banner moved ahead by the twelfth minute though a brace of Tubridy frees. Both Sean O'Donoghue - who was exceptional - and Malone spurned early Clare goal chances and the hosts took advantage as a brace of Colm O'Neill scores had the Rebels in front and Ian Maguire made it double scores, 0-4 to 0-2 at the midway stage in the first half.
Tubridy's third free and a Malone effort had the Banner back on terms by the 26th minute. Dorgan and Collins (free) had the Rebels two clear with 31 minutes played before Brennan and John O'Rourke traded the last two scores of a low-key opening period, with the visitors feeling very hard done by not to have been awarded a penalty.
Brennan and O'Neill traded points at the start of the second half; O'Rourke edged the Rebels back in front after a Cleary brace drew Clare level. The winners kept coming … Cleary's free made it 0-9 apiece after 45 minutes and Malone had the Banner County in front with three-quarters of the game elapsed.
Keelan Sexton doubled the gap and Brennan's third point - a superb effort - cancelled out a Collins score - 0-12 to 0-10 with eight minutes left. Stephen Sherlock halved the deficit on 66 minutes and O'Neill's free made it twelve apiece two minutes later.
But Malone and Tubridy fired the points that ultimately blew a hole in Cork's slim hopes of advancing to the top flight as Clare claimed their second win of the campaign and first by the banks of the Lee in 22 years.
Clare - E Tubridy; C O'Dea, A MacGearailt, C Brennan; S O'Donoghue, E Collins, P Lills; G Brennan (0-3), C O'Connor; K Malone, J Malone (0-3), S Collins; K Sexton (0-1), E Cleary (0-3, 1f), D Tubridy (0-4, 3f). Subs: C Finucane for S Collins, S Malone for E Collins, A Sweeney for K Malone, E Courtney for D Tubridy.
Cork - M White; S Ryan, J O'Sullivan, K Crowley; M Taylor, K Flahive, T Clancy; I Maguire (0-1), K O'Hanlon; C Dorgan (0-1), M Collins (0-3, 2f), P Kelleher; J O'Rourke (0-2), C O'Neill (0-4, 1f), M Hurley. Subs: S Sherlock (0-1) for P Kelleher, D O'Connor for C Dorgan, C Kiely for M Taylor, S Wilson for C Kiely, D O'Callaghan for M Hurley, M McSweeney for T Clancy (BC).
Referee - P O'Sullivan.
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