Three reasons Cork fell agonisingly short against Clare

TONY KELLY

In a game that had 67 scores and 24 different scorers, it might seem unfair to boil things down to one man’s contribution. But then Tony Kelly is not just one man – he can do things that few others, if any, can do. His tally of 1-4 came after a quiet first half but the goal was something else while the point to put Clare in front before the end of normal time was matched with equally superb efforts in extra time.

COMPOSURE IN EXTRA TIME

Across the 70 minutes, Clare had 15 wides compared to nine for Cork, but in the additional 20 minutes, the tally was 5-2 in the Rebels’ ‘favour’. Tired bodies were of course a factor in that – and Robbie O’Flynn had a justifiable claim for a foul as he took the final shot – but equally Eibhear Quilligan was not forced to hugely work for his save from O’Flynn when the sides were level.

GOALS

Across the whole of the championship, only in the opening Munster SHC game against Waterford had Cork been outgoaled – and that was two to one a day that they didn’t perform well.

Here, Clare found the net three times with Cork failing to do so after Robert Downey’s early wonder-strike. Eibhear Quilligan’s save from O’Flynn aside, Cork didn’t very often look like being able to get inside the Clare cover to test the Banner custodian.