Munster SHC: Declan Dalton's late free rescues Cork against Clare

Clare 3-21 

Cork 2-24 

The Munster championship is sometimes in danger of being lauded to point of self-parody, but it never fails to deliver.

Before 20,778 at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg on Sunday, Cork led by 12 at one stage in the first half; they needed a 78th-minute free from Declan Dalton to leave with a draw.

Two sides who produced an epic at Croke Park in last July’s All-Ireland final could hardly be expected to produce something as special again – it was a far different contest but just as absorbing.

Given the pre-match odds and the mountain they left themselves to climb, it will feel like a win for Clare. That said, it looked like being an actual win when David Reidy put them 3-21 to 2-23 ahead, all the more so when they claimed possession from the puckout.

Cork – down to 14 men and without injured captain Robert Downey – forced a turnover and Shane Kingston fed Ciarán Joyce, who was hauled down before dissent brought the free in. Dalton converted.

A point in Ennis, where Cork had never won, is never a disgrace but it was a game where they looked likely winners for so long. It is of course game one of four and it won’t be the difference between glory and failure.

Retiring at half-time with a handsome 12-point advantage, Cork saw that reduced to just five after Aidan McCarthy and David Reidy struck for Clare goals on the resumption.

They did steady matters as a pair of Patrick Horgan frees sandwiched a clever overhead score by Alan Connolly. Clare looked as if they might garner a third goal in the 50th minute but Tony Kelly was denied by a fine Seán O’Donoghue hook. While they were not playing with the same formidable fluency of the first half, Cork ensured that they retained some breathing space as Shane Barrett clever handpass set up Horgan for his ninth before Brian Roche marked his arrival with a lovely point to make it 2-21 to 2-12 after combining with Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon.

Unfortunately for Barrett, that proved to be his last impact as he was red-carded following an off-the-ball incident with David Reidy. It was one of a few flashpoints to break out in the second half as referee Liam Gordon was kept busy and thereafter it became a case of holding out for Cork.

After a big Tim O’Mahony point on 66, Cork led by 2-23 to 2-15, with Mark Rodgers sending a free wide in the aftermath. However, from the short puckout, Eoin Downey was penalised for fouling the ball and Rodgers’ free was followed by a third goal: Peter Duggan getting his shot away despite being crowded out after a Reidy delivery.

That left four in it; a free from Kelly and one by Reidy brought them closer. With Cork listing in attack, the deficit was reduced until it existed no more and Reidy put them ahead before Dalton had the final say.

Beforehand, the biggest questions revolved around how reliable the league form was for either side. Any doubts on such issues looked to be allayed fairly early as it was clear that the likes of Tim O’Mahony and Niall O’Leary had carried their league momentum with them. While Kelly’s 11th-minute point did bring Clare back to within one, 0-4 to 0-3, that was their first score from play.

Séamus Harnedy was on the end of the puckout that followed from Patrick Collins to make it 0-5 to 0-3 and the opening goal followed soon after. From a diagonal ball by Darragh Fitzgibbon, Hayes got the better of Darragh Lohan to create an opening for himself and produced the same kind of batted finish that has served him so well to date.

With Clare wasting opportunities at the other end, Cork looked for more goals. After intercepting a loose John Conlon pass, Alan Connolly drew a good save from Eibhear Qulligan on 18 minutes; not long after, a lovely move featuring Fitzgibbon and Tim O’Mahony worked the ball to Shane Barrett, who drilled a low effort across goal and wide.

Those chances were not costly because more kept coming. Hayes made it 1-8 to 0-5 after collecting a Mark Coleman sideline cut and then the second goal again showcased the superb levels of interplay.

Having picked up possession in midfield, Ethan Twomey sent a searching pass to Patrick Horgan in the corner and he laid off to the rampaging Connolly. Though he was being fouled, he was able to ferry the ball on to Hayes, who had the time and space to find the net again.

Horgan, from a 65, and Barrett added points as Cork moved 12 ahead, though on the half-hour Patrick Collins was required to save well from a Peter Duggan shot.

Clare did finally find their shooting radar late in the half, but even then they were only keeping pace as Cork continued to build their tally.

Clare opted against any half-time changes and Brian Lohan’s loyalty was rewarded within a minute of the restart as Mark Rodgers pounced on rare defensive indecisiveness to set up Aidan McCarthy for a goal – Cork’s first conceded since the league game against Kilkenny.

A Tony Kelly free from his own 65 had the deficit down to eight, the home support finding their voice.

Then, after not letting in a goal in three and a half matches, Cork coughed up a second in the space of five minutes as Peter Duggan won a long delivery and fed David Reidy, who fired home to leave it 2-15 to 2-10, 29 minutes remaining. That time, plus stoppages, was not short of drama.

Scorers for Clare: A McCarthy 1-7 (0-6 f), T Kelly 0-5 (0-2 f), D Reidy 1-2 (0-2 f), P Duggan 1-1, M Rodgers (0-2 f), I Galvin 0-2 each, D Fitzgerald, C Malone 0-1 each.

Cork: P Horgan 0-9 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), B Hayes 2-2, A Connolly, D Fitzgibbon 0-3 each, T O’Mahony, S Barrett 0-2 each, B Roche, S Harnedy, D Dalton (0-1 f) 0-1 each.

CLARE: E Quilligan; D Lohan, A Hogan, C Leen; D Ryan, J Conlon, D McInerney; C Malone, R Taylor; T Kelly, D Reidy, D Fitzgerald; A McCarthy, P Duggan, M Rodgers.

Subs: C Galvin for Ryan (16, injured), I Galvin for McCarthy (59), A Shanagher for Rodgers (68).

CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; C Joyce, R Downey, M Coleman; T O’Mahony, E Twomey; S Barrett, D Fitzgibbon, S Harnedy; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs: G Millerick for R Downey (45, injured), D Dalton for Harnedy (48), B Roche for Twomey (55), S Kingston for Hogan (60), D Healy for Connolly (64).

Referee: L Gordon (Galway).