Munster SHC, round one: Clare 2-33 Waterford 4-21
The unmistakable hum of championship bounced around the lively streets of sun-kissed Ennis from early afternoon but it took Clare until late in the day to finally put Waterford away in a gripping Munster Senior Hurling Championship opener at Cusack Park.
On a perfect April Sunday for hurling Clare withstood a late Waterford rally, with Shane Meehan’s breakaway goal in the last play securing maximum points for the Banner.
It was more stressful coming down the home straight than it should have been for Clare, who led by nine points with quarter of an hour remaining only to find themselves holding just a two-point advantage as the contest entered the first of four added minutes.
A wondrous Tony Kelly score edged them three ahead in the 73rd minute and as Waterford went in search of an equalising goal, a misplaced pass left the visitors vulnerable to a Clare counterattack with Conor Leen scooping up possession and picking out Ian Galvin, who in turn sent Meehan in for the decisive goal.
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At the final whistle, hundreds of the 18,338 in attendance poured down from the stands and terraces to fill the pitch. The Boys Are Back In Town was booming out from the PA system by then. Clare, up and running for the summer of 2026.
It was a day plucked from the championship 101 handbook – street hawkers selling their wares as supporters of both counties milled through the narrow streets, queuing for ice-cream or somewhere to quench their thirst. All the cliches were rolled out to welcome in the championship.
And if the sun turned up, so too did both teams – the sides producing a contest of 60 scores over the 70 odd minutes.
Kelly showed immense leadership in the moments his team really needed it, Shane O’Donnell was a constant menace, while Mark Rodgers was faultless from placed balls – scoring 11 points.
For Waterford, Stephen Bennett scored 3-12 and yet he ended the game on the losing side. Austin Gleeson came off the bench and showed he can still do Austin Gleeson things. They lost the encounter, but Waterford went all the way to the dying seconds here – after refusing to accept their fate at a period of the game when the pendulum had clearly swung against them.
It’s not nothing, but ultimately they did leave Ennis with no point, and their task to make the top three is already looking dicey.
If they are to negotiate a path out of Munster, Waterford will certainly need a more reliable supporting cast to help Bennett keep the scoreboard ticking over.
The biggest prematch cheer was reserved for a forward on the Clare team though, with the announcement that O’Donnell, named among the subs, was to start.
And Clare loaded their full-forward line form the throw-in, clearly intent on going after a Waterford rearguard minus the injured Conor Prunty.
O’Donnell, Peter Duggan and Rodgers were the trio sent in to wreak havoc. Aaron O’Neill picked up Duggan, but it seemed a physical mismatch from which Clare would find joy.
At the other end of the field, Waterford hoped Seán Walsh’s physicality could cause Conor Cleary problems, and both sides did go direct with some early possessions to stress-test those deployments.
The marauding Bennett nailed his first goal in the 11th minute, beating Éibhear Quilligan at the second time of asking to give Waterford a 1-3 to 0-4 lead.
From the resulting puckout, Kelly clipped over a point. An immediate response. He did exactly the same after Waterford’s second goal, denying the visitors the opportunity to use their green-flag scores to generate any momentum.
That second goal had come from a penalty, after a direct long ball in from a Billy Nolan free caused problems in the Clare defence.
Soon after the goal, Duggan produced a moment of improvised brilliance. Finding himself in possession but without his hurl, he demonstrated his football skills by kicking the sliotar over the crossbar.
Clare were pressing now and Nolan was called upon in the Waterford goal to deny shots from both Ryan Taylor and Rodgers. But Waterford possibly had the best chance to add another goal before the break after Walsh burst though on goal only for referee Shane Hynes to blow for a free and not allow the advantage to develop.
Clare led 0-15 to 2-8 at the break, but notably for Waterford, they only had three scorers in that opening period with Bennett registering 2-5 of their total. Clare had six different scorers and that became seven on the restart when Taylor flicked over a point.
Duggan rifled home Clare’s opening goal in the 38th minute and when Rodgers sent over a free moments later, the Banner led 1-18 to 2-9. During that period, Adam Hogan also made an incredible flick to deny Walsh a clear shot on goal.
Waterford appeared to be taking on water as Clare threatened to pull away. But again a long ball in on top of the Clare full-back line caused panic, the sliotar this time batted down to the incoming Bennett who netted his hat-trick, 1-18 to 3-9.
But the unerring accuracy of Rodgers continued to punish Waterford at the other end, while O’Donnell, Seán Rynne and Darragh Lohan all sent over important scores as they stretched away to lead 1-27 to 3-12 in the 55th minute. And that looked like that.
Only Waterford rallied. Gleeson fired over a great score. Then Dessie Hutchinson. Peter Hogan. Then Walsh finally got his goal with five minutes remaining and suddenly it was Clare battling the tide.
Substitute Diarmuid Stritch, in his championship debut, made some big plays during the closing stages, while Quilligan made a vital save on Patrick Curran.
Waterford needed a goal, but in trying to force one in the last seconds of injury-time they got turned over and Clare seized the moment and won the day.
CLARE: É Quilligan; R Hayes, C Cleary, A Hogan; D Ryan (0-2), N O’Farrell, C Malone; D Lohan (0-2), R Taylor (0-1); T Kelly (0-4), D Reidy, S Rynne (0-5); M Rodgers (0-11; 10f, 1′65), S O’Donnell (0-4), P Duggan (1-1). Subs: D Stritch (0-3) for Reidy (50 mins); C Leen for Hayes (58); S Meehan (1-0) for O’Donnell (62); I Galvin for Rynne (66); R Kilroy for Hogan (68).
WATERFORD: B Nolan; M Fitzgerald, I Kenny, A O’Neill; J Fagan, P Leavey, Shane Bennett; D Lyons, C Lyons; J Prendergast, J Barron (0-2), M Kiely; Stephen Bennett (3-12; 1-0 pen, 0-12f), S Walsh (1-0), D Hutchinson (0-4). Subs: P Hogan (0-1) for Shane Bennett (40 mins); A Gleeson (0-2) for Kiely (47); K Mahony for D Lyons (54); P Curran for Barron (67).
Referee: S Hynes (Galway).
