Bobby Duggan powers Clare into under 21 Munster Final with 13 points

Bobby Duggan produced an Man of the Match Performance for reigning All-Ireland Champions Clare hitting thirteen points for his side at Ennis as they defeated Waterford 0-23 to 1-18.

From the XV picked to start in the Minor game between the two sides in 2012, a game that Waterford won 1-20 to 3-13 after extra time seven players – Shane O’Brien, Aidan McGuane, Conor Cleary, Eoin Quirke, David Conroy, Bobby Duggan and Shane O’Donnell started here for Clare while for Waterford, eight players from the 2012 minor team – Kieran Bennett, Tadhg de Búrca, Shane Bennett, Shane McNulty, Tom Devine, DJ Foran, Michéal Harney and Stephen Bennett started for Waterford.

For many it was expected that Shane O’Donnell would be the home side’s leading player, but the Waterford defence were able to keep him scoreless over the hour but it was further out the field that the damage was inflicted on Waterford as the Clarecastle Club man hit an unlucky for Waterford 13 points from the right half forward position while Clonlara’s Ian Galvin on the opposite wing hit a half dozen scores.

Clare who were missing many of the players that helped them to the last three under 21 All-Ireland’s went into this game with Waterford the favourites, a tag that often fails to sit well on the shoulders of the counties teams, but from what we saw in Cusack Park this evening, it is reasonable to expect the Banner County to challenge for a fourth title at this grade in a row, as they now advance to the Munster Final where they will meet the winners of the second semi final between Limerick and Tipperary which takes place tomorrow evening.

Waterford started the game with seven players that featured in Sunday’s Munster Final loss to Tipperary in Thurles and with many claiming Inter county hurling to be a young man’s game these days, surly is time for G.A.A. Chiefs to examine the inter county calendar to ensure that players have a reasonable recovery time between games, especially as some show great concern when it comes to player burn out.

Patrick Curran with five points, Austin Gleeson with three and one each from Shane Bennett, DJ Foran and Mickey Kearney with responses from Bobby Duggan with seven, and one each from Shane Gleeson, Ian Galvin and Ryan Taylor gave Waterford a 0-11 to 0-10 lead at the break.

The sides were level on four occasions in that half as the sides were locked at four points each after just ten minutes.

However ten minutes later it was going extremely well for Derek Lyons charges as they held a 0-9 to 0-5 lead.

But Clare would finish the half the stronger of the two half outscoring Waterford five points to two, Waterford’s scores coming from Mickey Kearney and Patrick Curran while Duggan hit two of the home sides points in the last ten minutes of the first half with Galvin, Taylor and Gleeson sharing the rest.

Clare stayed longest in the dressing rooms at the break as the home sides management team took every second available to work their team up for the second half and it worked.

Bobby Duggan, Ian Galvin and Aidan McGuane all hit a point each inside the first six minutes of the second half to give Clare a 0-13 to 0-11 lead.

Austin Gleeson from a free pulled a point back for Waterford on thirty seven minutes, but points from Bobby Duggan Eoin Quirke, Ian Galvin followed to increase the home side’s lead to four with ten minutes of the second half played.

Points from Austin Gleeson (65) and Colin Dunford followed for Waterford to half Clare’s lead in the next two minutes, and a minute later, Patrick Curran hit the games only goal after the Old Boro Club man ran through the Clare defence and planted the ball in the back of Keith Hogan’s net from close range to put Waterford back in front by one.

Clare however responded as all good teams do, as Ian Galvin put over a brace of scores from play and Bobby Duggan landed one to put Clare back in front by two (0-19 to 1-14) with twelve minutes of the game remaining.

Respective free takers Patrick Curran and Bobby Duggan swapped scores from placed balls twice to keep Clare 0-21 to 1-16 in front with seven minutes left on the clock.

Duggan and Curran again exchanged scores with four minutes left on the clock and Ian Galvin was picked out by Bobby Duggan and the Clonlara man ensured it was the home side that advanced to the Munster Final with a point on the hour mark.

However, the game was not over yet. Waterford won a twenty metre free which Austin Gleeson took and his attempted shot for goal by getting the ball to bounce in front of a seven man Clare wall on the goal line was blocked and when Waterford were awarded a late ’65 Shane Bennett attempting to put in sliotar in around the Clare goal and hope that a Waterford hurley would make contact with the ball saw his effort fail to drop on time and went over the crossbar to leave two between the sides after which the full time whistle was shaded straight away.

CLARE: Keith Hogan; Eoin Quirke, David Fitzgerald, Shane O'Brien; Aidan McGuane, Conor Cleary, Ben O'Gorman; David Conroy, Kevin Hehir; Bobby Duggan, Shane Gleeson, Ian Galvin; Shane O'Donnell, Stephen Ward, Ryan Taylor. Subs: Shane Taylor for Shane Gleeson (38).

Scorers: B Duggan 0-13 (7f), I Galvin 0-6, E Quirke 0-1, Aidan McGuane 0-1, Shane Gleeson 0-1, Ryan Taylor 0-1

WATERFORD: Jordan Henley; Shane McNulty, Kieran Bennett, Conor Gleeson; Michéal Harney, Tadhg de Búrca, Shane Bennett; Austin Gleeson, Tom Devine; Colin Dunford, Stephen Bennett, DJ Foran; Ryan Donnelly, Patrick Curran, Mikey Kearney. Subs: Darragh Lyons for Michéal Harney (HT), Cathal Curran for Ryan Donnelly (40), Séamus Keating for DJ Foran (46).

Scorers: Patrick Curran 1-7 (5f), Austin Gleeson 0-5 (1f, 1 '65'), Shane Bennett 0-2 (1 '65'), Colin Dunford 0-1, DJ Foran 0-1, Mikey Kearney 0-1, Cathal Curran 0-1

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).