Clare SFC Final: Three in a row for Éire Óg

Clare SFC Final

Éire Óg, Ennis 2-15 Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-10

By Eoin Brennan at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg

A flawless 18 match championship run ensured that Éire Óg are the first club in Clare to power to a three-in-a-row of county senior football titles in almost half a century in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg in Ennis.

In front of an attendance of 4.239, the Ennis side led from start to finish against chief rivals Kilmurry Ibrickane to garner a first trio of successive crowns since Kilrush Shamrocks’ drive for five between 1975-79.

In truth, Éire Óg could have surpassed that feat with the last six Jack Daly Cups, only for a 2023 semi-final penalty shoot-out reverse to Cratloe to agonisingly blot their codebook.

Still, backed by a phenomenal 32 count championship wins in 33 matches, Shane Daniels’ team have impressed accumulated five triumphs in six seasons and show now signs of stopping anytime soon either as they expertly closed out victory.

Kilmurry Ibrickane did carve out two early goal opportunities, but Darragh Sexton’s shot would be repelled by goalkeeper Bernard Power while Keelan Sexton’s ninth minute attempt was somehow thwarted by a last gasp Manus Doherty dispossession.

Instead, championship top-scorer Mark McInerney, a full 25 points clear of his nearest rival with 4-48 in six matches, punished at the other end with a goal in the sixth minute from which Éire Óg never looked back from.

Ronan Lanigan, Ciaran Russell and Ikem Ugwueru all opened their accounts to stretch the gap to seven entering the second quarter. Even though Keelan Sexton turned provider for senior final debutante Conor Burke to fire to the let corner of the champions’ net in the 23rd minute, it would be soon wiped out once more by a relentless Éire Óg.

A McInerney two-pointers allied to points for Ugwueru and Darren O’Brien ensured a 1-10 to 1-2 interval cushion that they only accentuated on the resumption.

The ‘Bricks did bring on Inagh-Kilnamona’s senior hurling winning captain Aidan McCarthy and eight-time county champion Shane Hickey at half-time, but Enda Coughlan’s team would fall 10 in arrears before finally unearthing any strong backlash.

A brace of Cathal Talty two-pointers in the space of sixty seconds at the two-thirds mark finally gave Kilmurry Ibrickane’s support something to cheer about at 1-13 to 1-7. However, they wouldn’t score again for another 17 minutes, by which time Mark McInerney had converted his first two frees.

Kilmurry Ibrickane captain Dermot Coughlan arrowed over a consolation two-pointer deep into injury-time but even that was answered as in the next passage of play, a seven man Éire Óg move ended with teenager Darren Moroney flicking to the net at the back post.

It was the perfect finish to a richly deservedly achievement for the Ennis side who after strengthening their grip in Clare, have to be targeting Munster for their next immediate mission.

Scorers for Éire Óg: Mark McInerney 1-6 (1tp, 2fs), Darren O’Brien 0-3, Darren Moroney 1-0, Ikem Ugwueru 0-2, Gavin Murray, Oran Cahill, Ronan Lanigan, Ciaran Russell 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kilmurry Ibrickane: Cathal Talty 0-5 (2tp), Conor Burke 1-1, Dermot Coughlan 0-2 (1tp), Shane Hickey, Josh Moloney 0-1 each.

Éire Óg: Bernard Power; Manus Doherty, Aaron Fitzgerald, Dean Ryan; Ciaran Russell, Ronan Lanigan, Gavin D’Auria; David McNamara, Darren O’Brien; Oran Cahill, Gavin Murray, Mark McInerney; Danny Lyne, Ikem Ugwueru, Darren Moroney.

Subs: Einne O’Connor for Russell (41, inj), Jack Joyce for Lyne (44), Russell for D’Auria (48), Jarlath Collins for O’Brien (62), Luke Pyne for Murray (62), David Loftus for McNamara (64).

Kilmurry Ibrickane: Ian McInerney; Conor Kearney, Darren Hickey, Andrew Shannon; Ajay Daly, Daniel Walsh, Darragh Sexton; Dermot Coughlan, Evan Cahill; Ciaran Morrissey, Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Josh Moloney; Cathal Talty, Keelan Sexton, Conor Burke.

Subs: Aidan McCarthy for Morrissey (HT), Shane Hickey for D. Hickey (HT), Ruben Fallon for K. Sexton (55), Cillian Darcy for O’Dea (55), Colin Considine for Moloney (61).

Referee: Fergal O’Brien (Broadford).