Clare have one foot in the All-Ireland series after a resounding victory over Cork at Semple Stadium today, following last weekend’s win over Tipperary.
The Banner raced into a big early lead but could have folded after Alan Connolly’s kicked goal on 48 minutes and Ian Galvin’s 51st minute red card after a melee.
They only led by four points at that stage, however their response was emphatic, with David Fitzgerald and Cathal Malone taking the game by the scruff of the neck.
Fitzgerald had a hand in three Clare points on the bounce, with Malone involved in two as the Banner went seven clear on 55 minutes to re-establish their dominance.
The third of those three scores summed up Clare's attitude as Fitzgerald and Ryan Taylor turned over Darragh Fitzgibbon deep in his own defence.
And at a couple of stages in the second half when balls broke around Clare’s 45, forwards Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan were there to pick them up and relieve the pressure as Cork attempted to racket it up.
It was all hands to the pump in a stellar team display.
Clare look good for a Munster final spot or at least one of the top three places, which will secure an All-Ireland place.
Cork know they have to win their last two games to stand any chance of staying alive.
Clare led yesterday’s encounter by 11 points after 27 minutes, a week after they headed Tipperary by 13 points at half-time.
The way they’re coming out of the blocks has been one of the keys to a great start to their summer
And the card count maybe summed up where the physicality and urgency lay with Clare hit with a red and five yellows - one of them to Lohan for leaving his technical area - while Cork had one red and one yellow.
Clare had heroes all over the field and the manner of the win was far more convincing than the two-point margin at the end suggests
Darragh Fitzgibbon’s goal, which reduced the deficit to two points, came in the 75th minute, bang on the five minutes of added time.
Cork had former AFL player Mark Keane, a 62nd-minute sub, sent off on a straight red card on 70 minutes.
But even down a man it was alarming from a Cork perspective how easily Clare got out of defence in general and off their own short puck-out in particular.
The Rebels may point to what was the only throw-all of the game, awarded on 68 minutes, against sub Tommy O’Connell with Niall O’Leary raiding in towards goal. It was a key decision, potentially a four-point swing, as Tony Kelly launched over the resulting free.
Kelly had a huge second half, hitting two monster long-range frees and two more from play as Cork began to threaten.
On 63 minutes the superb Diarmuid Ryan blocked Patrick Horgan’s goal effort.
At the other end Peter Duggan shot straight at Cork goalie Patrick Collins when he might have fed Aron Shanager.
It was another really bad day at the office for Cork following their opening round defeat by Limerick.
Only back-to-back wins over Tipperary and Waterford will keep their season alive.
Last year’s All-Ireland finalists were out of sorts all over the field from the start.
The Banner were first to every ball, with Rory Hayes magnificent in the full-back line to the point where his man Jack O’Connor was called ashore after 26 minutes. By this stage none of Cork’s forward line had turned up
Ryan Taylor, Diarmuid Ryan, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald and Shane O’Donnell were all exceptional in the middle third
When Patrick Horgan missed a simple free on 27 minutes - and on the next puck-out Eibhear Quilligan’s long delivery bounced into Shane O’Donnell’s hand for a simple point - it summed up Clare’s urgency and Cork’s lack of it.
Tony Kelly also missed a simple free but atoned with an outrageous over the shoulder effort from the wing.
But for their eight first half wides Clare could have been out of sight.
They finished with 13 wides and five efforts dropped short to Cork’s eight wides and three efforts dropped short.
Darragh Fitzgibbon dropped two point efforts short for a jittery Cork, whose decision to start Shane Barrett at midfield and Fitzgibbon at centre-forward backfired.
Fitzgibbon came more into the game in the second half, having moved to midfield around the 23-minute mark.
Robin Mounsey was causing Sean O’Donoghue bother early on but Clare switched corner-backs, with Niall O’Leary moving across.
For all of Clare’s first half dominance, Cork were still only one goal away from being back within striking distance.
That chance arrived on the stroke of half-time but Patrick Horgan’s shot was saved and Shane Kingston couldn’t get the ball into his hand first-time.
He did rescue the situation with a point to leave the half-time scoreline, Clare 0-17 Cork 0-11.
But with Clare showing no signs of letting up, they were able to manage this one out in the second half and put themselves in great position to escape the group.
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