Inside Track with John McIntyre

HOW can you do justice to a match which had everything. All we know is what Clare and Cork hurlers produced at Croke Park on Sunday was phenomenal as a sporting spectacle. There was drama; brilliant individual goals; wild twists and turns; and enough excitement to last you a lifetime. The All-Ireland final was that good.

This week the Banner is celebrating only a fifth senior championship triumph– an unlikely scenario early in the decider – after nearly 100 minutes of pulsating action. Instead, we feared they were heading for a hiding, already 1-7 to 0-3 adrift, and struggling to contend with Cork’s sheer speed.

The capacity crowd had already been treated to one of the greatest individual goals scored at Croke Park – there were two more before the final’s end – as Cork defender Rob Downey soloed majestically up the left wing before rifling a powerful shot to the Clare net. The roofs nearly lifted off the Hogan and Cusack.

The Rebels were on fire. Tim O’Mahony, Shane Barrett, Brian Hayes and Seamus Harney were quickly punching major holes in the opposition cover and pre-match concerns that Clare wouldn’t be able to live with Cork’s blinding pace were being realised. Brian Lohan’s team was chasing shadows.

But typical of the day’s swings and roundabouts, Clare somehow managed to be on level terms at the break having stopped the hemorrhaging. Shane O’Donnell had a mighty ten minutes during which he set up the impressive Aidan McCarthy for a priceless goal and also picked off a brace of points. They were back in the contest and from there to the end of extra-time, nobody could be quite sure who was going to come out on top.

In a match in which the teams were deadlocked on 14 occasions, the debate still rages over should there have been extra-time at all. Clare and Cork had hurled themselves to a standstill and it was unfair to ask tired bodies – and supposedly amateur ones at that – to regroup and go again for another 20-plus minutes. Unfortunately, it’s all the legacy of a condensed fixtures schedule.

Clare, of course, as the eventual winners understandably couldn’t give a toss this week, but the GAA needs to look at reintroducing replays for All-Ireland finals. It’s just a more equitable way of doing things, especially after two teams have given so much in pursuit of victory. Another consideration is that the hurling inter-county is completed and still over five months of the year remaining. That vacuum is way too long.

Pictured: Clare captain and Player of the Match Tony Kelly celebrates after their epic All-Ireland hurling final triumph over Cork at Croke Park on Sunday.