Munster SFC Semi Final: Clare 2-18 Tipperary 1-15
Clare booked their spot in a third consecutive Munster football final after seeing off a stubborn challenge from Tipperary.
In truth, it was a game that Clare were never in any major danger of losing, but management will be concerned by the manner in which the Premier clawed their way back into the contest late in the final quarter.
With 13 minutes to play, Clare led by 2-15 to 0-10 and looked to be cruising, with man of the match Mark McInerney firing home his second goal as part of a personal tally of 2-5.
From there, Tipperary outscored their hosts in Zimmer Biomet Pairc Chiosiog by 1-5 to 0-1 to cut the gap to four points, with a late goal from substitute Sean O’Connor setting up a nervy finish.
Points from Keelan Sexton and Emmet McMahon would ultimately put the tie to bed, but all concerned know that more will be needed when the provincial final rolls around.
It was a strong start to the game for Tipperary with Steven O’Brien landing a two pointer, but the dream became a nightmare as his penalty attempt not only missed the target, but hit the upright above the crossbar before bouncing away to safety.
Huge let off for Clare as Steven O’Brien misses an early penalty. He had opened the scoring with a 2 pointer. Aaron Griffin gets Clare’s first point. Clare 0-1 Tipp 0-2 #GAA pic.twitter.com/9N0BmsGZtF
— Clare FM (@ClareFM) April 19, 2025
Mark McInerney’s bullet finish in the 18th minute sent Clare 1-2 to 0-2 ahead, and that lead would extend to six as Eoin Cleary’s effort with ten minutes to go in the half saw Clare lead by 1-6 to 0-3.
A strong finish to the half for Philly Ryan’s side was led by corner forward Darragh Brennan who kicked a brace of points along with a two point effort to leave Clare just 1-8 to 0-9 in front heading for the dressing rooms.
En route there, a member of the Tipperary backroom team became embroiled in a tussle with Clare’s Aaron Griffin, with the ensuing fracas leading to Alan Sweeney and Mark Stokes being shown black cards for contributing to a melee before the second half resumed.
Clare were much the better team in the third quarter with McInerney rolling home his second goal in the 43rd minute, and no one can argue that the better team did come out on top of this contest, despite that late scare.
