5 hours ago 3:44PM
Good afternoon and welcome to Part II of a blockbuster weekend of hurling.
If Limerick set the standard last night — not to mention the last four years — it’s over to Kilkenny and Clare now to prove that they can rise to that challenge, and earn the right to end the Treaty’s four-in-a-row bid when we come back here in a fortnight’s time.
Throw-in is at 4pm; this should be a belter.
5 hours ago 3:45PM
TEAM NEWS: One late change to the named Clare team — Seadna Morey comes in, and despite some pre-match speculation that Mark Rodgers could be the one to miss out, it’s Ian Galvin who will sit this one out.
Clare
1. Éibhear Quilligan (Feakle)
2. Adam Hogan (Feakle), 3. ConorCleary (Kilmaley), 4. Rory Hayes (Wolfe Tones)
5. Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe), 6. John Conlon (Clonlara), 7. David McInerney (Tulla)
8. Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge), 9. David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona)
10. Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin), 11. Tony Kelly (Ballyea, captain), 12. Ryan Taylor (Clooney-Quin),
25. Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge), 14. Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg Ennis), 15. Mark Rodgers (Scariff)
5 hours ago 3:47PM
TEAM NEWS: Kilkenny are expected to line out as named, which means that both Richie Reid and Adrian Mullen are fit to start.
Kilkenny
1. Eoin Murphy (Glenmore)
2. Mikey Butler (O’Loughlin Gaels), 3. Huw Lawlor (O’Loughlin Gaels), 4. Tommy Walsh (Tullaroan)
5. David Blanchfield (Bennetsbridge), 6. Richie Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 7. Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels)
8. Conor Fogarty (Erin’s Own), 9. Adrian Mullen (Ballyhale Shamrocks)
10. Tom Phelan (Conahy Shamrocks), 11. Martin Keoghan (Tullaroan), 12. John Donnelly (Thomastown)
13. Billy Ryan (Graigue-Ballycallan), 14. TJ Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks), 15. Eoin Cody (Ballyhale Shamrocks)
5 hours ago 3:58PM
Clare are marginal — marginal — pre-match favourites to book their return to a first All-Ireland final since 2013, and set up a trilogy match against Limerick.
Who are you going for?
5 hours ago 3:59PM
We’re just about to get underway in Headquarters, but first, Amhrán na bhFiann.
5 hours ago 4:00PM
THROW IN: Referee Colm Lyons of Cork gets us underway, and Clare mount the first attack towards the Canal End.
5 hours ago 4:01PM
1 min – David Fitzgerald tries to open the scoring, but it’s Clare’s first wide of the day.
5 hours ago 4:02PM
2 mins — Kilkenny 0-1 Clare 0-0: Eoin Cody wins the first free of the day, fouled by Rory Hayes, and TJ Reid points as expected.
5 hours ago 4:03PM
3 mins – Eoin Cody drops way out the field, and tries his luck with a monster effort from close to the halfway line, but it drops into the paw of Éibhear Quilligan.
5 hours ago 4:03PM
3 mins — Kilkenny 0-1 Clare 0-1: Ryan Taylor peels away towards the Hogan Stand touchline and splits the post for his opening score.
5 hours ago 4:05PM
4 mins – Huw Lawlor has trapped Shane O’Donnell’s arm as the two of them vie for possession, and it’s rightly whistled as a Clare free.
5 hours ago 4:05PM
5 mins – Nervy start for Mark Rodgers; he’s put that free wide.
5 hours ago 4:06PM
6 mins — Kilkenny 0-2 Clare 0-1: Fine score from Eoin Cody to restore Kilkenny’s early advantage.
5 hours ago 4:06PM
6 mins — Kilkenny 0-2 Clare 0-2: Super score by Peter Duggan who has Tommy Walsh in close attention but gets up well above his marker to win clean possession, turns, and scores.
5 hours ago 4:07PM
8 mins — Kilkenny 0-3 Clare 0-2: TJ Reid points a simple free.
5 hours ago 4:08PM
8 mins — Kilkenny 0-3 Clare 0-3: Marvellous bit of play by Tony Kelly who scoops up a loose ball and then uses some clever stickwork to wriggle free from the Kilkenny defenders and find some space. He finds David McInerney, who scores.
5 hours ago 4:10PM
9 mins — Kilkenny 0-4 Clare 0-4: Paddy Deegan picks out Tom Phelan, who is allowed the time and space to turn and score. At the other end, Shane O’Donnell responds immediately to bring Clare back level.
5 hours ago 4:11PM
11 mins — Kilkenny 0-5 Clare 0-4: David Blanchfield is fouled by Conor Cleary as he tries to escape from a cluster of bodies in midfield. No bother for TJ Reid; he points the free.
5 hours ago 4:12PM
12 mins — Kilkenny 0-6 Clare 0-4: Cathal Malone is chased down and blocked down by Adrian Mullen, who makes no mistake in turning the turnover into a score.
5 hours ago 4:13PM
13 mins — Kilkenny 0-6 Clare 0-5: The ball goes behind for a Clare 65, and after missing with his first dead-ball, Mark Rodgers makes no mistake at the second time of asking.
5 hours ago 4:14PM
14 mins – Clare sweeper Seadna Morey ventures up the field, and should score, but his shot tails off wide.
5 hours ago 4:14PM
15 mins — Kilkenny 0-7 Clare 0-5: With Morey out of position, Kilkenny move it quickly; David Blanchfield picks out Billy Ryan, and Ryan does the rest.
5 hours ago 4:16PM
16 mins — Kilkenny 0-8 Clare 0-5: Cathal Malone can’t stop Huw Lawlor, even by fouling him. With advantage being played, Lawlor shrugs off Malone’s tug of his jersey, and booms over a point.
5 hours ago 4:18PM
17 mins – Super save from Éibhear Quilligan! Conor Cleary bats a long ball down, but only as far as Billy Ryan, and when he finds TJ Reid, you expect to start reaching for the green flag. Reid drives in a low shot but Quilligan does brilliantly to get a boot on it and put it behind for a 65.
5 hours ago 4:19PM
18 mins — Kilkenny 0-9 Clare 0-6: TJ Reid points the 65 to open up a four-point advantage for Kilkenny, but Tony Kelly gets his first of the day from play as an immediate response.
5 hours ago 4:20PM
20 mins — Kilkenny 0-10 Clare 0-6: Tony Kelly is LIVID at Colm Lyons for a free given against him, and looking at the replay, you can see why: Mikey Butler ended up on his backside but it was a slip, rather than anything of Kelly’s doing. TJ Reid jogs back and points the long-range free to add insult to injury.
5 hours ago 4:20PM
20 mins — Kilkenny 0-10 Clare 0-7: David Fitzgerald keeps Clare in touch.
5 hours ago 4:24PM
22 mins – Kilkenny 0-11 Clare 0-7: Seadna Morey wraps up Tom Phelan just outside the 20m line, which is as clear a foul as you’ll see, but as there are covering defenders there, it’s a yellow card for Morey and nothing more. It leaves Reid with a free to point, which he does — and that’s the score that sees him overtake Patrick Horgan as the all-time leading scorer in the hurling championship.
5 hours ago 4:25PM
23 mins — Kilkenny 0-11 Clare 0-8: What a stop by Conor Fogarty to deny Mark Rodgers a certain goal! He made up huge ground to stretch his hurl out and get the block in – superb stuff.
5 hours ago 4:26PM
25 mins — Kilkenny 0-12 Clare 0-8: Rodgers converts the 65, but Reid responds with another free.
5 hours ago 4:26PM
26 mins — Kilkenny 0-13 Clare 0-9: Eoin Cody at one end, Cathal Malone at the other; still a four-point game.
5 hours ago 4:28PM
28 mins – Tony Kelly has a go with a free from inside his own half, but it’s always heading right and wide.
5 hours ago 4:30PM
30 mins – We’ll have a short break in play here while Ryan Taylor gets treatment for a knee injury.
5 hours ago 4:31PM
31 mins – Taylor is okay to continue and we’re back underway.
5 hours ago 4:33PM
33 mins –Kilkenny 0-14 Clare 0-9: Super skill by TJ Reid who uses his strength to hold Conor Cleary off while flicking the ball from his hurl into his hand. He’s fouled by one of the three Clare defenders around him, and points the free.
5 hours ago 4:34PM
34 mins — Clare substitution: Ryan Taylor is unable to continue; David Reidy comes in on in his place.
5 hours ago 4:35PM
35 mins – TJ Reid is back in defence now, scooping up possession and winning a free to allow Kilkenny to relieve possession.
5 hours ago 4:35PM
There’ll be two additional minutes at the end of this half.
5 hours ago 4:37PM
35+1 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-9: Rory Hayes loses his hurl as he tries to block Eoin Cody’s route to goal. Cody settles for a point which puts Kilkenny six up.
5 hours ago 4:37PM
35+2 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-10: Super fielding from Shane O’Donnell who goes up against David Blanchfield and wins. Play is brought back for a foul on O’Donnell, which allow Mark Rodgers to point the final score of the half.
5 hours ago 4:37PM
HALF TIME: Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-10
Colm Lyons brings the first half to a close and it’s Kilkenny who’ll go in at the break the happier of the two sides and five points to the good.
Back in a few.
4 hours ago 4:54PM
SECOND HALF: We’re back underway — one change for Clare with Ian Galvin coming in for Seadna Morey.
4 hours ago 4:54PM
36 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-11: Peter Duggan finds Mark Rodgers in space, and Clare are quickly up and running in this second half.
4 hours ago 4:56PM
37 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-12: John Conlon picks out Mark Rodgers with a good delivery, and Rodgers wins clean possession before feeding David McInerney who scores.
4 hours ago 4:57PM
38 mins – Save by Eoin Murphy! Shane O’Donnell barrelled his way through the middle — with a few additional steps, it must be said — before going for goal, but Murphy gets his stick on it, and Huw Lawlor scrambles it behind for a 65.
4 hours ago 4:57PM
39 mins — Kilkenny 0-15 Clare 0-13: Mark Rodgers points the 65. Two points in it now.
4 hours ago 4:59PM
40 mins – Now Quilligan with the save! Magnificent stickwork from Eoin Cody, who has goal on his mind from a long way out, but Quilligan gets behind it to save at the near post.
4 hours ago 5:00PM
41 mins — Kilkenny 0-16 Clare 0-13: We’re coming back for a Kilkenny free — Adam Hogan has been booked for a wild pull across the legs of Eoin Cody as he bore down on goal there. TJ Reid points it.
4 hours ago 5:01PM
Some anxious moments there for Clare as John Conlon needed treatment following a collision with Tom Phelan. It was a heavy collision, but he’s okay to continue.
4 hours ago 5:01PM
43 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-14: Ian Galvin and Adrian Mullen trade points.
4 hours ago 5:03PM
45 mins – TJ Reid has a go with a long-range free, but it’s a rare miss, right and wide.
4 hours ago 5:06PM
46 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-15: Clare have the ball in Eoin Murphy’s net but the goal won’t stand. It was a long ball in by Peter Duggan, who was fouled by David Blanchfield in the process, and Colm Lyons is playing advantage. It looks as though Huw Lawlor has won clean possession — and at that point, Lyons whistles for the free — but Clare are incensed then when Lawlor spills the ball and it’s scrambled to the net.
After their protestations, Rodgers points the free.
4 hours ago 5:06PM
48 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-16: Rodgers points another free. One in it.
4 hours ago 5:08PM
50 mins – A ferocious passage of play ends with a free for Paddy Deegan. We’re in for a grandstand finish here.
4 hours ago 5:10PM
51 mins — Kilkenny 0-17 Clare 0-17: All square! Mark Rodgers draws Clare level with a point from play.
4 hours ago 5:11PM
52 mins — Clare 0-18 Kilkenny 0-17: David Reidy! Clare lead!
4 hours ago 5:12PM
53 mins — Clare 0-19 Kilkenny 0-17: Richie Reid is penalised for a foul as himself and Ian Galvin scramble for possession. There’s not much in that, and when Reid questions the decision, the free is brought inside. Rodgers converts.
4 hours ago 5:14PM
55 mins — Clare 0-19 Kilkenny 0-18: That’s Kilkenny first point in 12 minutes to finally end the run that Kilkenny have on them. Super work by Cian Kenny to set it up for Paddy Deegan.
4 hours ago 5:14PM
GOAL FOR KILKENNY! Kilkenny 1-18 Clare 0-19 (Cody, 55′)
What a huge moment in this game — Eoin Cody strikes for the game’s opening goal, and after being a distant second best for a lot of this second half, Kilkenny are back in front! Clare are their own worst enemies here; Rory Hayes is caught by Billy Ryan as he tries to run it out from the back, TJ Reid scoops up the ball, picks out Cody with a precision pass, and Cody rattles the net.
4 hours ago 5:16PM
57 mins – We wait on HawkEye — and it’s a Kilkenny wide. Still two between the sides here.
4 hours ago 5:18PM
59 mins — Kilkenny 1-18 Clare 0-20: Fine play by Clare; Galvin feeds it back inside to David Fitzgerald who has time and space to split the posts.
4 hours ago 5:19PM
Here comes Richie Hogan, on to replace Tom Phelan for the final 10+ minutes.
4 hours ago 5:19PM
61 mins — Kilkenny 1-19 Clare 0-20: Take a bow, TJ. He cuts over a magnificent sideline to push Kilkenny two clear.
4 hours ago 5:20PM
62 mins — Kilkenny 1-20 Clare 0-20: Clever by Kilkenny. Paddy Deegan chips a short sideline to TJ Reid, Reid finds Cian Kenny, and Kenny scores.
4 hours ago 5:21PM
GOAL FOR CLARE! Kilkenny 1-20 Clare 1-20 (O’Donnell, 63′)
O’Donnell levels it for Clare! He shows magnificent strength to shrug off the covering tackle of Tommy Walsh, and then rocket the ball past Eoin Murphy, who had no chance. We’re all square!
4 hours ago 5:24PM
65 mins — Kilkenny 1-21 Clare 1-20: If Clare are to dig this one out, they’ll have to stop giving TJ Reid scoreable frees. He points Kilkenny back into the lead.
4 hours ago 5:26PM
66 mins – Richie Hogan and John Conlon play cat-and-mouse as Hogan tries to work the space for a score. The mouse eventually gets caught, but it’s by an illegal shoulder from Diarmuid Ryan who gets a yellow card.
4 hours ago 5:26PM
67 mins — Kilkenny 1-22 Clare 1-20: Reid points again, and Kilkenny lead by two again.
4 hours ago 5:27PM
68 mins – Mark Rodgers isn’t far outside the 45m line — in his own half — as he sizes up a free. With the wind behind him, he just about has the distance, but not the accuracy. Wide.
4 hours ago 5:28PM
69 mins — Kilkenny 1-23 Clare 1-20: Paddy Deegan leads Eoin Cody to the outside with a well-placed pass, and Cody drifts away from Adam Hogan like he simply doesn’t exist. Three-point game.
4 hours ago 5:29PM
70 mins – There’ll be three additional minutes. Clare have a 65 to cut the gap to two points.
4 hours ago 5:29PM
70+1 mins — Kilkenny 1-23 Clare 1-21: Rodgers points the 65. It’s all on the next few possessions.
4 hours ago 5:30PM
70+2 mins — Kilkenny 1-24 Clare 1-21: Brilliant running by Mullen, and Cody points. Clare surely need a goal now with time running out.
4 hours ago 5:31PM
Kilkenny 1-24 Clare 1-22: EOIN MURPHY. OH MY GOD. ONE OF THE GREAT SAVES.
You’ll need to see this one to believe it. With the game on the line, Peter Duggan pulls on the ball in the air; Murphy flies through the air to somehow get his stick on it and flick it on to the crossbar!
Diarmuid Ryan points for Clare in the aftermath, but that really should have been the goal they needed. Outstanding goalkeeping.
4 hours ago 5:31PM
70+3 mins — Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22: Pádraig Walsh! That’s a tiny bit of breathing space for Kilkenny. Time is just about up.
4 hours ago 5:32PM
Free to Clare. Last play…
4 hours ago 5:33PM
We’re into the fifth minute of the three allowed.
4 hours ago 5:33PM
FULL TIME: Kilkenny 1-25 Clare 1-22
It’s all over — what a brilliant contest, but it’s Kilkenny who are back into the All-Ireland final, a rematch against Limerick, and a chance to deny the Treaty their four-in-a-row. How desperately Derek Lyng and his side would love to do that.
3 hours ago 5:39PM
That Eoin Murphy save. My days.
3 hours ago 5:39PM
Eoin Cody is named Player of the Match, and it’s hard to argue with that after a brilliant 1-5 from play.
3 hours ago 5:42PM
You can save the date now: Sunday 23 July, it’ll be Limerick against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland hurling final.
3 hours ago 5:43PM
That’s all that we’ve time for at the moment, but we’ll have plenty more reaction and analysis over the course of the evening. Thanks very much for reading.
