Éire Óg 0-9 Ennistymon 0-6
Éire Óg had to be very patient before finally securing back-to-back Clare Senior Football titles for the first time in 74 years in Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday afternoon.
In front of an attendance of 4,608, it wasn't a classic by any means as Ennistymon, in only their second ever final, were ultra cautious and presented a mass defence for the holders to try and unlock.
Crucially, Éire Óg were unerring from placed balls including three marks as scorers-in-chief Gavin Cooney (6) and Mark McInerney steered their side to victory. Leading from start to finish, the Ennis side were disciplined and assured over the entire hour to maintain an enviable record of not conceding a single goal in the last two championship campaigns.
A Gavin Cooney mark and a rare Ikem Uqwueu point nudged the defending champions in front in the opening quarter while it took until the 20th minute for Ennistymon to finally open their account through a Brendy Rouine free. It would be cancelled out by a like score for Cooney as a dour first half finished at 0-3 to 0-1 in Éire Óg's favour.
The decisive moment of the tie arrived seven minutes after the restart when new hurling All-Star David Fitzgerald played in Cillian Rouine to unleash a powerful shot that was superbly stopped by Éire Óg goalkeeper Shane Daniels.
An equalising goal at that stage might have ignited Ennistymon's challenge but instead the leaders kicked three of the next four points, two from Cooney, to open up a five point gap entering the final ten minutes at 0-8 to 0-3.
Ryan Barry flashed a goal chance wide before consolation scores for cousins Sean and Brendy Rouine left only a kick of the ball between the sides. However, it was too little too late to derail Éire Óg from emulating the Ennis Faughs' (Éire Óg and St Joseph's Doora/Barefield) feat from the late 1940's.
Éire Óg: Shane Daniels; Ronan Lanigan, Aaron Fitzgerald, Manus Doherty; Ciaran Russell, Aidan McGrath (0-01), Einne O'Connor; Darren O'Neill, David McNamara; Niall McMahon, Ikem Ugwueru (0-01), Oran Cahill; Mark McInerney (0-01, 0-01m), Gavin Cooney (0-06, 0-04f, 0-02m), Philip Talty
Subs: Jarlath Collins for Talty (44), Conor O’Halloran for McMahon (56), Danny Griffin for Cahill (63, inj)
Ennistymon: Noel Sexton; Ciaran McMahon, Adam Ralph, Joey Rouine; Liam Cotter, Cathal Reilly, Josh Guyler; David McNamara, Brendy Rouine (0-02, 0-02f); Cillian Rouine (0-01), Eoin Rouine, Tiernan Hogan; Sean Rynne (0-01), David Fitzgerald, Sean Rouine (0-02, 0-01m)
Subs: Brian McNamara for Hogan (HT), Diarmuid Fahy for Cotter (41), Laurence Healy for Guyler (48), Ryan Barry for E. Rouine (53)
Referee: Chris Maguire (Wolfe Tones)
